A recent report from Rock Health and CareQuest Innovation Partners noted the massive, overlooked opportunity to invest in oral health. US-based digital dental health startups account for less than 2% of overall digital health funding annually, and the historic lack of investment has led to $710B in treatment costs and productivity losses worldwide each year.
To reverse this trend, CareQuest Innovation Partners took significant steps to expand its investment portfolio in 2024 with new investments in Grin and Wesper and help close the funding gap, supporting companies driving transformation in digital health, preventative care, telehealth and medical-dental integration.
“It’s exciting to watch our portfolio grow year over year as we welcome new, mission-aligned companies into our ecosystem and deepen relationships with our existing portfolio companies who we continue to support as they advance their business objectives,” said Denise Marks, chief financial officer and executive vice president. “Our investments are a core part of our overall mission to validate and scale solutions that make oral health more accessible, equitable, and integrated for all.”
2024 Investment Highlights
Enable Dental, which offers portable general dentistry and value-added services to seniors, adults with special needs (“I/DD”), and their supporting health care organizations across various facilities, homes, Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) centers, and communities. Investment milestones included expanding operational and technical capabilities for scale and growth in PACE and other key markets.
Grin is a comprehensive digital platform that connects patients to dentists in their community from the convenience of their smart device. Investment supported expansion into the general dental practice and hygiene market. Grin won the 2024 Digital Health Award for Emerging Innovation in Dental Health at HLTH, is an alumni of CareQuest Innovation Partners SMILE Health program, and is the first recipient of ACCELERATE funding, which helps SMILE Health graduates advance their impact. Grin’s ACCELERATE focus is on supporting underserved communities.
Incisive Technologies, which works to advance oral health care by enabling preventive dentistry. BlueCheck, their first commercial product, is an innovative “paint” that reveals early-stage caries giving clinicians objective evidence in detecting and monitoring activity status. Investment milestones include support for scaling manufacturing capabilities and the commercial launch of BlueCheck in the U.S.
MouthWatch, a leader in developing digital technology solutions that drive success for dental professionals, improve oral health care, and enhance the overall patient experience. Dentistry.One is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MouthWatch, launched in 2023 as a virtual-first care network that addresses the expectations of today’s modern health care consumers with on-demand dental consultations, AI wellness scans, personalized care coordination, and oral health coaching for prioritizing oral and systemic health. Investment milestones included expansion in technology and market establishment in several states.
Wesper, a comprehensive sleep diagnosis, monitoring, and management platform that empowers patients and providers with personalized at-home care. Backed by strategic investments, Wesper has optimized its product design and achieved strong adoption among medical providers, with significant opportunities to expand into the general dental practitioner market.
Learn more about our investment portfolio, get connected and stay tuned for more investment updates in 2025.
