Episode 34 - Dr. Maroof Ahmed - COO and Co-Founder of Pelago

🙋‍♂️ Welcome back to our channel and thank you to our subscribers!! We are thrilled to bring you Episode 34 of the Digital Health Heavyweights podcast!

Today, Norm sits down with Dr. Maroof Ahmed, COO and co-founder of Pelago (formerly known as Quit Genius), to discuss the company's recent Series C funding round and its mission to transform substance use support. Maroof shares his personal motivation for starting the company, which was inspired by the loss of his uncle to addiction. He also highlights the challenges and successes of the early years, including the rebranding from Quit Genius to Pelago. The conversation explores the shift in mindset around substance use management and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Maroof discusses the company's expansion into the B2B market and the onboarding process for large employee populations. Maroof discusses the importance of hiring strong talent and maintaining a high talent density as a company scales. He emphasizes the need for passion and commitment when starting a business, as success takes time and perseverance. Maroof also highlights the member experience at Pelago, which focuses on judgment-free, stigma-free messaging and tailored support for substance use management. He shares the company's impressive clinical outcomes, including a 62% reduction in alcohol use and a 67% success rate in helping members become opioid-free. Maroof discusses the importance of building a strong company culture and staying ahead of the competition in the digital health space. He also predicts that there will be increased scrutiny on the ROI claimed by digital health vendors and a shift away from the per employee per month model. Finally, Maroof shares some healthy recipes, including chicken and mushroom risotto and chicken Caesar salad.

Takeaways
💰 Pelago(formerly Quit Genius) recently raised $58 million in a Series C funding round.
🎯 The company's mission is to transform substance use support from prevention to treatment.

🍷💊 The rebranding from Quit Genius to Pelago was driven by the expansion into alcohol and opioid addiction treatment.

🦠🍺💊 The COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for substance use management solutions as people turned to alcohol and drugs during isolation.

🚀💼 Pelago has successfully onboarded large employee populations, including Fortune 50 companies, with seamless implementation processes. Hiring strong talent and maintaining a high talent density is crucial for scaling a company.

💪 Passion and commitment are essential when starting a business, as success takes time and perseverance.

🤝 The member experience at Pelago focuses on judgment-free, stigma-free messaging and tailored support for substance use management.

📊✔️ Pelago has achieved impressive clinical outcomes, including a 62% reduction in alcohol use and a 67% success rate in helping members become opioid-free.

🏥🔝 Building a strong company culture and staying ahead of the competition are key in the digital health space.

🔍💼🔄 There will be increased scrutiny on the ROI claimed by digital health vendors and a shift away from the per employee per month model.
 
 

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Series C Funding
08:57 Y Combinator and Guiding Principles
15:41 Expansion into the B2B Market
31:25 Impressive Clinical Outcomes
49:18 The Future of ROI in Digital Health
51:06 Outro.mp4

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