St. Louis Startup Scene: Balto Opens Office, Brain-Computer Interface Cleared to Sell

St. Louis’ Neurolutions brain-computer interface – IpsiHand, a non-invasive system that helps stroke patients augment hand muscle memory through a brace, gets FDA approval. Balto, a call centre support software platform based in St. Louis, secures a $37.5 Million Series B funding to expand product scope, setup larger headquarters and double its workforce. Rezilient, a digital clinic of St. Louis; connecting doctors virtually - remotely, receives $2.5 Million as seed funding to improve infrastructure and expand the workforce.

Brain-computer device cleared for sales; a bigger Balto bags more cash and moves; virtual medicine hybrid lands money to open first clinics

Neurolutions

The U.S. Food and Drug administration authorized NeuroLutions to market its brain-computer interface device to adult stroke survivors. The IpsiHand system is non-invasive and controls a hand brace to move the patient’s hand as part of a therapy to re-educate the stroke survivor’s muscles. 

Backed by Ascension Ventures, Prolog Ventures, BioGenerator and St. Louis Arch Angels the company was founded in 2007 and says it expects it’s brain interface technology to be a platform for many other devices in their development pipeline. 

Balto

Balto is on the move. The call center support platform closed  a $37.5M Series B round, expanded its product scope, and moved out of tech incubator T-Rex and into it’s own offices. The 22,000 square foot headquarters is just down the street at 1227 Washington Ave. and accommodates the 110+ employees (and growing) the company now has – double its workforce when it landed a $10M round last fall.

CEO Marc Bernstein told the 4thEst8 the new product upgrade is a suite of tools to help managers and trainers of front-line call center workers, something new for Balto. Their software uses machine learning to help call center workers by monitoring calls and popping up useful information on the worker’s computer to address the issue being discussed. 

Rezilient

Rezilient Health closed a $2.5M seed round that CTO Jeff Gamble tells the 4thEst8 will go to β€œinfrastructure and employees” as they open clinics in the St. Louis area, and Miami early next year.

Founded in 2016 the company plans clinics with digital devices to bring in doctors remotely, supplemented by in-person nursing staff. Their video platform and technology will support a membership-based primary care system. The company has six full time employees, and Gamble says it’s looking for two software engineers right now.