Welcome mat out for doctor home visits, proteins

Mushroom proteins, a shopping app and doctors who make home visits dominated Colorado’s largest investment rounds by Denver-area companies, according to the third-quarter 2017 report by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and CB Insights.

The quarterly update, called the MoneyTree Report, ranked Colorado as the 13th-largest state for money raised — approximately $178 million — and seventhlargest for deals — at 29 — during the three months that ended Sept. 30.

While the amount was flat from the second quarter this year and Colorado’s smallest third quarter since 2010, the types of companies getting funded showed a diversity of industries, said Rob Ward, a PwC partner.

“Venture capital investing in the state continues to strongly support the innovation and development of our companies,” Ward said in an email. “Another positive note is the diversity of Colorado companies receiving investments (including) Digital Health, FoodTech and many other disruptive innovations.”

According to PwC, the Colorado companies attracting the biggest third-quarter rounds were:

•MycoTechnology, $34.9 million: The Aurora firm developed a protein flavor-enhancer made from mushrooms that could one day replace excessive amounts of sugar

used in snacks and other food products.

•DispatchHealth, $30.8 million: The Denver digital health care company has an app that helps patients better understand their symptoms and request an inhome caregiver visit.

•Ibotta, $25 million: The Denver developer is behind a popular shopping app that offers cash rebates on everyday items, from milk to an Uber ride.

•Guild Education, $21 million: The Denver tech-education startup works with companies to offer employees higher-education opportunities.

Nationwide, venture-capital investments were also flat in the third quarter — at $19 billion and 1,207 deals — compared with the second quarter. The top deals nationwide included about $2 billion by WeWork coworking space, $350 million by SpaceX space company and $250 million by DNA genetics-testing firm 23andMe.