Blackbird Ventures, Snow Foundation back pain management start-up
Summary
A Melbourne-based start-up tackling pain management has raised $3.5 million in its first funding round, scoring backing from Blackbird Ventures and billionaire Terry Snows foundation.More Good Days, founded in 2021 by former International Rescue Committee associate director Neala Fulia and ex-Bega Cheese head of strategy Helena Ngo, has developed a psychology-based online pain management program for fibromyalgia and chronic pain.Ms Fulia said she was inspired to start the business after witnessing her fathers struggle with chronic neck pain. I remember him only being offered surgery, or opioid painkillers, she said. Meanwhile I was working for a research foundation in the UK and learning about different chronic health conditions and how expensive it is for the health system to cater to.The gold standard of treatment was a whole-of-person approach looking at the brain and the body, so a person needed help with physio, psychology and diet, but this cost an arm and a leg for a typical person to access.The World Health Organisation estimates one in five people live with some form of chronic pain and Pain Australia estimates that it costs Australians upwards of $144 billion to manage each year.