Amanda French

As I said right at the start of this week's The Heart of Healthcare Podcast, Shivdev Rao is one of the most exceptional founders I have ever worked with. He is also a great human being. In this week's episode he shares what is it like leading the 🚀 that is Abridge and some awesome life lessons. IMHO this is a great listen for founders building in both the AI and healthcare fields!

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I’m a lucky man - I get to talk about stuff I care about with people that feel the same way, but know how to approach it in fresh ways. This chat with Josh Au Yeung goes into another area I think needs much more attention - leadership. NHS providers recently published data showing only around a third of NHS CEOs have a clinical background: https://lnkd.in/givrbU_p . When evidence suggests that expert leadership is strongly associated with better outcomes, happier staff, and greater productivity, we need to work harder to identify, train, and support current and future clinical leaders. The burning question is this: when it comes to #HealthTech , who is the expert leader? A technologist? A clinician? A hybrid? Would love to hear your thoughts on this (and the podcast, naturally)

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Some great advice in this interview — featuring Jeffry Weinhuff of Visionary Ventures — relevant to all sub-sectors of #medtech. My favorite line is “investment capital is not tuition.” 😂 But the best advice stems from the insight that good exits via IPO or M&A processes with multiple buyers competing for your company require that most medtech companies must prove their value via strong commercial metrics. And doing that takes a lot of time, expertise and money. Plan, hire and raise capital accordingly. At Vensana Capital, our investment process centers on a deep analysis of every aspect of getting a breakthrough medtech innovation to market, no matter what stage of development a company is at today. We like entrepreneurs who believe their innovation can be highly impactful to patients. We love the ones who want to leave no doubt. https://lnkd.in/eDsUqgn6

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If you begin with a grand vision and avoid playing "small ball," you can win in DTC in healthcare and allied health industries. In fact, I'd like to propose that eventually "all healthcare will be DTC." DTC means different things to different companies across different industries. In home security, one of my DTC heroes Jamie Siminoff proved that a category could be created or at least massively disrupted and morphed. Marc Benioff began his SFDC journey one salesperson at a time via direct marketing of a sales automation solution in a DTC way. How did they successfully disrupt stale low-margin, small-ball markets and gain scale and momentum? They built trust, leveraged user validation and word of mouth, and then went wide and deep with an ecosystem and a flywheel. And yes, they had a crackerjack, fresh and innovative product/service that worked, to earn trust, excitement and WOM virality. But that was the appetizer, not the main course. Healthcare has even more of this, as it involves risk reduction and building trust via personal-use validation and word of mouth with "reputational risk." This is one of the hallmarks of premier brand DTC product-led-growth. If you think about healthcare like a premier, aspirational brand, it begins to make more sense. It's expensive, it reflects your perceived social status (when/if you share it) and it is important to you to have value and trust in the brand. What if a healthcare brand could engender the same kind of connection and trust as, say: LVMH, Hermès, Apple, JLR, Zabar's, The MICHELIN Guide, and more. If you can build a large enterprise that can move from DTC and product-led-growth and early adoption, to scaled GTM via partners and leveraging or assembling an ecosystem to support it and build a flywheel to shift the unit economics and LCV (lifetime customer value), then you win. In fact, as we move further into outright recognition that so many Americans are essentially self-funding their healthcare via high-deductible plans.... "all healthcare will be DTC" in the sense that via price transparency, provider discovery and competition, trust and quality, all of healthcare will eventually need to be accountable to the same kinds of brand value, trust and reputational pressures as we see today in classic DTC businesses. Every consumer wants trust, value, brand reflection and quality. Especially in a high-spend, high emotional category like healthcare. #trust #value #wordofmouth #GTM #productledgrowth #Ecosystemledgrowth

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#hiring If anyone knows an awesome engineer that would be interested in joining an emerging #AI company doing important work in #healthcare, please drop me a line! Andy AI is backed by General Catalyst, YCombinator, Greater Ventures, and others, and they’re looking to hire a full stack engineer (US based) who's excited about using AI to improve healthcare and reduce nurse burnout. Andy is AI software that automates clinical documentation for nurses who do home visits. A nurse makes an audio recording of the visit and Andy automatically generates a form that usually takes nurses 90 minutes to complete. Nurses love the product because it potentially saves them 15 hours of charting a week! The founders previously built healthcare AI at Google Health and Apple, and are now building their vision to transform home health. More about Andy AI: https://with-andy.com/ Nurses love it: https://lnkd.in/g9XqZrUq #GenAI #digitalhealth #hiring #engineers #healthtech

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We founded Oak HC/FT to invest in diversified market opportunities and built a team that would get to know those subject areas broadly and deeply. To succeed in #healthcare specifically, we have a few key focuses: 1. High-quality patient care is our number one priority. We're looking to build companies that provide better access and services at a lower cost. 2. We look for opportunities to streamline processes. We want to build administrative efficiency to reduce waste and free up resources that can positively impact patients. 3. Talent is everything. It's a key ingredient in scaling, which requires human capital and a great deal of support that we're eager to provide. Want to hear more? I dove deeper into these insights with RJ Lumba on the GrowthCap Growth Investor podcast. Listen to our full conversation here: https://lnkd.in/eiCbqDSU

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Exciting news from Monica Chopra, Jeffrey De Flavio, MD, Samantha Adelberg, and the rest of the Auxa Health team as they officially announce their $5.2M Seed round. The team's deep industry expertise and drive for change have led them to solve critical infrastructural friction to providing quality healthcare and adoption of value-based care. Auxa's AI benefit navigation platform is simplifying the complexities of healthcare by streamlining all of the fragmented and siloed data and information to make it actionable in real-time for healthcare organizations. For the 70% of Americans who aren't getting access to the health and social care benefits they deserve, Auxa's solution will be pivotal in enabling equitable care. We're thrilled to partner with co-investors Zeal Capital Partners, AlleyCorp, Laconia, and Chaac Ventures on this journey and look to share many more milestones ahead. Cc K50 Ventures, Ryan Bloomer, Daniel Vásquez, Nick Talwar, Stefanie Ng https://lnkd.in/dPDY7-Db

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_What makes a good investment in healthcare? _ When is a good time to start thinking about the path to exit? _Where do we see the next #unicorn in #systemichealth? Experienced healthcare investor Dai Feng from CareCapital Group joins me and Jonathan Levine for our very first *video* episode of the #ThinkOralHealth #podcast. Take a listen.

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Awesome report from Rock Health (in the comments) about H124 digital health funding. 📈 Despite broader economic challenges, the digital health sector, including mental health, has shown resilience, raising $5.7B across 266 deals. There is a strong Series A pipeline, tapering off of unlabeled funding rounds and 3 public exits in Q2 2024 indicating a revival in the exit market and a return to more sustainable funding patterns​. Key insights about the mental health market: 🧠 Mental health continues to be the leading clinical indication in digital health funding, securing $682 million in H1 2024. This consistent top ranking highlights the ongoing investor interest and the market's recognition of the critical need for mental health solutions. 🤖 The focus on mental health is driven by a combination of increased awareness, the rising demand for accessible mental health services, and the integration of tech solutions...🙄 In fact, AI has become a significant factor in digital health investments, with 34% of the total sector funding going to AI-startups. This trend is also reflected in mental health, where AI is being utilised to enhance diagnosis, personalise treatment plans, and provide scalable, efficient care solutions. Let's go!

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One of my proudest moments as an investor occurred today as Alaffia Health announced its series A because it shows how the Aperture® Venture Capital vision of multi-level, multi-generational #impactinvesting is succeeding in the marketplace. Here’s the model in its most basic form : ✅As diverse fund managers with meaningful capital to allocate, we are changing the VC landscape every day just by doing our day jobs. ✅As Black/Brown investors with ~40 years experience collectively, Aperture GPs have access to talent /excellence that others do not, so our portfolio *organically* is more inclusive by race, gender and geography even while optimizing for financial outcomes (all about the alpha). ✅Our most successful portco’s are using financial #innovation to solve market problems that impact underrepresented demographics and underserved communities. Alaffia Health is a shining example of the impact portion of our overall fund thesis, and we couldn’t be prouder of TJ Ademiluyi and Adun Akanni, MPH, PMP - the dynamic brother-sister founder duo whose vision we have steadfastly supported on their journey. Congratulations to TJ and Adun from William Crowder and myself, as well as the whole Aperture team- Marjorie King Philip McKenzie Yves Louis-Jacques Tanvi Lal Michelle Dhansinghani Lisha Bell Katie Kelly Amy Chung Cindy Chong, CFA Brian Fernandes-Halloran Monroe France Jayden Pantel Darren Herman Evan Wladis Neal Triplett Thomas Scriven Peter Ammon Irina Bit-Babik Tim Milanich Rob Rahbari

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The healthcare landscape is rapidly evolving, driven by advancements in technology and a deeper understanding of patient care. I had the pleasure of speaking with Ambar Bhattacharyya, Co-Managing Partner at Maverick Ventures, on the latest episode of The Full Ratchet. Ambar has partnered with numerous billion-dollar companies like hims & hers, Cityblock Health, Devoted Health, and ConcertAI. His unique journey from rural America to becoming a prominent figure in venture capital offers invaluable insights into the future of healthcare and technology. We discuss his investment strategy at Maverick Ventures, the megatrends shaping healthcare, the impact of AI on the industry, and the importance of integrated care. Ambar also shares his thoughts on the challenges and opportunities in healthcare investment, offering a comprehensive view of what lies ahead. Check out TFR Episode 438 to catch our conversation. You'll be glad you listened.

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My colleague Joe Brennan recently sat down with Omar M. Khateeb on The State of MedTech podcast to discuss how TytoCare’s #HomeSmartClinic and #ProSmartClinic are advancing virtual care by adding a layer of clinical depth not seen in traditional video calls. Virtual care is not a concession, it’s an alternative, so it should offer the same level of quality and engagement as in-person care. That core principle is what drives TytoCare’s relentless pursuit of innovation and improvement. https://okt.to/K7ceTg #MedTech #MedicalDevices #VirtualCare #Telehealth #HealthcareInnovation #Healthcare

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What do bio and health applications mean for the next wave of AI -- specifically about compute? (I'm talking to you NVDA longs!) LifeX Ventures is hosting a super roundtable with some serious techbio leaders tomorrow along with Analog Century Management's Val Zlatev -- come hear Thomas Clozel Sean McClain Chetan Patel at 11am ET For the survey results based on asking 100 techbio CTOs and CEOs, join the call. Here, my own speculations after wrapping up the report: -- Amazon needs to have a GPU program on warp drive right now -- Nvidia needs to have a data center / cloud business in the works -- Edge AI chips are about to be everywhere -- in your watch, car, sneakers, thermostats, gene sequencers, spectroscopes -- All this compute needs way more data: expect a boom in sensors of all types -- Remember human genome moonshot that sequenced one person once? Now you can sequence your every cell one by one. Expect that for protein folding (AlphaFold was that moonshot) and other simulation uses, a full "twin" model of you, cell by cell -- Google has no angle here -- worse chips, worse cloud, worse models, worse phones / edge devices -- Specialty silicon for unique use-cases, lower-power, lower-memory are surely coming fast - like back in the day for mobile phones when Qualcomm, Broadcomm, Infineon, Mediatek, etc duked it out.

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Thanks Girls Into VC for inviting me to be your 1st #startupfounder guest on your podcast 💓 I chatted about some of the following topics: 1️⃣ Founders should get really good at prioritizing rather than chasing “shiny things” that may not be as productive at the current stage of your startup.   2️⃣ Travel and consumer spending is picking up and surpassing pre-COVID levels, and Wander Health is innovating right in the middle of it. 3️⃣ Time is currency and how you spend it matters more than you think. Listen below 👇 #startupjourney #travelhealth #womenfounders #globalhealth

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The opioid crisis was a sad hallmark of my years working for the Baker Administration. In a time of extreme partisanship at the federal level, this was one area where public policy, civil discourse, and private enterprise seemed aligned and sufficiently motivated to find a solution. What we learned, however, is that dollars and access only go so far in combatting a disease that knows no so specific demographic. Instead, it's apparent that a battery of tools is needed to combat and prevent addiction--ranging from strong safety nets, to novel non-addictive pain therapies, and better technology. Introducing Marigold Health. Shrenik Jain, Ravi Shah, Tracey Cohen, MD, FASAM and team have built a proprietary NLP-based platform that--most significantly--improves the lives of those suffering from SUD/SMI. One customer we spoke with noted, "We needed a unique treatment intervention that had supportive research, fit into a CMS established model with a recognized service code, and that would provide positive clinical outcomes in an efficacious and fiscally responsible manner”. Another plainly said: "Marigold is our best hope to reach into the lives and help those who many have already given up on." Honored to join Bill Evans, Sean Day, and the entire syndicate in doing our part to scale a tool we believe will become essential in the fight against addiction. Marigold Health Innospark Ventures Rock Health KdT Ventures Matt Fates Lily Zarrella Venkat Srinivasan

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This week Mikal Ventures brings you a 4-week breakdown of the US capital market with an emphasis on the Mikal verticals. Over the 4-week period ending July 8, 728 new companies were added, resulting in just under 96,400 companies included in the US Health Tech, Med Tech, Fin Tech, AI Tech, and Ed Tech verticals. AI Tech maintained its most active status, seeing the greatest percentage of growth in new companies, transactions and news articles. The US Fin Tech vertical led the way in SEC Filings. Mikal Ventures publishes these stats to provide a perspective on how the verticals and new startups move through time. We hope you find them informative and thought-provoking. VC Investors are always adjusting their "Play Book" with a variety of options for investing. Mikal Ventures is one of those alternatives, offering curated solutions to real world problems. Reach out if you have questions on how we can be of assistance and bookmark https://mikalventures.com/ for additional insights and information.

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Med Tech in Focus:   Wearable Ultrasound Patch Offers Continuous Cerebral Blood Flow Monitoring Researchers at University of California San Diago have developed a postage-stamp sized ultrasound patch that can continuously monitor three-dimensional cerebral blood flow in real time. The technology is worn on the temple and is composed of silicon embedded with several layers of soft, stretchy electronics that produce and enhance ultrasound signals. Currently, a technician uses a Doppler ultrasound device on a patient’s head at specific times each day to monitor blood flow. That procedure has limits because such measurements can vary depending on the accuracy of the technician and data can fluctuate between readings.  The device is connected by cables to a computer and uses ultra-fast imaging and AI to collect and post-process data about the brain’s blood vessels. Patients who are undergoing and recovering from brain surgery could benefit from the device and it’s hoped that the continuous monitoring could tell if a patient is about to experience a stroke and provide an opportunity for timely intervention. VC Investors are always adjusting their "Play Book" with a variety of options for investing. Mikal Ventures is one of those alternatives, offering curated solutions to real world problems. Reach out if you have questions on how we can be of assistance and bookmark https://mikalventures.com/ for additional insights and information.

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I am excited to share that our community continues to grow and gather!  Since the beginning of the year, we are 15% stronger and have a full calendar for May, including more Dine & Develops and Helpful Hours.  Beyond these events, I have an ask and an offer… 🙏DM if you are interested in helping with the operations of the community.  There’s so much to do in marketing, growth, sales, support, coordination, low-code and high-code tooling, and more! 💡DM if you want to be featured for a Dine & Develop.  I am looking for experts in job positions, functional areas, company types, and problem spaces who want to dine with peers and develop professionally! Furthermore, don’t forget to register for the other upcoming April gatherings – 4/18 Helpful Hour.  🥳 Links in the comment! #CommunityGrowth #NetworkingEvents #ProfessionalDevelopment #VolunteerOpportunities #EventMarketing #CommunityEngagement #CareerDevelopment #BusinessNetworking #SkillBuilding #OperationalExcellence #ProfessionalNetworking #CommunityBuilding #GrowthHacking #PeerLearning #IndustryExperts

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I’m optimistic about the potential of generative AI to reduce provider burnout and improve provider-patient interactions. However, that optimism is tempered by the data that indicates the technology is not quite ready yet. Bright Ventures is interested in digital health founders who understand the realities of provider-patient interactions, and the role technology can play in strengthening clinical outcomes. Which founders and teams are getting this right? Tag them in the comments below.

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