Leipzig-based JawBuddy has raised €818,000 in a pre-seed round led by healthcare platform HALBZEIT. The HealthTech startup offers a digital programme aimed at people experiencing jaw pain, bruxism and tension related to temporomandibular disorders (TMJ-related tension).
The round also included dentist and implantology specialist Dr. Siegfried Marquardt, oral and maxillofacial surgeon Dr. Guido Sigron, Mittelständische Beteiligungsgesellschaft Sachsen, and business angels Christophe Barriolade, Aldrich Huang, Jens Kosche and Marc Scheidegger. The funding total includes the Business Angel Bonus from Sächsische Aufbaubank.
Founded in 2025 by Leon Rauch, Moritz Scherer and Benjamín Cádiz de Gracia, JawBuddy is based at SpinLab in Leipzig. Its app guides users through personalised, physiotherapist-designed exercises at home and uses a smartphone camera to track progress. Users can also share medical reports generated by the app with healthcare professionals.
JawBuddy says the routines are evidence-based and draw on clinical expertise and research into jaw disorders. The app adapts exercise plans based on users’ assessments, symptoms and daily feedback. It is registered as a Class I medical device under the EU Medical Device Regulation and is intended to complement dental care.
The company says clinical pilot projects are under way at five sites, including University Hospital RWTH Aachen. A multicentre randomised controlled trial involving 130 patients is scheduled to start in December 2026. JawBuddy also said it is negotiating a care contract with a major statutory health insurer, with a planned start in early 2027.
Co-founder and CEO Leon Rauch said the funding would support the start of a clinical trial and the company’s next steps towards reimbursement. JawBuddy plans to use the capital to fund its own efficacy study and pursue coverage by health insurers.
Sources: EU-Startups.