Amsterdam-based Pal, a digital palliative care solutions provider, announced on Wednesday that it has secured €300,000 in a pre-seed round of funding to enhance access to at-home palliative care for individuals facing serious illnesses.
This funding complements a prior incubation round from Antler, a global startup accelerator.
Pal says it will use the pre-seed funds to expedite the launch of its digital palliative care service, promising improved support for patients and families dealing with serious illnesses.
Investors in this round
The investment came from Silicon Valley-based investor Plug and Play Ventures, joined by several angel investors with deep industry knowledge. It was further backed by Rabobank through the infusion of the Rabo Innovation Loan.
Cherif Miloudi from Rabobank says, “Digitalisation in healthcare is essential, and Pal empowers every family to access and benefit from palliative care effortlessly. Rabobank takes immense pride in supporting Pal with our Rabobank Innovation Loan, designed to support innovative business propositions like Pal’s, and looks forward to supporting their growth.”
“Better palliative care, right at home”
Pal addresses the critical issue of inadequate access to palliative care for close to 60 million individuals with life-limiting illnesses. Currently, only 14 per cent of those in need receive such care due to factors like an ageing population, increasing serious illnesses, and healthcare staff shortages.
Despite palliative care being recognised as a basic health right by the World Health Organisation, healthcare systems struggle to provide access, putting immense stress on patients and their families.
Pal’s digital solution aims to bridge these gaps and improve the quality of life for patients by providing essential support and resources, especially for family caregivers who often lack proper training and assistance.
Founded in 2022 by Nara Moripen and Azi Doost, Pal is designed for at-home palliative care, offering support to patients, family members, and healthcare providers. It directly tackles the primary challenges of palliative caregiving, including daily care, symptom management, and collaboration among care teams.
The company’s approach aims to optimise existing resources, resulting in improved care quality, enhanced quality of life for patients, and increased efficiency for care providers. Overall, Pal seeks to make palliative care more effective and accessible for all involved parties.
Nara Moripen says “I have experienced first-hand how challenging it can be to become a caregiver for a loved one overnight, without getting proper support, tools, or guidance.”
“Pal is the exact solution I wish I had myself when I was caring for my mom. This funding fuels our upcoming product launch and enables us to make palliative care more efficient, affordable, and accessible for all,” adds Moripen.
How was Pal born?
Nara Moripen was inspired to create the company after her personal experience of caring for her mother, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in November 2020.
Moripen’s caregiving journey highlighted the flaws in the system, with inadequate guidance, support, and tools for family caregivers like herself.
A year later, when Nara met Azi, Pal’s COO, they bonded over Nara’s palliative care experience, leading to the inception of Pal. Their shared vision is to revolutionise palliative care based on firsthand insights and challenges faced by caregivers.
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