We are all familiar with medical devices and wearables, but are they connected to the healthcare system and databases that are meant to keep us healthy? Unfortunately, in most cases, the answer is no. However, Vital, which is rebranding as “Junction”, offers a single API that integrates wearables and lab services, making lab testing more convenient and leading to better healthcare outcomes. Recently, Junction has secured $18 million in a Series A funding round, led by the European VC firm, Creandum.

Other companies, such as Health Gorilla, which has raised $77.7 million, and Change Healthcare, which has raised $48 million, are also working to link data and devices. These efforts aim to bridge the gap between the wealth of health data generated by wearables and medical devices and the healthcare systems that can utilize this information to improve patient outcomes.

Junction, now headquartered in New York but originally founded in London, believes that the future of healthcare lies in the home, not in hospitals. The company’s founders argue that a significant amount of data about our bodies is stored in biometrics and physiological data, most of which can be collected through wearables and medical devices in the home. However, these devices are rarely connected to actual healthcare systems, highlighting the need for innovative solutions like Junction’s API.

In an interview with TechCrunch, Maitham Dib, Junction’s Founder and CEO, who previously worked as an engineer at Babylon Health, explained: “We started by developing integrations for various medical devices, creating a widget that can be embedded into apps or web apps, allowing patients to share basic device data. We then standardized this data and expanded into lab testing, facilitating the ordering of labs in the US.”

Junction’s API enables companies to connect to over 500 wearable and medical devices, providing a comprehensive platform for data integration. This has led to significant adoption, with over 2 million devices connected to the platform and a projected 1 million lab tests to be conducted this year.

The Junction platform also allows companies to order lab tests across all 50 US states and receive results from over 10 labs, offering both in-person and at-home testing options. This streamlined process can significantly enhance the efficiency of healthcare services and improve patient outcomes.

Junction’s solution addresses a pressing need in the healthcare sector, as approximately 60% of US adults suffer from chronic diseases, often requiring extensive home monitoring and manual data collection by care teams.

Sabina Wizander, Partner at Creandum, emphasized the importance of data integration in healthcare, stating: “Data is the key to unlocking the potential of new technologies like AI in healthcare. However, much of the healthcare infrastructure is based on legacy systems and relies on outdated methods like fax and paper. Junction solves this problem by providing companies with the necessary healthcare infrastructure for lab testing and device data integration.”

Junction has secured over 140 healthcare organizations as customers, including prominent names such as Found, Parsley Health, and Evidation. This demonstrates the company’s growing presence and influence in the healthcare industry.

In addition to Creandum, other participants in this Series A funding round include Y Combinator, Point Nine, and Amino Collective. Junction had previously raised a Seed round with Point Nine Capital and YC three years ago, underscoring the company’s ability to attract investment and drive growth.