We are delighted to announce that 7wireVentures has led an investment in Override as part of the company’s $3.5M Seed financing round. Override is a comprehensive virtual health solution that is introducing a new standard in pain care. The company uses the latest brain science research to empower consumers to actively manage their chronic pain through functional, behavioral, and lifestyle choices. We are pleased to support the company, alongside other like-minded investors including co-lead Martin Ventures as well as Signal Fire and Confluent Health.

Launched in 2021, Override was created by an executive team with significant relationships across the industry and an intimate understanding of the patient experience. They are applying their experience and subject matter expertise to build a comprehensive chronic pain management model that builds on learnings from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ validated “Whole Health” model of care. 7wireVentures is excited to contribute our deep knowledge of the digital health landscape and leverage our own experience building and scaling companies in the sector as we work together with the Override team.

“Override has a compelling consumer-focused value proposition. Today, chronic pain management is often addressed in ways that drive costs and risk addiction.  Override is charting a path forward that creates a powerful, holistic alternative to pain management,” said Lee Shapiro, Managing Partner at 7wireVentures. “We are proud to work with an exceptional management team to help heal and empower those dealing with these complex challenges.”

At the helm of the organization are co-founders Jennie Shulkin, J.D., and David Shulkin, M.D. Through Jennie’s lived experience managing chronic pain for years and David’s decades of healthcare leadership experience (most recently as the 9^th U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs), the father-daughter duo partnered to create an integrated chronic pain care platform.

“With our Whole Health model of care at the VA, we ignited an important evolution from a ‘find it, fix it’ mindset to a holistic and personalized standard of care,” said David Shulkin, Co-founder of Override. “After witnessing a 300% reduction in opioid use and significant improvements in pain, function, and satisfaction with care across more than two hundred thousand veterans, I knew we needed to bring our learnings from Whole Health to a virtual platform that could scale across the country.”

Override provides an integrated offering starting with comprehensive assessments, a personalized pain plan co-created by an interdisciplinary care team, pain coaching, ongoing provider visits, and self-management resources. Override’s care team includes physicians, physical therapists, psychologists, and certified pain coaches – all of whom are experts in treating chronic pain. By collaboratively addressing bio-medical, behavioral, and social factors Override helps patients find real relief.

“There are countless providers and companies focusing on the low hanging fruit: people with acute pain. That’s where traditional care excels – injections, surgeries, pain killers. It’s chronic pain patients like me who are told they’re out of options, forgotten about, and thrown away as too complex. Override exists to serve them.”

Why We Invested:

The Founding Team
Override’s Founding Team brings meaningful healthcare domain expertise from decades of experience leading healthcare organizations, building healthcare technology platforms, leading large healthcare government organizations, and operating health system and health plan enterprises. Dr. Shulkin’s success in implementing the VA’s Whole Health model of care and Jennie’s lived experience with chronic pain uniquely position the co-founders to build and scale an effective, consumer-centric product.

Massive and Unsaturated Addressable Market
Today, more than 50 million (1 in 5) U.S. adults suffer from chronic pain. Within this population, over 22.3 million individuals suffer from high impact chronic pain that frequently limits their life and work activities, which is covered by health insurance.[1] Despite these staggering prevalence rates, accessing evidence-based, safe, and effective chronic pain care in the U.S. has been particularly challenging for consumers. In fact, many chronic pain patients report poor treatment outcomes, with 42% of individuals with chronic pain reporting no pain relief when receiving prescription medication.[1] This poor consumer experience and lack of improved outcomes is further compounded by the limited supply of physicians with training in pain management and treatment. Currently, 80% of North American medical schools maintain no formal chronic pain curriculum.[2] Consequently, primary care practices and providers often lack the support and training needed to address the magnitude of this growing public health issue, driving adverse prescribing habits and an overreliance on medication monotherapy, including opioids.

Proven Care Model
The VA’s Whole Health model centers on what matters to each veteran as the north star for the veteran’s personal health plan. The model starts with “The Pathway,” which empowers veterans to define their purpose and begin to create an overarching personal health plan. The model uses well-being programs focused on complementary and integrative health methods and health coaching to help veterans build self-care and wellness skills. The model also uses whole health clinical care to treat diseases, centering the Whole Health ethos of focusing on what matters to the veteran.[3] In just two years, this model demonstrated a significant reduction in pain and stress, improved mental health, engagement in care and life, and perception of care​ with veterans. These improvements translated into strong health and financial outcomes, generating a 30% decrease in total medical spend in the first 12-months, 11.5% less pharmaceutical spend, and a 300% reduction in opioid use.[4] We are confident the Override team can translate this brick-and-mortal model into a digital experience to enable effective, comprehensive pain management.

Differentiated Digital, Consumer-Focused Solution
There is a meaningful need in the market for a scalable, tech-enabled solution that seamlessly equips consumers with the clinical support and tools they need to better manage their chronic pain beyond prescription-only solutions. Although there are others playing in the pain management space, the market is characterized by numerous in-person solutions that lack an integrated, end-to-end digital program. From a differentiation perspective, Override is focused on providing a highly integrated care model that ​leverages a care team (physician, pain psychologist, and physical therapist) who together create a personalized pain plan for each patient that includes coaching, education, and continued treatment with licensed providers. Through the integrated care model, Override can own the end-to-end clinical journey from initial diagnosis through treatment, and with ongoing monitoring to ensure high quality care is delivered, translating to superior clinical outcomes.

Override has already received strong interest from health systems and payers and will continue to build its team and enhance its offering to expand the company’s impact and capabilities. The company is well positioned to fulfill its mission to relieve chronic pain for the millions suffering every day. We are honored to welcome Override to the 7wireVentures portfolio.

[1] American Addiction Centers: Addiction Treatment Centers for Chronic Pain
[2] National Center for Biotechnology Information: Chronic Pain Care – Time for Excellence
[3] U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Whole Health – Focusing on What Matters
[4] U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Whole Health System of Care Evaluation