Reema Health, a Minneapolis-based startup working to help people access health care and social care, has raised $8 million in a funding round.

Founded in 2019, the company works with health plans and health insurance companies to reach people who are not accessing the health care and social care that is available to them. It works to help people “navigate the gaps” through a combination of technology and “community guides,” the company said in a March 30 news release announcing its recent raise. Community guides are similar to community health workers.

The news release notes that 58 percent of low-income Americans report being socially isolated, a factor that impacts their overall health and significantly increases cost of care.

“Technology solutions can create more efficient, and more informed outreach, but they can’t build authentic relationships that drive real engagement,” CEO Justin Ley said in a statement. “Our experienced Community Guides work one-on-one with the most underserved people in their communities when it comes to social care. It’s the latest data science combined with empathic, in-person relationships, a powerful combination that builds trust fast.”

Reema is currently serving health plans throughout the East Coast and Midwest, with plans to use funds raised to expand to more states this year.

“Health plans, providers, and other intermediaries have realized that piling on more and more clinical and social resources barely moves the needle when it comes to driving desirable health outcomes for marginalized, low income population,” said Partha Mishra, a partner at DNA Capital. “Acting as a catalyst, combining technology and human insights, and partnering with existing players, Reema has instead demonstrated that a personalized, community centric approach to build bridges with each member first makes the entire system come alive.”

The recent seed round was led by MaC Venture Capital and DNA Capital. The startup netted a previous $1.25 million in a pre-seed round, bringing its total raised to $10 million.

Additional investors include Acumen, Digitalis, Groove Capital, Headwater Ventures, Matchstick Ventures, New Stack Ventures, and Twin Ignition.