University of Colorado Innovation Fund has participated in a funding round for Riva Health that also attracted its affiliate health system UCHealth.

Riva Health, a US-based developer of a mobile app to capture cardiovascular data, has received $15.5m in a series A round featuring University of Colorado’s Innovation Fund and the institution’s affiliate health system UCHealth.
Menlo Ventures led the round, which also attracted private investors Brandon Cruz and Larry Gies. Menlo had already led a seed round of undisclosed size last year, when True Ventures also invested, and the round was disclosed as part of the series A announcement.
Riva Health is working on a mobile app that asks the user to place an index finger on the camera lens on the phone’s back – which typically offers higher resolution than the lens on the front – to measure the blood-pulse waveform, showing changes in blood flow volume and intensity.
The real-time monitoring allows the detection of a range of conditions, and Riva is initially focused on high blood pressure. The app connects to healthcare providers and enables remote patient management.
In addition to its investment, UCHealth has partnered Riva Health to deploy the technology at its hospitals. Riva is currently seeking regulatory clearance in the US and aims to launch a beta version of its app by this summer.
Dr Richard Zane of UCHealth has been appointed to Riva’s board of directors, joining Menlo partner Greg Yap.

Thierry Heles

Thierry Heles is the former editor-at-large of Global University Venturing and Global Corporate Venturing, and was the producer and host of the Beyond the Breakthrough podcast until December 2024.