Company emerges from stealth with $80M in funding to transform fragmented brain healthcare system through next-generation clinics, offering access to rapid-acting personalized treatment
SAN MATEO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Salma Health today announced its official launch as the next-generation brain health company that integrates advanced diagnostics, rapid-acting interventions and continuous care coordination under one roof. The $80M Series A funding was co-led by Mubadala Capital and ARCH Venture Partners with participation from Lingotto Horizon, as well as others, including Averin Capital. With this financing, Salma Health is positioned to build and operate centers of excellence designed to fundamentally reshape how brain conditions are diagnosed, treated and studied.
More than one-third of Americans experience a brain health condition each year. Yet care remains fragmented, siloed and slow, especially for patients whose needs span psychiatry, neurology, psychology and crisis care. Salma Health directly addresses this gap through an integrated, technology-enabled model built around three pillars:
- Specially equipped clinics providing in-person healthcare services augmented by telehealth solutions. These clinics deliver advanced therapeutics, intensive care programs, crisis mitigation and patient support across a full spectrum of psychiatric and neurological services for all levels of acuity with rapid access and coverage across a broad range of payors, all under one roof;
- Clinical research capabilities conducting clinical trials to support pharmaceutical and medical device companies, expanding the therapeutic options for patients; and
- A proprietary AI-driven technology platform that brings together clinical knowledge, operational coordination, clinical data and the latest advances in generative AI to power the development of Brain Health OS, an intelligent operating system that unlocks clinical insights, enhances decision support and streamlines care coordination.
Salma Health’s integrated model connects front-line clinical care with world-class scientific research to deliver breakthrough therapies for individuals living with psychiatric and psychological conditions, memory and dementia disorders, headache and migraines, and brain injuries. It also lays the groundwork for a deeper understanding of the brain, advancing the field toward precision brain health and driving better, more lasting outcomes.
“Brain health conditions are deeply complex, yet for decades we’ve just treated them with trial and error,” said Alaa Halawa, CEO of Salma Health and Head of Healthcare at Mubadala Capital. “Every member of our team has seen patients struggle through a fragmented system. Salma Health is designed to change that. We’re creating a continuous, integrated care pathway, powered by leading clinicians, advanced science and breakthrough therapeutics. To achieve this, we are building a digital and AI-driven foundation to personalize diagnosis, track outcomes and match each patient to the right care at the right time.”
A New Standard for Integrated Brain Healthcare
Addressing critical gaps in psychiatric and neurological care that have persisted for decades, Salma Health’s model is built for patients who have often tried multiple therapies without meaningful improvement. Salma Health delivers personalized care using the most advanced, evidence-based treatments available today – from conventional and accelerated transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and SAINT® neuromodulation protocols to esketamine therapy, psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. Each treatment plan is built through rigorous clinical assessment and delivered by specialized teams focused on personalization and safety.
“Conventional neurological, psychiatric and behavioral care is designed around first-line treatments, but that approach often leaves patients behind,” said Brandon Bentzley, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer at Salma Health and co-developer of the FDA-cleared SAINT neuromodulation system. “We’re combining the most advanced therapeutic interventions and integrated clinical protocols to move beyond symptom management and toward true recovery. Our goal isn’t incremental progress; it’s to redefine what’s possible in brain healthcare.”
Building the Innovation Infrastructure
Beyond clinical care delivery, Salma Health is building an innovation platform for brain health designed to partner with pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers, providing patients access to experimental therapeutics through FDA-regulated clinical trials.
Patients undergo deep profiling across demographic, neural, physiological and digital markers – creating one of the most comprehensive brain health datasets of its kind. These insights enable predictive models of care, inform clinical pathways, enable early detection of relapse and support real-world evidence generation. This data-driven approach drives Salma Health toward its ultimate goal: building the precision-brain health center of the future, where, when a patient walks in the door, clinicians can immediately match them with the optimal treatment based on their unique biological and clinical markers.
Simultaneously, the company is building a HIPAA-compliant research sandbox where pharmaceutical and medical device companies can innovate alongside Salma Health’s own research initiatives, collectively advancing the field toward personalized, evidence-based brain healthcare.
“Our healthcare strategy at Mubadala Capital is focused on building enduring platforms that support patients through every stage of care. Brain health is one of the most important areas in need of that transformation,” said Hani Barhoush, CEO of Mubadala Capital. “Salma Health’s integrated model, uniting specialized clinical delivery, advanced technology and research infrastructure, represents the coordinated system this field has long lacked. It is exactly the kind of patient-centered, complex opportunity we aim to invest in.”
Addressing the Brain Health Crisis with Measurable Results
“What excites us about Salma Health is its ability to deliver measurable results while simultaneously advancing the field,” said Paul Berns, Managing Director at ARCH Venture Partners. “By taking a comprehensive, data-driven approach to brain health, the Salma Health team is not just better addressing individual patients; they’re massively improving our understanding of brain conditions. This represents the integral change our healthcare system desperately needs.”
Salma Health plans to publish outcomes data and contribute to new clinical guidelines, ensuring that breakthrough insights benefit the broader medical community and curate improved standards of care for brain health cases. Through strategic partnerships with healthcare systems, academic institutions and regulatory agencies, Salma Health will work to establish new diagnostic protocols, advance FDA pathways for personalized interventions and create real-world evidence frameworks. Today’s launch marks the beginning of a transformation in how the brain is understood and treated globally.
Clinical Expansion
The company has opened locations in San Diego, Orange County, Fremont and Berkeley. Additional locations are upcoming as part of the organization’s strategic expansion, with plans for growth across the United States.
Led by a founding team of decades-long healthcare advocates – Alaa Halawa, Ayman AlAbdallah, Brandon Bentzley, MD, PhD, Emily Phillips-Bru, and Zeena Ojjeh – the company honors the legacy of one of its visionary members with the naming of its Orange County location.
Salma Health has named its Orange County clinic the Salma Health Nolan Williams Clinic in recognition of the profound contributions of Dr. Nolan Williams, another founding team member and visionary neuropsychiatrist. As Director of the Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab, Dr. Williams co-developed SAINT, an FDA-cleared neuromodulation system that has transformed treatment for patients with treatment-resistant depression. His pioneering research advanced the field of brain health and offered hope to countless patients. All SAINT treatment rooms across the company’s clinic locations will also be named in his honor.
About Salma Health
Salma Health is the next-generation end-to-end integrated brain health company specializing in mental health, neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. The company combines advanced diagnostics, interventional psychiatry, intensive outpatient therapy and clinical research to serve high-acuity patients. Supported by proprietary technology systems, Salma Health replaces trial-and-error care with data-driven, personalized therapies for depression, OCD, PTSD, anxiety, traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative conditions. Founded by a team of healthcare executives, interventional psychiatrists and neuroscientists, the organization aims to build a national center of excellence for the future of brain health. For more information, visit salmahealth.com.
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