Citizen Health Raises $30 Million to Build AI Advocate for Every Patient, Ushering in a New Era of Patient-Centered Healthcare

Rhea-AI Summary

Citizen Health has secured $30 million in Series A funding led by 8VC, with participation from Transformation Capital and Headline, bringing total funding to $44 million. The company, founded by former Invitae (NYSE: NVTA) executives, is developing an AI-powered healthcare platform focused on rare disease care.

The platform has built 60 engaged communities across 123 rare and complex conditions, partnering with 70+ patient advocacy groups. Key achievements include a 98.3% patient data sharing rate for research, FDA acceptance of their data for regulatory submission, and collaborations with 10+ pharmaceutical partners.

Citizen Health plans to launch its first AI Advocate version in Q3, alongside a new product for patient advocacy groups, focusing on recruiting AI engineers and expanding partnerships.

Positive

• Secured $30M Series A funding, bringing total funding to $44M since December 2023
• Strong traction with 60 communities across 123 rare conditions and 70+ advocacy group partnerships
• High trust demonstrated by 98.3% patient data sharing rate
• FDA acceptance of data for regulatory submission
• Established partnerships with 10+ pharmaceutical companies

Negative

• AI Advocate product still in development, not yet launched
• Requires significant recruitment of technical talent to achieve mission
• Operating in complex regulatory environment with shifting NIH funding

Insights

Healthcare Tech & Investment Analyst

Citizen Health's $30M Series A funding strengthens Invitae's ecosystem through its founders' connections, potentially enhancing NVTA's rare disease capabilities.

Citizen Health's substantial $30 million Series A funding round signals significant investor confidence in its AI-driven platform for rare disease management. The company's total funding now reaches $44 million since its December 2023 launch—impressive traction for a young healthcare tech startup. What makes this particularly noteworthy is the connection to Invitae (NVTA): founders Farid Vij and Nasha Fitter previously built a company (also called Citizen) that was acquired by Invitae in 2021.

The strategic focus on rare diseases—affecting over 400 million people globally with 95% lacking approved treatments—positions Citizen Health in a high-need, underserved market. Their platform has quickly built impressive engagement metrics across 60 communities spanning 123 rare conditions, with partnerships with 70+ patient advocacy groups. The 98.3% data-sharing rate demonstrates exceptional user trust, a crucial asset in healthcare technology.

From an investment perspective, the caliber of backers (8VC, Transformation Capital, Headline) adds credibility. The company's AI Advocate concept addresses a genuine pain point in healthcare coordination for complex conditions. Their data platform's FDA acceptance for regulatory submission and pharmaceutical partnerships (10+ companies) suggest potential revenue streams beyond consumer applications.

While not directly impacting Invitae's current operations, the leadership team's previous connection to Invitae could potentially lead to future collaboration or partnership opportunities that might benefit NVTA shareholders, especially given Invitae's focus on genetic testing and rare disease diagnostics. The growing ecosystem of rare disease management tools complements Invitae's testing services.

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizen Health, a patient-powered platform transforming rare disease care, announced today it has raised $30 million in Series A funding. The round was led by 8VC, with participation from Transformation Capital and Headline, bringing the company's total funding to $44 million since its December 2023 launch.

Founded by Farid Vij (CEO & Co-founder), Nasha Fitter (Chief Business Officer & Co-founder), and a team of industry veterans, Citizen Health is pioneering a new paradigm in healthcare by empowering patients—especially those with rare and complex conditions—with agency, clarity, and actionable insights. The company's platform combines AI, community, and longitudinal health data to help patients interpret medical records, track symptoms, learn from peers, manage appointments, and connect to the next best step in their health journey.

"Today's patients aren't waiting—they're searching, deciding, and expecting more," said Farid Vij, CEO and co-founder of Citizen Health. "They deserve the same clarity, personalization, and intelligence in healthcare that they get in every other part of their lives. At Citizen, we're building a personalized AI Advocate for every patient that not only helps people make sense of their health journey, but actually guides them to what they should do next—and connects them to it. This is about turning passive systems into proactive, human-centered experiences."

Nearly half of American adults have at least one chronic illness, making self-advocacy especially important. Citizen's ultimate vision is to provide every patient with a personalized AI Advocate, turning fragmented care into a connected, proactive, and precise experience. They are building agentic AI to take initiative, identifying and acting on opportunities to improve health in ways patients themselves might not anticipate.

"We backed Citizen because they are redefining the care model for patients with complex disease. Citizen's AI advocate is the foundation of a pioneering patient and caregiver experience that is already helping thousands of Americans answer previously unanswerable questions, make informed medical decisions, and accelerate new cures," said Sebastian Caliri, Partner at 8VC who led the Series A round and joined the Citizen Board of Directors.

Vij and Fitter met at their previous company Citizen, which was acquired by Invitae (NYSE: NVTA) in 2021, where Vij was a co-founder. Their new venture, Citizen Health, brings together a leadership team with deep expertise in AI, healthcare, privacy, and consumer technology, with personal motivations rooted in rare disease advocacy and patient empowerment.

"Citizen has truly created a groundbreaking platform that supports individual patients looking to manage rare and complex diseases, while also giving patient advocacy groups a better way to organize their data, and pharma leaders a better way to utilize that data for drug discovery and trials," added Mathias Schilling, Founding Partner at Headline who also invested in the round. "It's rare to see a company combining such expertise in AI and consumer design to impact healthcare, and we're proud to back Farid, Nasha, and the rest of the team."

Citizen Health's Traction and Momentum

• Built over 60 engaged communities across 123 rare and complex conditions
• Partnered with 70+ patient advocacy groups, 70% of which joined organically
• 98.3% of patients share data for research, reflecting high trust in the platform
• Data already accepted by the FDA for regulatory submission
• Collaborating with over 10 pharmaceutical partners

With rare diseases affecting over 400 million people globally and 95% still lacking approved treatments, Citizen Health's mission is more urgent than ever. The company's approach aligns with recent FDA calls for innovation in rare disease and addresses challenges posed by shifting NIH funding and regulatory uncertainty. As genetic testing becomes more accessible, Citizen Health's platform offers a critical solution for new disease groups seeking connection and data-driven progress.

Citizen Health will launch the first version of its AI Advocate to select communities in Q3, alongside a new product for patient advocacy groups. The company's primary focus is recruiting top AI engineers, product builders, and designers to accelerate its mission, as well as deepening partnerships with pharma, policymakers, and patient organizations.

About Citizen Health
Citizen Health is building the future of healthcare, starting with rare disease. By combining AI, community, and longitudinal data, Citizen empowers patients to take control of their care and contribute to the richest research-grade dataset in healthcare. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, and backed by leading investors including 8VC, Headline, Transformation Capital, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and prominent angels. For more information, visit https://www.citizen.health.

About 8VC
8VC is a leading technology investment firm. Its partners have co-founded companies including Palantir, Addepar, Resilience, and Saronic, and invested in such healthcare innovators such as Oscar, Cityblock, and Candid Health. 8VC manages over $7 billion in committed capital, focusing on smart enterprise platforms, healthcare, logistics, Bio-IT, and defense. For more information, visit https://8vc.com.

About Headline
Founded in 1998, Headline is a venture capital firm that partners with fast-growing technology teams to make their success global. With more than $4B of assets under management, the firm invests from its network of regionally focused early-stage funds across the US, Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Headline's Global Growth Fund invests globally from Series B and beyond. The size and locations of these funds allow the firm to see local trends up close, meet winning founders, and lead rounds at every stage. Among the 300+ investments globally, Headline's portfolio includes Acorns, AppFolio, ANGI (FKA Angie's List), Brite Payments, Bumble, Fetch, Gopuff, Honeycomb, LucidLink, Mistral AI, Monta, NGINX, Raisin, Sonos, Segment, SEMrush, and Staffbase.

For media inquiries or more information, please contact:

Steven Le
Partnerships@citizenhealth.com 

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SOURCE Citizen Health

FAQ

How much funding did Citizen Health raise in their Series A round?

Citizen Health raised $30 million in Series A funding led by 8VC, with participation from Transformation Capital and Headline, bringing total funding to $44 million since December 2023.

What is Citizen Health's main product and when will it launch?

Citizen Health's main product is an AI Advocate platform for rare disease patients, which will launch its first version to select communities in Q3 2025, alongside a new product for patient advocacy groups.

How many patient communities and conditions does Citizen Health support?

Citizen Health has built 60 engaged communities across 123 rare and complex conditions, partnering with over 70 patient advocacy groups.

What is the connection between Citizen Health and Invitae (NVTA)?

Citizen Health's founders, Farid Vij and Nasha Fitter, previously worked at a company called Citizen that was acquired by Invitae (NYSE: NVTA) in 2021, where Vij was a co-founder.

What percentage of patients share their data for research on Citizen Health's platform?

98.3% of patients on Citizen Health's platform share their data for research purposes, demonstrating high trust in the platform.