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Citizen Health is back in business with fresh seed capital and a strategic collaboration for rare disease therapies. The health platform, powered by artificial intelligence, aims to introduce drug makers to consenting study subjects alongside patient communities and real-world data from preclinical and clinical development through post-FDA approval.
The endeavor started in 2017 as Ciitizen—a Silicon Valley-based startup founded by a16z and Section 32 and associated with Alphabet’s health tech subsidiary, Verily—which Invitae acquired at the end of 2021 for $325 million. The genetic testing company sought to underpin its programs with a service that would link patient data and clinical R&D.
However, Invitae filed for bankruptcy this past February—but not before selling off the Ciitizen platform in December 2023 and incorporating the assets into a new company founded by Ciitizen’s original management team.
Now called Citizen Health, with one “i” removed, the company announced it has secured $14.5 million in seed funding to continue its goals, which include focusing on rare diseases and partnering with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
The rebranding is an ambitious strategy based on activities the founders previously undertook at Citizen. They have now created a company that harnesses the power of community, data, and AI to revolutionize the patient and family experience in managing rare and complex conditions, stated Farid Vij, CEO and co-founder of Citizen Health.
The seed funding was provided by Transformation Capital with Wavemaker 360, in addition to two anonymous angel investors.
Citizen’s partnership will advance collaboration with CZI’s Rare As One project, which serves as both a research network and a source of funding encompassing various patient organizations, coalitions, and strategic partners.
Citizen stated that it intends to reveal more collaborations and product updates in the coming months.
