Tag Archives: Fireside Chat

How Purpose-Driven Investing Is Transforming Health | Vishal Vasishth, Obvious Ventures

Investing with Purpose: A Conversation with Vishal Vasishth of Obvious Ventures



In this special episode of StartUp Health NOW, recorded in front of a live virtual audience of StartUp Health community members, Unity Stoakes sits down with Vishal Vasishth, Co-founder & Managing Director of Obvious Ventures. Listeners get to hear not only Vishal’s insights on purpose-driven investing but also questions from community members who joined the conversation in real time.

Vishal shares how Obvious Ventures backs founders building companies that align human, planetary, and economic health. From pioneering startups reversing Type 2 diabetes to biotech companies harnessing AI to decode biology, he explains why the most valuable businesses of tomorrow will be those solving humanity’s biggest challenges.

This conversation goes beyond capital, digging into the role of optimism, authenticity, and creativity in fueling sustainable innovation. If you want to understand how values-based investing is reshaping healthcare and the economy, this is a must-listen.

Tune in to learn:

  • How Obvious Ventures integrates purpose into early-stage investing
  • Why healthcare innovation is central to systemic change
  • How AI and generative science are accelerating new solutions
  • The future of outcomes-based models and sustainable growth

Whether you’re an investor, founder, or changemaker working to improve health, you’ll come away with fresh insights on building with purpose. And if you join the StartUp Health community, you can attend Fireside Chats like this one in real time and ask your own questions directly.


 

Do you want to participate in live conversations with industry luminaries? When you join the StartUp Health Network – a new private community for investors, buyers, and industry leaders to connect year-round with top health entrepreneurs – you are invited to a full calendar of interactive Fireside Chats with the most influential leaders shaping health innovation. Come with questions, learn what is working right now, and connect with industry icons.
» Learn more and join today.

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The Future of Virtual Health, with Amwell’s Dr. Roy Schoenberg & Murray Brozinsky



We’ve talked extensively on this podcast about how COVID ushered in a period of rapid adoption of telemedicine. According to McKinsey, we went from around 11% of people using telehealth to around 46% during the pandemic.

Few companies in the world were better poised to capitalize on this moment than Amwell. What’s so interesting about Amwell is that they weren’t created to meet this moment. They have been patiently and persistently ringing the telemedicine bell since 2006. Back then, seeing your doctor over your computer seemed like a pipe dream, or worse, some dystopian future.

Now, well, things look a bit different. Building the infrastructure to deliver healthcare virtually is an idea whose time has come. And Amwell’s persistence has made them a world leader in the market.

Now, Amwell is expanding the definition of virtual care. Last year they acquired StartUp Health portfolio company Conversa Health, which uses chatbot functionality to automate care in between visits to improve efficiency and outcomes.

This episode of the podcast is pulled from a Fireside Chat where we sat down with Roy Schoenberg, MD, CEO and Co-founder of Amwell, and Murray Brozinsky, CEO of Conversa Health. The chat, which was moderated by Steven Krein, CEO and Co-founder of StartUp Health, pulls back the curtain on how these two companies came together, the lessons learned from the process, and what it all means for the future of virtual care. Roy and Murray are a wealth of wisdom and experience when it comes to digital health, so it was a powerful conversation. Hope you enjoy.


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

Investors: How to invest in StartUp Health Moonshots healthmoonshots.com
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StartUp Health Fireside Chat: Dr. Ashwini Zenooz, GM and Chief Medical Officer at Salesforce



In this episode, StartUp Health’s Editor-in-Chief, Logan Plaster, talks (virtually) with Dr. Ashwini Zenooz, GM and Chief Medical Officer at Salesforce. Before taking on her role at the tech giant, Dr. Zenooz, who is a practicing Radiologist, oversaw the modernizing of electronic health records at the Veteran’s Administration. During her time at the VA, she was instrumental in pushing for regulations that allowed providers to be able to practice across state lines. In her role at Salesforce, Zenooz is exploring the many ways the company’s relationship management technology can be applied to health, from vaccine rollouts to individual patient records. In addition to Dr. Zenooz’s voice, you’ll hear some real-world questions from founders in the StartUp Health portfolio.

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.