Tag Archives: Logan Plaster

AI in Healthcare: Hallucinations, Hybrid Models, and Accuracy

The Opportunities & Challenges of AI in Healthcare with Cristian Pascual of Mediktor

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AI has been quietly transforming healthcare for years, but the arrival of ChatGPT changed the game. Suddenly, everyone—from patients to investors—could see the real-world impact of AI in making healthcare more efficient and accessible.

One company leading this transformation is Mediktor, a pioneer in AI-powered symptom assessment. Before AI had its cultural moment, Mediktor—a member of the StartUp Health community since 2016—was already using it to help stratify patients and guide them to the right level of care. Now, they’re growing rapidly and shaping the future of AI in healthcare.

In this episode, we chat with Cristian Pascual, CEO & Co-founder of Mediktor, to discuss:

  • The evolution of AI in healthcare and why it’s accelerating now
  • How Mediktor’s AI-driven symptom assessment is improving patient care
  • The challenges of AI in healthcare, including LLMs, “black-box” models, and hallucinations
  • Why a hybrid AI approach—combining automation with human safeguards—is the future

As AI continues to shape healthcare, companies must balance innovation with accuracy. Pascual shares insights on how to harness AI’s power while ensuring reliability and trust.

Tune in to explore the next wave of AI in healthcare—and what it means for patients, providers, and the industry at large.

Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot Community Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit.
» Learn more and apply today.

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How Optoceutics Is Exploring the Power of Light Therapy Beyond Mood Enhancement

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We all know light therapy can brighten our mood, especially for those battling depression or seasonal affective disorder. But what if light could do so much more? In this week’s episode of StartUp Health NOW, we dive deep into the revolutionary work of StartUp Health community member Mai Nguyen, PhD, CEO & Co-founder of Optoceutics.

Forget what you think you know about light therapy. Nguyen and her team are pioneering a new frontier, demonstrating how precisely delivered light, through the eyes, can actually reprogram brain waves. This isn’t just about mood enhancement; it’s about potentially slowing the progression of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Join us for a fascinating conversation with Nguyen, a Berkeley researcher turned entrepreneur, as she discusses her groundbreaking device, currently marketed as a wellness tool, but with profound clinical aspirations. Discover how her collaboration with engineers in Copenhagen has led to a novel technology that’s already making waves.

This episode will challenge your perception of the lights around you and illuminate the future of brain health. Get ready to have your mind blown!

Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot Community Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit.
» Learn more and apply today.

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Early Detection, Better Outcomes: Transforming Alzheimer’s Diagnosis with Cx Precision Medicine

Early Detection, Better Outcomes: Transforming Alzheimer’s Diagnosis with CxPM

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Imagine this: 73 million Americans are over 65. Among them, 10-20% experience mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a potential precursor to Alzheimer’s. Yet their primary care doctors, with only 14 minutes per patient, lack the time for crucial neurological screenings. This is a critical gap in our healthcare system, especially as groundbreaking Alzheimer’s research and therapies emerge, making early detection more vital than ever.

That’s where Cx Precision Medicine comes in.

In this episode, we sit down with Sid O’Bryant, PhD, and Danguole Altman, the team behind CxPM, a company in the StartUp Health Alzheimer’s Moonshot Community working to revolutionize early cognitive screening with a simple blood test. Their innovative diagnostic tool is designed to detect neurodegenerative diseases earlier, ensuring patients get the right care at the right time.

O’Bryant’s extensive research, now commercialized by Altman’s leadership, offers a powerful tool for personalized care, enabling earlier, more accurate diagnoses of neurodegenerative diseases. We’ll dive into their unique journeys, the science behind their innovative blood test, and how it’s poised to transform patient care.   

Discover how Cx Precision Medicine is empowering patients to get the right care at the right time, streamlining the diagnostic process and ultimately, improving lives. Join us as we explore the future of Alzheimer’s detection and the hope it brings.

Let’s get into it!

Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot Community Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit.
» Learn more and apply today.

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Veravas Improves Diagnostic Tests by Purifying Samples

How Veravas Brings Clarity to Diagnostics by Cleaning Samples

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When your health is on the line, accurate diagnostics are crucial. But many blood tests suffer from false positives, false negatives, and frustrating gray areas. In this episode of StartUp Health NOW, host Logan Plaster sits down with John Forrest, CEO & Co-founder of Veravas, a member of the StartUp Health community, to discuss their groundbreaking solution.

  • VeraBIND: Learn how Veravas’ patented technology cleans blood samples to remove impurities, dramatically increasing diagnostic accuracy and eliminating ambiguous results.
  • Transforming Alzheimer’s Detection: Find out how VeraBIND results in a test with a single result that says yes, you have the disease, or no, you don’t.
  • Beyond Blood: Explore the potential of VeraBIND to transform diagnostics for a wide range of diseases, even using saliva samples – which are much easier for older patients to manage on a regular basis.
  • The Future: Hear Forrest’s insights on the challenges and opportunities in the health tech industry and how Veravas is poised to make a significant impact.

Tune in for the conversation and learn how Veravas is turning the tide on diagnostic uncertainty.

 

Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot Community Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit.
» Learn more and apply today.

Want more content like this? Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

DatosX Boosts Innovation Through Faster Tech Trials

DatosX Boosts Innovation & Product-Market Fit Through Faster Tech Trials

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Are health tech founders building what the market actually needs? At StartUp Health, we see firsthand their biggest challenge: achieving product-market fit. But it’s more than just market alignment. Investor Robert Garber of 7wireVentures calls it “contract-market fit”—proof that people will pay.

This week, we talk with Robin Roberts, CEO & Founder of DatosX, a company in the StartUp Health community that is helping digital health startups achieve just that.

  • The Problem: Many early-stage health companies struggle with product-market fit. They may be building amazing technology, but the market isn’t ready.
  • The Solution: DatosX is a two-sided marketplace connecting health tech buyers (like hospitals) with startups. This enables:
    • Pre-validation of purchases by hospitals.
    • Creation of buyable products by startups.
  • The Insight: This unique position gives Roberts a front-row seat to what hospitals really want (hint: it involves physician efficiency) and where startups often miss the mark.
  • The Opportunity: We explore these critical trends and discover the opportunities for savvy startups in 2025.

Listen in as Roberts shares his insights on achieving product-market fit and contract-market fit in the digital health space.

The Access to Care Moonshot Community is comprised of mission-aligned founders and CEOs collaborating to accelerate breakthroughs to deliver quality care to everyone, regardless of location or income.
» Meet the Access to Care Moonshot Community
» Join a Health Moonshot Community

Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot Community Showcase Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit.
» Learn more and apply today.

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Food as Medicine

Edamam CEO: Why Food as Medicine Has Hit a Market Tipping Point & Opportunities in the Space

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This idea called “food as medicine” isn’t new. People have been talking for decades about how the foods we put in our body play a bigger role in preventative health and disease management than any drug or medication we could.

But it’s always been on the fringe. Partly because it’s difficult to do the studies that clinically prove that foods can be as effective as medications. And second, which is related, there hasn’t been much funding for this kind of work.

So, what’s changed? To answer that question, we sat down with Victor Penev, CEO & Founder of Edamam, a longtime member of the StartUp Health Community. Victor’s created what may be the world’s largest repository of food data. But he’s also a futurist with a keen eye on where the industry is heading.

In our conversation Penev explains how the uptake in GLP-1s and generative AI have come together in a fascinating way that opens up new opportunities in nutrition. Importantly, it may open up new funding sources and innovative business models.

On that note: StartUp Health has formally kicked off our Food as Medicine Health Moonshot Community, so if you or someone you know is a founder working in nutrition, someone with a passion to use food to make the world a healthier place, we’re accepting applications at StartUpHealth.com.

Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot Community Showcase Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit. Learn more and apply today.

Want more content like this? Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

 

 

The Future of Vitamins: Vous Vitamin’s Tech-Forward Personalization (Featured on CNET!)

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Can vitamins play a bigger role in preventative health? Vous Vitamin, founded by doctors Arielle Levitan, MD, and Romy Block, MD, thinks so. This physician-led company in the StartUp Health community offers personalized vitamin subscriptions based on science, not hype. Join StartUp Health NOW as we dive deep with CEO Brad Helfand to explore the fascinating intersection of vitamins and technology.

They’ll discuss how Vous Vitamin is changing the game, including:

  • The evidence-based approach behind personalized supplementation
  • Bringing vitamins into the realm of preventative medicine and primary care
  • Securing a spot on CNET’s top 5 vitamin subscriptions
  • Potential insurance and Medicare Advantage coverage
  • Innovative corporate wellness programs

Tune in to discover how Vous Vitamin is bridging the gap between traditional healthcare and the often-overlooked world of vitamins, and how technology is making this possible.

Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot Community Showcase Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit. Learn more and apply today.

Want more content like this? Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

What We Saw at CES

What We Saw at CES: Health Innovation at the Consumer Tech Circus

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Join Unity Stoakes and Logan Plaster for a special podcast episode dedicated to their experience at CES 2025 in Las Vegas this past week.

Hear their insights on:

  • The rise of health tech at the world’s largest consumer electronics show
  • Key trends observed in the AARP AgeTech Collaborative and Eureka Park
  • The future of innovation in areas like wearable technology and assistive devices
  • The role of events like CES in advancing health moonshots

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the intersection of technology and healthcare.

Tune in now to gain valuable insights from CES 2025!

Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot Community Showcase Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit. Learn more and apply today.

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Avanlee Christine, Avanlee Care Podcast: This All-in-One App Empowers Family Caregivers

Are Family Caregivers the Secret to Improving Medicare Advantage Plans?

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Empowering Caregivers: Avanlee Care Revolutionizes Senior Healthcare

The aging population is rapidly growing. This demographic shift demands a new approach to healthcare, one that empowers family caregivers.

Join us for our first podcast episode of 2025 as we chat with Avanlee Christine. A member of the StartUp Health community since 2022, Christine is the CEO & Founder of Avanlee Care, a platform that integrates caregivers into the healthcare of their aging loved ones. For almost every older person with a health concern there is an adult child who is worried and involved. In fact there are around 48 million unpaid family caregivers in the United States.

Discover:

  • How Avanlee Care is transforming the caregiver experience
  • The benefits for health plans, particularly Medicare Advantage
  • The power of family involvement in improving senior health outcomes

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in senior care, family caregiving, and the future of healthcare for an aging population.

Listen now and learn how Avanlee Care is changing the game.

Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot Community Showcase Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit. Learn more and apply today.

Want more content like this? Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

State of Health Tech with Bessemer Venture Partners

Health Tech Trends: AI, Private Markets, and 2025 Predictions from Bessemer Venture Partners

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On this week’s podcast episode, Steve Kraus and Sofia Guerra of Bessemer Venture Partners joined us to discuss the trends and predictions outlined in their second annual State of Health Tech report.

 Key takeaways include:

  • AI: Health tech dollars invested in AI-focused companies have increased 1.5x in just two years, reaching 38% in 2024 to date.

  • Private market recovery: Mega rounds of $50M+ for later-stage companies with strong fundamentals, alongside a surge of seed and Series A companies scaling to $1M-$10M ARR within three years.

  • 2025 predictions: Adoption of in-house services-as-software, AI enhancing doctors’ capabilities, AI streamlining value-based care, and more companies blending cutting-edge technology with deep healthcare expertise.

About Steve Kraus:
Steve Kraus is a partner at Bessemer in the Cambridge office and a world-renowned healthcare investor. He is the author of Bessemer’s 10 Laws of Healthcare, Benchmarks for Growing Health Tech Businesses, and co-host of the podcast Heart of Healthcare. Kraus currently sits on the boards of Bright Health Group, Headspace Health, Groups, Qventus, AspenRx, HouseRx, Oshi Health, Folx Health, Mural Health, and Alcresta.

About Sofia Guerra:
Sofia Guerra is a vice president at Bessemer Venture Partners, where she invests in seed to growth healthcare and life sciences companies. She is the co-author of State of Health Tech report, Benchmarks for Growing Health Tech Business, and How to Scale Health Tech Businesses to $100M and Beyond, a study of 100+ best-in-class companies to understand key metrics relevant for scalability in healthcare software and tech-enabled services.

Listen in for the complete chat with Steve Kraus and Sofia Guerra and learn about the key trends shaping the future of health tech.

Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot Community Showcase Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit. Learn more and apply today.

Want more content like this? Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.