The Pitch
#163 CurieDx: AI Pocket Doctor
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.
38:51
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Quick takeaways
- CurieDx's AI app aims to revolutionize healthcare accessibility by using smartphone images to detect strep throat with high accuracy.
- Investors question the feasibility of the founder managing both consumer and enterprise strategies, highlighting concerns over resource allocation.
Deep dives
Innovative Strep Throat Detection
An app has been developed to detect strep throat using a smartphone camera and artificial intelligence, aiming to reduce the fear and uncertainty families face when a child is sick. Traditional methods often require a visit to an emergency room for a sore throat, where illnesses like viral infections are often misdiagnosed. This app guides users through taking an appropriate image of the throat, providing feedback to ensure quality before analysis. This technology envisions a world where patients can quickly understand why they are sick, potentially transforming healthcare accessibility.
