Category Archives: Innovation

How One Founder Raised $5M to Help Women Detect Breast Cancer Earlier

February 24, 2023Business, Health, Innovation, Insights, StartupsBreast Cancer, Cancer, Funding, Gabbi, Health Mindsets, Health Moonshot, Insights, Kaitlin Christine, Logan Plaster, Mindsets, Moonshot Mindset, womens healthNicole Kinsey

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:22 — 24.2MB)

On this StartUp Health NOW episode, we go to Portland, Oregon, to meet a Health Transformer helping women assess their risk for breast cancer. We chat with Kaitlin Christine, CEO & Founder of Gabbi, because she successfully raised more than $4M in 2022, at a time when many other young startups were struggling to raise. We stress with the startups in our portfolio that raising capital is just one small piece of the health moonshot journey, but there is no denying that it can give rocket fuel to a great idea, so we wanted to hear how she did it. What were the strategies and mindsets that helped her grow from a passionate solopreneur to building her first executive team and scalable product? And, what lessons could she share with other founders who find themselves facing a similar challenge?

Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com

Investors: Contact us to learn how to invest in Health Moonshots
Want more content like this? You can subscribe to the podcast as well as other health innovation updates at startuphealth.com/content.
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Passionate about Type 1 diabetes? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our T1D Moonshot.

Looking to break down health barriers? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our Health Equity Moonshot.

New Hubs for Health Innovation: Why These Health Transformers Are Building Their Startups in Columbus, Pittsburgh & Baltimore

February 17, 2023Business, Health, Innovation, StartupsBaltimore, Beth Sanders, Columbus, Health Transformers, LifeBio, Logan Plaster, Max Sims, MindTrace, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Shameet Luhar, Vheda HealthNicole Kinsey

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:00 — 31.1MB)

Every quarter we publish a little thing called the StartUp Health Insights report. It’s all about health innovation funding, and one of the data points we track is where in the world health innovation funding is landing. We call these health innovation hubs, and the same three or four cities always dominate the list. Companies in San Francisco, New York, Boston, and London account for the vast majority of dollars raised in healthcare.

However, at StartUp Health, we know it takes a global village to transform health and there is so much inspiring work happening outside of these cities. Steve Case, former CEO of AOL and an early investor in StartUp Health, famously launched the “Rise of the Rest” campaign which was aimed at showcasing the innovation happening in so-called “flyover cities” like St. Louis, Detroit, and Omaha.

We agree with Case that it’s imperative that we back entrepreneurs in more places in order to benefit from a diversity of thought and experience. At StartUp Health we’ve invested in companies from 29 countries, so we wanted to take an episode of the podcast and dedicate it to a few of these stories. Great startups being built in, let’s call them, “less conspicuous” cities.

In this StartUp Health NOW episode, you’ll hear interviews with Health Transformers from our portfolio who have chosen to build their companies near Columbus, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh. And not because they couldn’t pay the San Francisco rent, but because these environments held hidden gems and opportunities for their businesses, from local talent to affordable workspaces to engaged professional networks.

Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com

Passionate about Type 1 diabetes? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our T1D Moonshot.

Looking to break down health barriers? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our Health Equity Moonshot.

Inside Healthcare Sales: Building a Revenue Strategy for Your Health Moonshot

February 10, 2023Business, Health, Innovation, StartupsCollin Stewart, Health Tech, Healthcare, Innovation, Jamey Edwards, Logan Plaster, Revenue, StartUp HealthNicole Kinsey

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:57 — 43.0MB)

Welcome to StartUp Health NOW, the podcast where we celebrate the entrepreneurs and innovators who are transforming health.

As we’ve reported recently, the health tech funding landscape has tightened in the last year. In other words, it’s harder to raise money for your business. But there’s an upside to this cooler market: There’s a heightened emphasis being put on the fundamentals of business like cash flow and profitability. That means less noise being generated around innovations that turn out to be smoke and mirrors and more focused on smart, sustainable business ideas. That’s good news for the right kind of founders, the ones we call Health Transformers.

But, it still isn’t easy. When a startup is facing an ever-shrinking runway and having to show strong revenue numbers, it can be difficult to take the time to formulate a cohesive sales strategy that allows the business not only to survive the long sales cycle in healthcare, but thrive long term as it seeks to achieve its audacious health moonshot.

To help founders tackle this challenge head on, we invited Collin Stewart, the CEO of Predictable Revenue, to join us for a recent Fireside Chat. The conversation was hosted by Jamey Edwards in front of a live virtual audience of founders from the StartUp Health portfolio. They cover themes like being radically open to market feedback and even pull some wisdom from Collin’s days as a professional musician.

Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com

Passionate about Type 1 diabetes? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our T1D Moonshot.

Looking to break down health barriers? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our Health Equity Moonshot.

Raising My First Million: The Health Moonshot Mindsets & Tactics That Helped Perceiv AI Close $1.5M During a Down Market

February 2, 2023Business, Health, Innovation, Insights, Startups, UncategorizedChristian Dansereau, Funding, Health Mindsets, Health Moonshots, Health Transformers, Insights, Logan Plaster, Mindsets, Perceiv AI, WisdomNicole Kinsey

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:35 — 19.8MB)

Welcome to StartUp Health NOW, the podcast where we celebrate the entrepreneurs and innovators who are transforming health.

It’s no secret that 2022 was a down year for health innovation funding. Earlier this month we published our Year-End Insights Report, which showed a 50% drop-off in digital health funding compared with 2021. Of course, you have to take those numbers in context. For one, 2021 was a crazy, exuberant year for funding, fueled by a COVID-induced rush to virtual healthcare. Second, when you look at health innovation funding over 10 years, we’re still on a dramatic upward growth curve.

That said, 2022 was a scary year for startups that needed to raise funds, so we called up a founder in the StartUp Health portfolio who’d made it happen. Christian Dansereau, PhD, CEO and Co-founder of Perceiv AI, closed his first round, $1.5M, in November 2022, while many other companies were experiencing down rounds, acquisitions, and or even closing their doors.

So, how’d they raise their first million plus in spite of rocky market conditions? What strategies and mindsets did they use that other founders can learn from? In this podcast episode, we get tactical about lead gen, decks, and nailing your first meeting, and also talk about the importance of aligning with partners at a health moonshot level.

Learn more and connect with Health Transformers like Perceiv AI.

Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com

Passionate about Type 1 diabetes? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our T1D Moonshot.

Looking to break down health barriers? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our Health Equity Moonshot.

Facing the Music: Critical Lessons in Healthcare Leadership

January 27, 2023Business, Health, Innovation, StartupsElizabeth Dale, Healthcare, Jefferson Health, Leadership, Logan Plaster, Mindsets, Moonshot Mindset, Stephen Klasko, Steven Klasko, WisdomNicole Kinsey

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:47 — 30.0MB)

Welcome to StartUp Health NOW, the podcast where we celebrate the entrepreneurs and innovators who are transforming health.

What can music teach us about the confusing, inspiring, sometimes frustrating world of healthcare?

According to Dr. Stephen Klasko, our guest in this first StartUp Health NOW episode of 2023, the answer is a lot.

Dr. Klasko was the President of Jefferson University and CEO of Jefferson Health during the COVID-19 pandemic. He launched JeffConnect, a pioneering initiative in telemedicine, and grew Jefferson Health from three hospitals to 14.

He’s the author of the new book How the Message in the Music Can Save Healthcare in America, in which he throws back to his roots as a radio DJ in order to help the reader think more creatively about the changes that need to take place in healthcare.

Now, he’s getting involved in the startup scene through his work as an executive in residence at General Catalyst and as a member of StartUp Health’s Health Moonshot Impact Board. We wanted to bring Dr. Klasko in for a special session with our Health Transformers because he’s solved healthcare problems at the highest level and understands just how interconnected this ecosystem really is. Bonus: he tells it like it is.

The conversation, which took place in front a live audience of founders from the StartUp Health portfolio, was co-hosted by Elizabeth Dale, who worked closely with Dr. Klasko at Jefferson.

Learn more and connect with Health Transformers.

Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com

Passionate about Type 1 diabetes? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our T1D Moonshot.

Looking to break down health barriers? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our Health Equity Moonshot.

Is Value-Based Care Finally at a Tipping Point? Cityblock and Enlace Health Share Thoughts from StartUp Health @ HLTH

November 23, 2022Business, Health, Innovation, Startups2022 StartUp Health Festival, Bill Nordmark, Cityblock, Cityblock Health, Dr Kameron Matthews, Enlace Health, Fee for service, Health, Health Tech, Healthcare, HealthTech, HLTH, HLTH 2022, Kameron Matthews, Kameron Matthews MD, Logan Plaster, StartUp Health @ HLTH, Value-Based CareNicole Kinsey

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:22 — 22.2MB)

Welcome to StartUp Health NOW, the podcast where we celebrate the entrepreneurs and innovators transforming the future of health.

Value-based care has the dubious distinction of being the oldest new idea in health innovation. For decades we’ve talked about the benefits of creating medical payment structures that tie compensation to the patient’s outcome, rather than simply paying for services. It’s pretty clear that if a hospital makes its money off of performing certain tests or procedures, it’s going to have a bias – whether overt or subconscious – towards doing more of those tests and procedures. There’s no financial incentive to give the patient a lower-cost option that’s just as effective.

The alternative to America’s “fee for service” model is one where financial risk is shared by multiple entities, and pricing is bundled in a transparent way. This so-called value-based structure does away with surprise bills, and makes sure that doctors and hospitals are financially incentivized to keep patients healthy. Of course, that’s an oversimplification, and we could have a whole other episode about the role of fee-for-service medicine, but that’s not our subject for today.

Today, we’re getting a look at how value-based healthcare companies are faring through the lens of two StartUp Health companies, Cityblock Health and Enlace Health.

Recently, StartUp Health brought together nearly 100 of our portfolio companies at HLTH in Las Vegas, and while on the show floor, we caught up with some of our top founders in the StartUp Health Studio. That included Bill Nordmark, CEO of Enlace Health, which last year raised a $60M series D, and Dr. Kameron Matthews, Chief Health Officer at Cityblock Health, which is now valued at more than a billion dollars. Both of these companies are making value-based care business models a reality. For Enlace, it’s about building a new infrastructure that allows other companies to operate successfully within a new financial model. For Cityblock, it’s about deploying value-based care at scale in a way that addresses the needs of vulnerable populations.

Listen in for Logan Plaster’s chats with Bill Nordmark and Dr. Kameron Matthews, held in the busy StartUp Health Pavilion at HLTH in Las Vegas.

Learn more and connect with Health Transformers.

Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com

Passionate about Type 1 diabetes? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our T1D Moonshot.

Looking to break down health barriers? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our Health Equity Moonshot.

Why Any Digital Health Startup Needs an Interoperability Strategy w/ Troy Bannister, Particle Health

November 8, 2022Business, Health, Innovation, StartupsAccess to care, Cost to Zero, Health, Health Data, Health Moonshots, Healthcare, Interoperability, Jamey Edwards, mindset, Moonshots, particle health, troy bannister, WisdomNicole Kinsey

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:42 — 49.2MB)

Troy Bannister is the CEO & Founder of Particle Health, a StartUp Health portfolio company that is shaping the new standard of healthcare data exchange with a user-friendly API platform. Fresh off their $25M capital raise, Troy shares his views on the future of interoperability and why interoperability needs to be a core pillar in any healthcare startup’s playbook. Healthcare’s future is about data, and in front of a live, interactive audience of Health Transformers, Troy chats with StartUp Health’s Jamey Edwards for a deep dive on how to develop an interoperability strategy and partner with the right company to fulfill your moonshot mission.

Join us at the StartUp Health Festival @ HLTH, Nov 13-16, 2022, in Las Vegas to meet Troy Bannister, Jamey Edwards, and hundreds of other Health Transformers in person: https://www.startuphealth.com/startuphealthfestival

Learn more and connect with the team at Particle Health.

Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com

Investors: How to invest in StartUp Health Moonshots healthmoonshots.com
Want more content like this? You can subscribe to the podcast as well as other health innovation updates at startuphealth.com/content.
Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

Passionate about Type 1 diabetes? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our T1D Moonshot.

Looking to break down health barriers? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our Health Equity Moonshot.

Sue Siegel, Former CEO of GE Ventures and Chief Innovation Officer at GE, Joins StartUp Health’s Impact Board to Advance Health Moonshots

November 1, 2022Business, Health, Innovation, Startups, UncategorizedGE, GE Ventures, health equity, Health Moonshots, Healthymagination, Logan Plaster, StartUp Health, Sue SiegelNicole Kinsey

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:26 — 22.3MB)

In this week’s StartUp Health NOW episode, we continue a series we’ve been running where we sit down with members of StartUp Health’s Impact Board to learn a bit about their stories and why they’re so passionate about this health moonshot model of supporting founders at scale.

Today we’re talking to the venerable Sue Siegel, former Chief Innovation Officer at GE and CEO at GE Ventures and at Healthymagination, an initiative GE launched in order to invest billions of dollars into helping deliver better healthcare to more people at a lower cost.

Now, Siegel is leveraging all of that experience to help StartUp Health scale our mission of inspiring, educating, and investing in a global army of Health Transformers. In our interview, we get to hear Siegel’s wisdom about what it’s really going to take to move the needle on health. She also shares why she’s so passionate about professional mentorship and gives a few rules for the road for would-be mentors.

As you’ll hear in the interview, in addition to be a wealth of knowledge, Siegel brings an enormous level of empathy and humility to her work. We were inspired talking to her and are excited to share the conversation here.

Join us at the StartUp Health Festival @ HLTH, Nov 13-16, 2022, in Las Vegas, to learn more and get involved with our health moonshots.

Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com

Passionate about Type 1 diabetes? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our T1D Moonshot.

Looking to break down health barriers? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our Health Equity Moonshot.

Aaron Kowalski, PhD, CEO of JDRF, Brings His Professional & Personal Experience to StartUp Health’s T1D Moonshot Impact Board

October 25, 2022Business, Health, Innovation, StartupsAaron Kowalski, Cure Disease, diabetes, Health Moonshots, JDRF, JDRF International, Logan Plaster, T1D, T1D Moonshot, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes MoonshotNicole Kinsey

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:40 — 22.5MB)

For this StartUp Health NOW episode, we are joined by Aaron Kowalski, PhD, the CEO of JDRF International. Anyone orbiting in the universe of Type 1 diabetes will know that JDRF is the world’s largest nonprofit funder of T1D research. In his role atop the organization, Kowalski has combined his professional experience as a molecular biologist and executive with his personal passion to fight Type 1 diabetes in order to impact patients like his own brother.

Kowalski is also a recent addition to StartUp Health’s Type 1 Diabetes Moonshot Impact Board. This board is a cross-disciplinary team of T1D experts spanning the gamut from research to funding to commercialization. We are thrilled that Kowalski is bringing his vast experience to this cohort in order to speed up innovation and support a generation of health entrepreneurs.

Join us at the StartUp Health Festival @ HLTH, Nov 13-16 in Las Vegas, to learn more and get involved with our T1D Moonshot.

Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com

Passionate about Type 1 diabetes? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our T1D Moonshot.

Looking to break down health barriers? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our Health Equity Moonshot.

AI-Powered Health: Naheed Kurji of Cyclica Takes a Deep Dive into Artificial Intelligence for the Healthcare Industry

October 18, 2022Business, Health, Innovation, StartupsAI, artificial intelligence, Cost to Zero, Cure Disease, Cyclica, Health Transformers, Logan Plaster, machine learning, Moonshots, Naheed KurjiNicole Kinsey

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:28 — 40.6MB)

Our guest this week is Naheed Kurji, the CEO and Co-founder of Cyclica, which joined StartUp Health way back in 2014. He’s going to get us up to speed on the world of AI-powered drug discovery. We’ll learn how artificial intelligence and machine learning are speeding up our ability to identify molecules and find new uses for market-tested drugs. Naheed will give us an inside look at how Cyclica is specifically trying to reshape this market, then he’ll zoom way out. As the chair of the Alliance for Artificial Intelligence in Health, Naheed can help us understand where the AI for health industry is going.

Join us at the StartUp Health Festival @ HLTH, Nov 13-16, 2022, in Las Vegas to meet Naheed Kurji in person.

Learn more and connect with the team at Cyclica.

Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com

Passionate about Type 1 diabetes? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our T1D Moonshot.

Looking to break down health barriers? If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, contact us to learn how you can join our Health Equity Moonshot.