Latest news with #Heymann
West Australian
06-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
World Gold Council working to lure artisanal miners across globe away from ‘illicit actors'
The World Gold Council estimates up to 20 per cent of the world's supply of the precious metal is produced by 'artisanal' miners whose activities are vulnerable to exploitation from 'illicit actors' such as terrorists and mercenary organisations like the notorious Wagner Group. During his visit to Kalgoorlie-Boulder this week, the council's chief strategy officer Terry Heymann said the London-headquartered organisation wanted to bring these small-scale miners into the formal gold supply chain and make them less likely to work with 'informal and illicit markets'. Artisanal and small-scale mining involves individuals usually working by themselves and mainly by hand or with some mechanical or industrial tools. 'This is very different from the large-scale professional mines . . . (it's) not really happening in Australia, it's much more of an issue in other parts of the world, but it's an issue that we care about deeply and we're doing a lot of work in how to support responsible artisanal and small-scale gold mining,' Mr Heymann said. 'A number of my colleagues this week are in Ghana, where the Ashanti King is actually convening a conference to address this issue, which is how do we support access to the formal markets for small-scale and artisanal gold mining? 'Why is that important? 'Because if they don't have access to the formal markets, they go to the informal and illicit markets. 'And that's a real challenge for the gold industry, one that we're actively involved in and doing a lot of work on.' Mr Heymann said a report it held in partnership with former British deputy prime minister Dominic Raab highlighted the dangerous nature of these 'illicit actors'. '(Mr Raab's) findings, unfortunately, are really stark . . . without access to the formal market, these illicit, informal and sometimes illegal miners are forced to work with illicit actors, and that then gets into supplying gold funding for terrorist groups, mercenaries, with the Wagner Group as an example.' The Wagner Group is a Russian-based private military company which has been involved in conflicts across the globe, including the current war in Ukraine. Notoriously, in June 2023 the group's then-leader Yevgeny Prigozhin launched an 'armed mutiny' against the Russian military — but it ended before the Wagner Group's planned march on Moscow. Mr Prigozhin died in a plane crash in Russia in August 2023. Mr Heymann said the issue was extremely important for the whole gold sector. 'It's a different part of the gold sector to where most of the people investing in gold are going to be getting their gold from,' he said. '(And) it's not something the industry can do by itself, and this is why we are calling on governments around the world, particularly those involved in the G20, who can really group together and make a difference on this to take action, to be part of this coalition of the willing to actually drive change. 'My boss, the CEO of the World Gold Council, was meeting with the secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development last week, who is Australian — Mattias Cormann — and he pledged OECD support to us. 'The OECD has been hugely involved in this, and I think it's that level of support we need — of the OECD, of national governments in Australia, in the US and Canada, big mining nations using their ability and their leverage to bring together different groups of people who can really address this issue.'
Business Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
SingHealth Duke-NUS' AI spinoff inks MOUs with Roche, ST Engineering to improve healthcare operations
[SINGAPORE] Enigma Health, a healthcare artificial intelligence (AI) spinoff from SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, has inked separate memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche and Singapore technology player ST Engineering to expand the reach of its agentic AI platform. Agentic AI is a class of artificial intelligence that can reason and act autonomously. The platform, Enigma, was developed by a team of clinicians and AI scientists to optimise workflow and streamline data-intensive, time-consuming processes at healthcare organisations. This could range from administrative work to analysing surgeries as part of clinical audits. At the same time, the platform is able to maintain the security and regulatory compliance of the data. 'We are not taking any data out from anywhere... we are deploying (Enigma) at the source,' said Dr Dario Heymann, chief executive of Enigma Health, at a media briefing on Tuesday (May 27). The MOUs, signed at the Asia Tech X Singapore Summit, will enable Roche and ST Engineering to make use of Enigma in certain areas. The first MOU signed by Enigma Health and Roche will enable the two entities to jointly explore advanced AI and digital technologies to accelerate clinical trial recruitment, improve market access and enhance business intelligence. 'When you look at clinical trials, 40 per cent of the cost is actually on the recruitment side,' said Dr Heymann. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Enigma would be able to identify patients much faster based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria selected by the company, which would then save time and costs for these trials. Better oversight The second MOU signing between Enigma Health and ST Engineering will add the AI firm's small language model to ST Engineering's Agil Genie Studio platform, which enables users to build and deploy AI applications. Small language models are streamlined versions of large language models, which refer to AI systems such as ChatGPT that process vast amounts of text data to comprehend and generate human language. ST Engineering builds command centres for hospitals, which serve to manage crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, said Tan Bin Ru, president of enterprise digital at ST Engineering. 'The command centre leverages open-source large language models, but we realised that for specific areas, you actually need the small language model that Enigma is building, and it makes sense then to partner (with Enigma Health),' she said. For example, the hospital command centre has oversight of operating theatre capacity, but may not have the ability to check more specialised data such as post-surgery audits. Enigma's addition may then allow the command centre to look at both types of information from the same command centre. The two signings were witnessed by Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam at the summit's Scaling and Sustaining Healthcare with GenAI Symposium. In her closing remarks, she said that good governance is as crucial as technological advances in advancing the adoption of AI in healthcare. Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam says: 'Without clear rules, companies hesitate to invest, and doctors hesitate to adopt new technologies.' PHOTO: SINGHEALTH 'Without clear rules, companies hesitate to invest, and doctors hesitate to adopt new technologies,' she said. While Singapore has provided clear regulatory pathways for adopting AI in healthcare, 'healthcare transformation requires collective effort and shared expertise', added Rahayu, who is also minister of state for health. 'The two MOUs exemplify our collaborative approach to healthcare innovation,' she added. Prior to the announcements, Enigma was piloted in several SingHealth institutions, such as the Singapore National Eye Centre, SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Precision Medicine (Prism) and KK Women's and Children's Hospital. 'At KK Women's and Children's Hospital and Prism, a pilot with Enigma cut genetic reporting time from 30 minutes per report to just seconds, or 1,400 reports in an hour, instead of weeks,' noted Rahayu.
Business Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
SingHealth Duke-NUS' AI spin-off inks MOUs with Roche, ST Engineering to improve healthcare operations
[SINGAPORE] Enigma Health, a healthcare artificial intelligence (AI) spin-off from SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, has inked separate memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche and Singapore technology player ST Engineering to expand the reach of its agentic AI platform. Agentic AI is a class of artificial intelligence that can reason and act autonomously. The platform, Enigma, was developed by a team of clinicians and AI scientists to optimise workflow and streamline data-intensive, time-consuming processes at healthcare organisations. This could range from administrative work to analysing surgeries as part of clinical audits. At the same time, the platform is able to maintain the security and regulatory compliance of the data. 'We are not taking any data out from anywhere... we are deploying (Enigma) at the source,' said Dr Dario Heymann, chief executive of Enigma Health, at a media briefing on Tuesday (May 27). The MOUs, signed at the Asia Tech X Singapore Summit, will enable Roche and ST Engineering to make use of Enigma in certain areas. The first MOU signed by Enigma Health and Roche will enable the two entities to jointly explore advanced AI and digital technologies to accelerate clinical trial recruitment, improve market access and enhance business intelligence. 'When you look at clinical trials, 40 per cent of the cost is actually on the recruitment side,' said Dr Heymann. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Enigma would be able to identify patients much faster based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria selected by the company, which would then save time and costs for these trials. Better oversight The second MOU signing between Enigma Health and ST Engineering will add the AI firm's small language model to ST Engineering's Agil Genie Studio platform, which enables users to build and deploy AI applications. Small language models are streamlined versions of large language models, which refer to AI systems such as ChatGPT that process vast amounts of text data to comprehend and generate human language. ST Engineering builds command centres for hospitals, which serve to manage crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, said Tan Bin Ru, president of enterprise digital at ST Engineering. 'The command centre leverages open-source large language models, but we realised that for specific areas, you actually need the small language model that Enigma is building, and it makes sense then to partner (with Enigma Health),' she said. For example, the hospital command centre has oversight of operating theatre capacity, but may not have the ability to check more specialised data such as post-surgery audits. Enigma's addition may then allow the command centre to look at both types of information from the same command centre. The two signings were witnessed by Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam at the summit's Scaling and Sustaining Healthcare with GenAI Symposium. In her closing remarks, she said that good governance is as crucial as technological advances in advancing the adoption of AI in healthcare. Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam says: 'Without clear rules, companies hesitate to invest, and doctors hesitate to adopt new technologies.' PHOTO: SINGHEALTH 'Without clear rules, companies hesitate to invest, and doctors hesitate to adopt new technologies,' she said. While Singapore has provided clear regulatory pathways for adopting AI in healthcare, 'healthcare transformation requires collective effort and shared expertise', added Rahayu, who is also minister of state for health. 'The two MOUs exemplify our collaborative approach to healthcare innovation,' she added. Prior to the announcements, Enigma was piloted in several SingHealth institutions, such as the Singapore National Eye Centre, SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Precision Medicine (Prism) and KK Women's and Children's Hospital. 'At KK Women's and Children's Hospital and Prism, a pilot with Enigma cut genetic reporting time from 30 minutes per report to just seconds, or 1,400 reports in an hour, instead of weeks,' noted Rahayu.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nutrition startup Nourish lands over $1 billion valuation after Series B funding from JP Morgan Growth Equity
Nourish just raised $70 million in Series B funding led by JP Morgan Growth Equity Partners. Nourish connects patients with dietitians for virtual, insurance-covered nutritional care. The raise catapulted Nourish's valuation over $1 billion, per people familiar with the efforts. The nutrition care market is exploding as weight-loss drugs like Ozempic bring rising costs to health insurers and patients alike. Healthcare startup Nourish is at the forefront of that wave — and it just catapulted to unicorn status with a fresh infusion of cash. Nourish has raised a $70 million Series B round led by JP Morgan Asset Management's growth equity arm, Business Insider has learned exclusively. The Series B included new investors Atomico, G Squared, and PineGrove Venture Partners, alongside returning backers Index Ventures, Thrive Capital, Y Combinator, Maverick Ventures, and BoxGroup. Four people with knowledge of the round said the Series B put Nourish's valuation over $1 billion. The company declined to comment on its valuation. Nourish connects patients with registered dietitians for virtual, insurance-covered nutritional care, a space that's seeing huge momentum as payers grapple with the costs and limitations of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. CEO Aidan Dewar told BI that demand from health plans and patients has surged in the past year as weight-loss costs collide with the already escalating healthcare spend on chronic conditions — and meet an increasing consumer interest in health and wellness. "All of these things have led to patients taking their health into their own hands, and patients and payers both looking for solutions like this," Dewar said. Since its founding in 2021, Nourish has raised $115 million. But it didn't technically need to raise the JP Morgan-led Series B round, according to a source familiar with the company. Nourish is now profitable, a rarity for a fast-growing digital health startup. Paris Heymann, co-managing partner at JP Morgan Growth Equity Partners, first invested in Nourish's Series A when he was a partner at Index Ventures. Index led Nourish's $35 million Series A in March 2024. When Heymann left Index in October, Nourish was one of the top-performing companies in the firm's portfolio. JP Morgan's growth equity arm has made 13 investments to date. Nourish is their first digital health investment. "This is one of the fastest-growing companies we've seen at scale in a long time," Heymann said. Nourish got its start in 2021, when childhood friends Dewar and the startup's President, Sam Perkins, along with Perkins' college friend, CTO Stephanie Liu, set out to solve a problem they'd each faced firsthand. Dewar had struggled with migraines for years. Perkins dealt with GI issues. Traditional healthcare hadn't helped much — but nutrition care had. "We realized it wasn't just things like migraines or GI issues that are downstream of what you eat, but some of the most prevalent, costly, and deadly conditions are downstream of nutrition," Dewar said. Today, Nourish says it's built the largest nutrition care platform on the market, with more than 3,000 registered dietitians on staff. The startup has landed dozens of partnerships with health plans, employers, health systems, and provider groups, treating hundreds of thousands of patients to date. About 95% of its patients receive that care entirely covered by insurance. Nourish isn't the only startup capitalizing on the food-as-medicine boom. Fay Nutrition raised a $50 million Series B round in February led by Goldman Growth Equity, while Culina Health raised a $7.9 million Series A in December, led by Healthworx, the investment arm of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. Dewar said Nourish sets itself apart, for one, by employing all of its nutritionists directly as W-2 employees rather than contracting them. Contracting providers is a common practice in telehealth, especially for startups like Nourish that offer care in all 50 states. "They're the stars of the show, and we want to treat them as such," Dewar said. Then there are Nourish's heavy investments in AI. The startup built an in-house electronic medical record to integrate a number of AI tools for dietitians, including capabilities for automating chart notes, prepping clinicians for sessions, summarizing visits, and handling administrative workflows behind the scenes. On the patient side, the Nourish app offers AI-powered meal logging, personalized feedback based on wearable or lab data, and messaging with care teams, plus meal delivery options. Those investments further help Nourish support patients on GLP-1 medications like Ozempic. Earlier this month, the company launched a GLP-1 companion program that provides nutrition support alongside any prescriptions, plus an "off-ramp" program to help patients taper off the drugs without losing progress. The company says its GLP-1 patients lose 33% more weight, on average, than patients who take the drugs without its nutrition support, and they're less likely to stop the medication due to side effects. The programs aim to mitigate common complications like muscle loss and bone density decline, and support sustained weight or blood sugar outcomes post-medication. Late-stage diabetes startups Virta Health and Omada Health have also started offering obesity care in the past year; both startups have published research suggesting their programs can help patients maintain their weight loss after they stop taking GLP-1 drugs. But Nourish hasn't had much trouble competing with the rest of the startup landscape so far. Dewar said Nourish's growth is still accelerating, and it has no plans to slow down anytime soon. He said the startup plans to use the Series B capital to keep hiring across its business, including by bringing on more registered dietitians; continue building out its AI capabilities; and notch more partnerships with health plans, employers, and provider groups. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nutrition startup Nourish lands over $1 billion valuation after Series B funding from JP Morgan Growth Equity
Nourish just raised $70 million in Series B funding led by JP Morgan Growth Equity Partners. Nourish connects patients with dietitians for virtual, insurance-covered nutritional care. The raise catapulted Nourish's valuation over $1 billion, per people familiar with the efforts. The nutrition care market is exploding as weight-loss drugs like Ozempic bring rising costs to health insurers and patients alike. Healthcare startup Nourish is at the forefront of that wave — and it just catapulted to unicorn status with a fresh infusion of cash. Nourish has raised a $70 million Series B round led by JP Morgan's growth equity investment division, Business Insider learned exclusively. The Series B included new investors Atomico, G Squared, and PineGrove Venture Partners, alongside returning backers Index Ventures, Thrive Capital, Y Combinator, and BoxGroup. Four people with knowledge of the round said the Series B put Nourish's valuation over $1 billion. The company declined to comment on its valuation. Nourish connects patients with registered dietitians for virtual, insurance-covered nutritional care, a space that's seeing huge momentum as payers grapple with the costs and limitations of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. CEO Aidan Dewar told BI that demand from health plans and patients has surged in the past year as weight-loss costs collide with the already escalating healthcare spend on chronic conditions — and meet an increasing consumer interest in health and wellness. "All of these things have led to patients taking their health into their own hands, and patients and payers both looking for solutions like this," Dewar said. Since its founding in 2021, Nourish has raised $115 million. But it didn't technically need to raise the JP Morgan-led Series B round, Dewar said — Nourish is now profitable, a rarity for a fast-growing digital health startup. Dewar said the startup hasn't touched any of its Series A capital, either. Paris Heymann, co-managing partner at JP Morgan Growth Equity Partners, first invested in Nourish's Series A when he was a partner at Index Ventures. Index led Nourish's $35 million Series A in March 2024. When Heymann left Index in October, Nourish was one of the top-performing companies in the firm's portfolio. JP Morgan's growth equity arm has made 13 investments to date. Nourish is their first digital health investment. "This is one of the fastest-growing companies we've seen at scale in a long time," Heymann said. Nourish got its start in 2021, when childhood friends Dewar and COO Sam Perkins, along with Perkins' college friend CTO Stephanie Liu, set out to solve a problem they'd each faced firsthand. Dewar had struggled with migraines for years. Perkins dealt with irritable bowel syndrome. Traditional healthcare hadn't helped much — but nutrition care had. "We realized it wasn't just things like migraines or GI issues that are downstream of what you eat, but some of the most prevalent, costly, and deadly conditions are downstream of nutrition," Dewar said. Today, Nourish says it's built the largest nutrition care platform on the market, with more than 3,000 registered dietitians on staff. The startup has landed dozens of partnerships with health plans, employers, health systems, and provider groups, treating hundreds of thousands of patients to date. About 95% of its patients receive that care entirely covered by insurance. Nourish isn't the only startup capitalizing on the food-as-medicine boom. Fay Nutrition raised a $60 million Series B round in February led by Goldman Growth Equity, while Culina Health raised a $7.9 million Series A in December, led by Healthworx, the investment arm of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield. Dewar said Nourish sets itself apart, for one, by employing all of its nutritionists directly as W-2 employees rather than contracting them. Contracting providers is a common practice in telehealth, especially for startups like Nourish that offer care in all 50 states. "They're the stars of the show, and we want to treat them as such," Dewar said. Then there are Nourish's heavy investments in AI. The startup built an in-house electronic medical record to integrate a number of AI tools for dietitians, including capabilities for automating chart notes, prepping clinicians for sessions, summarizing visits, and handling administrative workflows behind the scenes. On the patient side, the Nourish app offers AI-powered meal logging, personalized feedback based on wearable or lab data, and messaging with care teams, plus meal delivery options. Those investments further help Nourish support patients on GLP-1 medications like Ozempic. Earlier this month, the company launched a GLP-1 companion program that provides nutrition support alongside any prescriptions, plus an "off-ramp" program to help patients taper off the drugs without losing progress. The company says its GLP-1 patients lose 33% more weight, on average, than patients who take the drugs without its nutrition support, and they're less likely to stop the medication due to side effects. The programs aim to mitigate common complications like muscle loss and bone density decline, and support sustained weight or blood sugar outcomes post-medication. Late-stage diabetes startups Virta Health and Omada Health have also started offering obesity care in the past year; both startups have published research suggesting their programs can help patients maintain their weight loss after they stop taking GLP-1 drugs. But Nourish hasn't had much trouble competing with the rest of the startup landscape so far. Dewar said Nourish's growth is still accelerating, and it has no plans to slow down anytime soon. He said the startup plans to use the Series B capital to keep hiring across its business, including by bringing on more registered dietitians; continue building out its AI capabilities; and notch more partnerships with health plans, employers, and provider groups. Read the original article on Business Insider
