Tag Archives: moonshot

(Re)Meet Pelago: Well-Funded Quit Genius Rebrands to Make Addiction Treatment More Accessible

June 15, 2023Business, Health, Innovation, StartupsAddiction, Dr Yusuf Sherwani, end addiction, Health Moonshot, Health Moonshot Update, Logan Plaster, moonshot, Pelago, Quit Genius, Yusuf Sherwani MDNicole Kinsey

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:27 — 39.1MB)

When we first met today’s StartUp Heatlh NOW podcast guest, he was a newly-minted doctorpreneur. After finishing med school Yusuf Sherwani, MD, teamed up with a couple fellow doctors to tackle a massive, pervasive problem they were facing in their clinics: Day after day they were seeing patients struggling with addiction, whether smoking or drinking or opioids. These were people stigmatized by their addictions into fear and inaction or they’d reached out for help and found the options unsuccessful.

This group of physicians thought, with today’s technology and breakthroughs in addiction management, there has to be a better way. So they built Quit Genius, the world’s first virtual clinic for substance use management. They combined the best digital health tools with leading cognitive behavioral therapy and medication assisted treatment.

Their solution met a hungry market. Since inception, Dr. Sherwani and his team – who joined StartUp Health in 2020 – have helped more than 750,000 people manage their substance use, and with $77 million raised, they are poised to scale even further.

We wanted to sit down with Dr. Sherwani to hear their scale-up vision and also to get the story behind their recent rebrand to Pelago. In this episode, Dr. Sherwani explains the name change – it’s derived from the word archipelago – and shares where this growing company is heading next.

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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.

These Three Startup Health Entrepreneurs Are Working to Fight Addiction and End the Opioid Epidemic

September 28, 2021Business, Health, Innovation, Insights, Startups, UncategorizedAddiction, chronic pain, end addiction, Health Moonshot, Health Moonshot Series, Health Moonshot Update, India Edwards, JD Meints, Logan Plaster, moonshot, NuLife, NuLife Virtual, opioid, overdose, Quit Genius, StartUp Health, Sumeet Maniar, WellBrain, Yusuf SherwaniStartUp Health NOW

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:39 — 29.7MB)

This special episode is part of our monthly Health Moonshot series. Each month we take one of StartUp Health’s 12 audacious health goals and highlight founders working to make the impossible a reality. This month we’re talking about the moonshot to End Addiction & the Opioid Crisis. Hosts Logan Plaster and India Edwards discuss three entrepreneurs from the StartUp Health portfolio who have developed incredible technology to help fight addiction. J.D. Meints, CEO and Founder of NuLife Virtual, has created a behavioral health platform that extends the benefits of a close-knit rehab community into the home. Yusuf Sherwani, MD, CEO & Co-founder of Quit Genius, has built one of the world’s first digital clinic delivering a comprehensive medication-assisted treatment program for multiple addictions. Last but not least, Sumeet Maniar, CEO & Founder of WellBrain, has developed a digital chronic pain management platform for providers.

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.

These Two StartUp Health Entrepreneurs Are Driving Down Healthcare Costs

August 30, 2021Business, Health, Innovation, Insights, Startups, UncategorizedAver, Bill Nordmark, Cost to Zero, Health Moonshot Series, India Edwards, Innovarx, Ismail Badjie, Logan Plaster, moonshotStartUp Health NOW

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:33 — 24.1MB)

This episode is part of our monthly Health Moonshot series. Last month it was all about mental health, today, we’re talking about founders and companies creating new ways to drive down healthcare costs. Ismail Badjie, CEO & Co-founder of Innovarx, has built a conglomerate of healthcare services including multiple brick and mortar stores, an e-commerce business, a global telemedicine platform, and a mobile clinical unit called, “Wellness on Wheels,” all formed to become the primary clinical service company in The Gambia. Bill Nordmark, CEO of Aver, has developed a purpose-built single instance, multitenant, HITRUST certified platform that supports payers to design and implement value-based contracts.

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

With Finess, Privy CEO Evi Heilbrunn Is Breaking Down Stigmas in the Women’s Health Aisle

January 26, 2021Business, Health, InnovationDigital Health, Evi Heilbrunn, Logan Plaster, moonshot, Privy, StartUp Health, womens healthStartUp Health NOW

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:30 — 33.7MB)

Because she’s tackling a stigmatized area of women’s health, one that’s been swept to the side for a long time, Privy CEO Evi Heilbrunn has had to do her research and educate the market. By doing so, she’s showing retailers like Target – where Finess is now on the shelf – that women’s health products were in need of an upgrade, and that we’re on the cusp of a whole new way of thinking about the whole women’s health aisle.

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.

Mindset Matters Most: Steven Krein on the Mindset of Transformative Entrepreneurs

October 6, 2020Business, Health, Innovation, StartupsEntrepreneur, Fund raise, health transformation, investor, Logan Plaster, mindset, moonshot, StartUp Health, Steven KreinStartUp Health NOW

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:05 — 31.7MB)

Steve Krein. CEO, co-founder & managing partner of StartUp Health, discusses the importance of having the right entrepreneurial mindset. Thoughtfully organizing the struggles you are still facing today through a DOS (Dangers, Opportunities, Strengths) exercise helps your audience better understand your top priorities, your biggest challenges, while being able to discuss the opportunities you’re excited about.

Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health https://www.startuphealth.com/
Investors: How to invest in StartUp Health Moonshots http://www.healthmoonshots.com

The Transformation of Digital Health in COVID Times

August 25, 2020Business, Health, Innovation, StartupsCovid 19, COVID19, Digital Health, Health Moonshot, Logan Plaster, moonshot, StartUp Health, Unity StoakesStartUp Health NOW

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:08 — 18.6MB)

It’s late August, approximately six months since the coronavirus pandemic sent us indoors, stunted the economy and sparked a rapid global transformation in healthcare. To get a high-level retrospective on those six months and what this period in history means for health innovation going forward, we dialed up Unity Stoakes, Co-founder and President of StartUp Health.

Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health https://www.startuphealth.com/
Investors: How to invest in StartUp Health Moonshots http://www.healthmoonshots.com

Pregnancy in the Time of COVID, With ROBYN Founder Alli Kasirer

August 4, 2020Business, Health, Innovation, StartupsAccess to care, Alli Kasirer, coronavirus, Covid 19, COVID19, Health Moonshot, Logan Plaster, moonshot, Pandemic Response, ROBYN, StartUp Health, womens healthStartUp Health NOW

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:17 — 16.4MB)

Today’s podcast is a throwback to one of our favorite interviews from 2020 thus far. Back in early May, we linked up with Alli Kasirer, CEO of a company called Robyn, for an interview on StartUp Health TV. Robyn – online at we are robyn.co – is a digital health company that acts as a 21st century guide for aspiring, expecting and new parents. They cover everything from fertility coaching to infant sleep training, with a modern, tech-forward sensibility. When COVID hit, demand for virtual services for expectant and new parents skyrocketed, and Kasirer and her team stepped up to the challenge. If you want to watch the full conversation, you’ll find it on the Startup Health YouTube channel, at youtube.com/startuphealth.

Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health https://www.startuphealth.com/
Investors: How to invest in StartUp Health Moonshots http://www.healthmoonshots.com

Why the Founders of athenahealth and Devoted Health Joined StartUp Health’s Global Army of Health Transformers

January 6, 2020Business, Health, Uncategorized2020 StartUp Health Festival, Access to care, Collaboration, community, Cost to Zero, Devoted Health, Digital Health, Ed Park, Entrepreneur, Health, health innovation, Health Moonshot, Howard Krein, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, moonshot, StartUp Health, StartUp Health Festival, Steven Krein, Todd Park, Unity StoakesStartUp Health NOW

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:00 — 33.2MB)

At last year’s StartUp Health Festival Todd & Ed Park, co-founders of Devoted Health shared how they’re building a Medicare Advantage company that provides the kind of streamlined care they’d want for their own parents. Tune into the 2020 Festival Jan 13-14 from startuphealth.com!

Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health https://www.startuphealth.com/
Investors: How to invest in StartUp Health Moonshots http://www.healthmoonshots.com

Bridging the Health Innovation Gap with Startup-Enterprise Partnerships

December 11, 2019Business, Health2020 StartUp Health Festival, Collaboration, community, Digital Health, genetics, Genomic Medical, Kaiser Permanente, Kaiser Permanente Ventures, moonshot, StartUp Health Festival, StartUp Health magazineStartUp Health NOW

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:08:23 — 127.0MB)

This year, Kaiser Permanente Ventures and Genomic Medical partnered to expand genetics counseling services to KP members. They share lessons on collaboration in this special panel discussion, co-hosted by StartUp Health.

Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health https://www.startuphealth.com/
Investors: How to invest in StartUp Health Moonshots http://www.healthmoonshots.com