Israeli migraine-busting device saluted as 2020 ‘game changer’
Netanya-based startup Theranica chosen in category of ‘electro-charged therapeutics’ by New York data firm CB Insights
Shoshanna Solomon was The Times of Israel's Startups and Business reporter
After its product was selected earlier this year as one of Time magazine’s 100 best inventions for 2019, Israeli startup Theranica, the developer of a medical device for the treatment of acute migraine, has been chosen by New York data company CB Insights as one of next year’s 36 startup “game changers.”
The firm was ranked in CB Insights’ Game Changers for 2020, in which the US firm identified “high-momentum companies pioneering new ways to solve big problems.”
Theranica was mentioned in the category of “electro-charged therapeutics,” in which treatment of diseases and ailments occurs with electrical impulses instead of chemical drugs.
The Netanya, Israel-based firm developed the Nerivio, a device worn on the upper arm that uses smartphone-controlled electronic pulses to wirelessly stimulate the body’s neural pathway at the onset of a migraine. The device is currently available by prescription in the US in some headache and migraine clinics, and will be available in Israel in April, the firm said last month. Nerivio is Theranica’s first FDA authorized medical device.
CB Insights selected 36 global companies across 12 categories, including chips, next generation nuclear energy, mind-altering medicines, AI-based protein prediction firms and gene editing startups, identifying emerging trends to watch and “high momentum companies pioneering technology with the potential to transform society and economies for the better.”
“Migraine is a debilitating disease that demands intervention,” said Alon Ironi, co-founder and CEO of Theranica, in a statement released by the firm regarding its inclusion in the CB Insights list.
“Theranica’s approach to acute treatment of migraine suggests a drug-free option as a first line therapy. Utilizing the brain’s native conditioned pain modulation response has been shown to offer an affordable, drug-free, non-invasive alternative to drug-based medications,” Ironi said.
Last year, two Israeli firms were selected by CB Insights as game changers: Autotalks, a Kfar Netter-based maker of vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems for use in autonomous driving cars, and Tel Aviv-based AdVerif.ai, an artificial intelligence company that allows advertisers, publishers, and ad networks to moderate content and battle fake news.
CB Insights categories were selected by the firm’s tech market intelligence platform, which uses algorithms to scout through millions of media articles to identify game changing tech trends. The companies are selected using algorithms that track “company health” including recent financing and investor quality and submissions from firms and professionals.
