The Pitch #163 CurieDx: AI Pocket Doctor
20 snips
May 14, 2025 
Therese Canares, a pediatric emergency physician and founder of CurieDx, introduces her innovative AI-powered app that detects strep throat from a smartphone photo. She discusses the potential impact on pediatric healthcare and the importance of regulatory approval. Investors Elizabeth Yin and Jesse Middleton provide pointed feedback, questioning scalability and the dual business model. Therese shares a personal connection to the app, revealing how it helped her daughter. The conversation delves into funding challenges and shifting strategies in healthcare startups.
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Use AI for Image Guidance
- Use AI-driven live image guidance to ensure clear photos of the user's throat for diagnosis.
- This improves image quality by adjusting focus, lighting, and camera positioning automatically.
App Accuracy Improving Rapidly
- CurieDx app currently detects strep throat with 88% accuracy compared to rapid swab tests at 95%.
- Accuracy is improving quickly from 70% a few months ago, aiming for low 90s soon.
DTC Launch Accelerates Data
- Launch direct-to-consumer first to rapidly generate revenue and collect AI training data.
- Use direct consumer feedback to accelerate model improvement before expanding B2B sales efforts.