Category Archives: Innovation

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

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.
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.

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.

How to Partner with Investors to Grow & Scale Your Company w/ Cheryl Cheng, CEO & Founder of Vive Collective

October 11, 2022Business, Health, Innovation, Insights, StartupsCheryl Cheng, Digital Health, Health Tech, Innovation, investing, investment, Logan Plaster, mindset, Vive Collective, WisdomNicole Kinsey

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:34 — 65.9MB)

This week we welcome Cheryl Cheng to the interview chair. Cheryl is the CEO & Founder of Vive Collective. Previously Cheryl was a Partner at BlueRun Ventures, one of the top VC firms in Silicon Valley.

At Vive, she’s taking her 15 years of experience growing startups and putting it specifically into building, funding, and scaling digital health companies.

Cheryl is also an advisor to the Stanford Biodesign program and is on the advisory board for Yale Medical School’s Digital Health and Innovation Center.

We wanted to have Cheryl on one of our Fireside Chats to learn about Vive Collective – since it’s a relatively new kid on the block – and hear what kinds of opportunities she’s seeing in the market. We held this conversation in front of a live virtual audience of Health Transformers from the StartUp Health Portfolio, so you’ll get to hear some of their tactical questions mixed in throughout the session.

The goal for these sessions is to have candid conversations with people who can cut through the corporate speak and investment jargon, and Cheryl Cheng understood the assignment. We hope you enjoy.

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.

How Brian Neman Has Cultivated an Award-Winning Workplace at Sanguine Biosciences

October 4, 2022Business, Health, Innovation, Startupsbiopharma, Brian Neman, COVID19, Cure Disease, Forbes, Health Moonshot, Health Transformer, Logan Plaster, Pandemic Response, Sanguine Biosciences, StartUp HealthNicole Kinsey

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:12 — 27.7MB)

This week, our guest is Brian Neman, the CEO and Founder of Sanguine Biosciences, a company that joined the StartUp Health portfolio in 2018.

Brian and his team first made a splash by bringing an at-home on-demand business model to specimen collection for clinical trials. Instead of having to get yourself to a lab, you tap a few buttons on your phone and a nurse shows up at your house to take your blood. That business has evolved significantly over the years, which we’ll get into in the interview. But the spark for this interview had more to do with people than products.

You see, Brian’s company was just selected for the Forbes list of 100 Best Small Workplaces and top 10 in biopharma. Sanguine was also on Inc.’s list of fastest growing private companies, and Comparably named him on their list of best CEOs for women and for diversity in the workplace.

In this interview, Brian will talk about how he cultivates company culture, particularly in an era of remote work – and he had loads of wisdom to share, so we hope you enjoy.

Connect with the team at Sanguine Biosciences via email.

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.

Health Innovation Implementation: Dr. Robert Wilson on How Partnering with PreventScripts Enhanced His Medical Practice

September 27, 2022Business, Health, Innovation, StartupsAccess to care, Brandi Harless, chronic care, Cost to Zero, CovenantCare, CovenantCare Family Practice, Cure Disease, diabetes, Digital Health, Dr. Natalie Davis, Dr. Robert Wilson, health innovation, Health Moonshots, health transformation, Health Transformers, Logan Plaster, md, Natalie Davis, PreventScripts, Robert Wilson, Type 2 Diabetes, Type II DiabetesNicole Kinsey

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:39 — 21.2MB)

Typically on this show we talk to the health tech founders – who we call Health Transformers – that are creating the tools and platforms that will modernize our health system. This week we have a different kind of guest who will help round out the picture of how healthcare innovation goes from idea to real-world implementation.

Our guest is Robert Wilson, MD, a family physician who runs CovenantCare Family Practice, a multi-site medical practice in Tennessee. Dr. Wilson popped up on our radar because he was an early partner for PreventScripts, a startup that’s part of the StartUp Health portfolio. PreventScripts, led by Brandi Harless and Natalie Davis, MD, has created a platform that helps family doctors like Dr. Wilson identify patients who would benefit from chronic care management. Think about a patient who is pre-diabetic and all signs point towards a long battle with Type 2 diabetes. While Dr. Wilson might be too overextended to identify and coach this patient before the disease sets in, PreventScripts can identify the risk and put the patient on a clinically-proven program. Patients with chronic diseases, or the risk of disease, get heightened care between visits, and Dr. Wilson gets added reimbursement.

We wanted to talk to Dr. Wilson to understand why he was interested in partnering with a health startup, as this is one of the key hurdles for any health innovator. How do you find the right clinical partner, a place to prove out your brilliant idea in the real world, and then iterate based on user feedback?

In the conversation, we’ll get into the real-world challenges that Dr. Wilson faces, his motivation for evolving his practice, and how PreventScripts has helped him fill gaps in patient care.

Learn more and connect with the team at PreventScripts.

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.