AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Iris Plans, a tech-enabled Advance Care Planning (ACP) service for people facing serious medical conditions, announced today that Better Ventures has joined the company’s seed financing round. Iris Plans has now raised its original target of $750,000 for this round and will likely increase the size of the round due to additional investor interest.

Iris Plans reduces the burden that serious medical conditions place on patients, families and the healthcare system, by providing ACP services through a telehealth platform. Iris Plans healthcare professionals meet with patients and their families anytime, anywhere, creating a plan to guide major healthcare decisions.

“Iris Plans is addressing one of the biggest issues in providing quality care and reducing healthcare costs today,” said Wes Selke, Managing Director of Better Ventures. “We’re impressed by the strength of this all-star team, attractiveness of the market opportunity and the potential to positively impact the lives of millions living with serious illness.”

Currently investing from its second fund, Better Ventures provides funding and support to early-stage technology companies building scalable solutions to big social and environmental challenges, from work and education to health and sustainability. In addition to its investment, Better Ventures Co-Founders and Managing Directors Wes Selke and Rick Moss have joined the Iris Plans Board of Advisors.

“We are delighted to have found a venture partner that shares our values and passion for making the healthcare system work better for people dealing with serious medical conditions,” said Steve Wardle, CEO of Iris Plans. "The marriage between Austin, recently ranked as the nation's best city for startups, and the Bay Area, the dominant region for VC funding, positions Iris well to extend our offering to millions of people who need ACP but currently have no access."

ABOUT IRIS PLANS

Iris Plans is a tech-enabled service that provides Advance Care Planning (ACP), or “healthcare planning,” to people with serious medical conditions. ACP’s proven benefits include a 25% reduction in cost for patients with serious chronic illness, better care, improved health for family members, and higher satisfaction. Iris Plans uses targeted technology and algorithms to help our strategic partners, predominately health insurance plans, identify patients who will most benefit from ACP.

For more information, visit: www.irisplans.com

ABOUT BETTER VENTURES

Better Ventures is an Oakland, CA-based venture capital firm that provides funding and support to technology companies pursuing social and environmental outcomes with business models that scale. They back passionate entrepreneurs leveraging the tools and methodologies of the modern technology startup to address some of society's biggest challenges, from narrowing the opportunity gap to improving health outcomes to accelerating the transition to a clean energy economy.

For more information, visit: www.better.vc.