Ex-Epocrates CMO's startup 22otters, also known as Gamgee, has been acquired

By Heather Mack
06:04 pm
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An undisclosed company has acquired San Mateo, California-based Gamgee, a digital health startup that has done business as 22otters. Both the Gamgee and 22otters website inform visitors about the acquisition but reveal no additional details.

With investors that include Khosla Ventures and Nuance Communications, Gamgee developed apps that help patients with at-home, pre-op and post-op care.

The company has evolved from Gamgee-branded offerings to more of a stand-alone with 22otters. In February, Trent Sterling was named new CEO, replacing 22otters founder Bob Quinn, formerly the chief medical officer of Epocrates. Both declined to comment on the acquisition, saying the buyer was not yet ready to make the announcement.

New investors or potential owners aren’t known at this time, but Gamgee’s last funding round was in 2014, when it raised $4 million. In June 2015, Khosla Ventures removed Gamgee from the portfolio page on its website, suggesting the company was in transition a year ago.

Nuance Communications is an investor in the company, which also counts at least two former Nuance employees on its team. Additionally, Nuance's CEO sits on Gamgee's board and the startup has been particularly focused on the voice-recognition components of its software offering in the past year.

Gamgee's 22otters colonoscopy prep app is still going strong, following the company’s 2014 presentation about a pilot study to determine the effectiveness of the virtual mobile health coach.

Gamgee also currently offers GW MFA, an app for patients of the George Washington Medical Facility Associate that provides spoken instructions such as directions to appointments and tips on surrounding facilities. Plus, patients can speak, record and email all medication lists and primary health concerns to play back during appointments. Gamgee previously offered the now-defunct HerStory, launched under the 22otters brand, which was a forum for women with health issues to share their stories via voice recordings. 

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