Paris startup Poppins has raised €5 million for its digital therapy used in the rehabilitation of dyslexia in children to increase care capacity. This brings its total funding to €20 million.
France has 1.3 million children with dyslexia, while only 25,000 speech therapists are available, resulting in waiting times of 12 to 24 months and lasting academic and psychopathological repercussions. Improving early intervention and access to care is a major public health issue supported by the government.
Launched in 2018 by François Vonthron and Antoine Yuen, and originating from the École Polytechnique, Poppins is a startup specializing in the development of medical devices for the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly dyslexia, which accounts for 80 per cent of learning disabilities.
Poppins has developed a video game app that offers home-based support, complementing and reinforcing speech therapy care. It does not replace a healthcare professional, but allows children to practice and progress day after day
Poppins was developed through a multidisciplinary collaboration involving leading research teams, including Professor Michel Habib, a neurologist specialising in learning disabilities at La Timone Hospital (AP-HM), Professor David Cohen, head of department at La Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital (AP-HP), and patient associations such as the French Dyslexia Federation.
Poppins has demonstrated clinical benefits by enabling more frequent at-home care and has been rigorously tested, including a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with over 6,000 families in France.
According to François Vonthron, CEO and co-founder of Poppins, the company is now ready for integration into care pathways:
“The results of our work must now benefit as many people as possible in order to reduce the loss of opportunity caused by difficulties accessing care and increase care capacity for children with dyslexia."
Racine² led this funding round with the participation of long-standing investors the Bpifrance Patient Autonome fund, Eurazeo, Kurma Partners, BNP Paribas Développement, and Verve Ventures.
Eric Gossart, Partner at Serena shared:
“Dys disorders affect 8 per cent of our youth. The consequences on academic success, mental health, and professional integration underscore the public health imperative to improve care pathways to guarantee each child early and intensive support, including in areas most under pressure due to a lack of speech therapists.
Racine2 is proud to support a rigorous and humble team in its mission of strong societal impact.”
Lead image: Poppins. Photo: uncredited.
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