How Rishi Shah pulled off a billion-dollar pharma advertising scheme
Jul 4, 2024
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Entrepreneur Rishi Shah discusses the billion-dollar pharma advertising scheme, detailing the rise and fall of Outcome Health and the fraudulent tactics used to target patients with chronic diseases.
Outcome Health misled pharmaceutical companies with fake ad performance data.
Outcome Health's fraudulent activities led to one of the largest startup frauds in history.
Deep dives
Rishi Shah's Billion Dollar Farmer Advertising Scheme
Rishi Shah and Shraddha Agarwal launched Context Media in 2006, a platform targeting patients with chronic diseases. They provided a unique advertising service to pharmaceutical companies in doctors' clinics, delivering targeted ads based on patient demographics. The business model involved overcharging clients by claiming to run ads on more screens than installed, using fake screenshots and inflated data to deceive advertisers. This elaborate scheme eventually led to the exposure of fraudulent practices and a lengthy prison sentence for Shah and associates.
Outcome Health's Deception
Context Media rebranded as Outcome Health, attracting high-profile clients like Pfizer and Novo Nordisk based on falsified data and inflated performance metrics. The company's fake ad campaigns and misleading practices unraveled after major clients demanded refunds and discovered discrepancies. Media scrutiny exposed Outcome Health's fraudulent activities, revealing a history of deceiving investors and clients to secure nearly $900 million in funding. The US Department of Justice's investigations confirmed the extent of the deception, highlighting one of the largest startup frauds in recent history.