Day Zero

Meet Alison Darcy, Ph.D.:Meet Alison Darcy, Ph.D. is the President and Founder of Woebot Health. Previously, she was an Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine.  Dr. Darcy was a Senior Investigator for DSM5 Field Trials in association with the American Psychiatry Association and Stanford University. She also previously co-founded UPR-Online. Dr. Darcy received a bachelor’s and Ph.D. in Psychology from University College Dublin. Key Insights:Woebot is a digital mental health robot that patients can chat to whenever they need. Scalable Mental Healthcare. Dr. Darcy saw that there is a far greater need for mental healthcare than there are resources. This issue was further exacerbated by COVID-19. Fundamentally, mental health infrastructure isn’t scalable, which led her to found Woebot. Mental Health Ally. Woebot doesn’t replace therapy, rather its complimentary. It helps encourage self-directed mental health care and enables patients to better engage in the practices they learn during therapy sessions.Economic Headwinds. Dr. Darcy thinks health startups need to be particularly strategic about demonstrating the cost savings they can provide. This is especially challenging for preventative healthcare initiatives, which may not immediately reveal a return on investment.This episode is hosted by Tarun Kapoor, M.D. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Transformation Officer at Virtua Health. Relevant Links:Learn more about WoebotMeet Woebot  

Meet Ben Horowitz:Ben Horowitz is Co-founder and General Partner Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), a venture capital firm. He is the author of “The Hard Thing About Hard Things” and “What You Do Is Who You Are.” Prior to a16z, Ben was Co-founder and CEO of Opsware (formerly Loudcloud). When Opsware was acquired by Hewlett-Packard, he became their Vice President and General Manager of Business Technology Optimization for Software. Ben received a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from Columbia University and a Masters in Computer Science from UCLA.Key Insights:Software is eating the world. It is a disruptive force in healthcare and other industries.The Power of Software. Software is disrupting all industries. From Amazon, to Netflix, to Uber, good software can increase efficiency, profitability, and customer satisfaction. To Ben, there is no business that wouldn’t be improved with world-class software. Going Against Nature. As humans, we naturally want people to like us. However, telling people what they want to hear is a bad quality for leaders. As a founder of CEO, you may need to make tough calls that are necessary but will cause others to be upset.Follow Your Contribution. Passions can change, but talent tends to be more persistent. Ben recommends following your contributions, go where you think you can make the biggest impact with your unique skills and background. This episode is hosted by Gary Bisbee Ph.D. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Think Medium.Relevant Links:Learn more about a16zRead Ben’s most recent article “a16z is Moving to the Cloud”Check out Ben’s books

Meet Aditya Bansod:Aditya Bansod is the Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Luma Health. Prior to Luma Health, he was the Vice President of Product at Remind and the Vice President of Product Management and Marketing at Sencha, Inc. Previously, he was a Principle Product Manager at Adobe Systems as well as a Lead Program Manager at Microsoft. Aditya received a Bachelor’s of Cognitive Science from the University of California San Diego. Key Insights:Aditya is driven to build software that positively impacts people’s lives. Improving healthcare access through better waitlists is only the start for Luma Health.  The Founding Team. Luma Health has three co-founders that complement each other’s experiences and background. Their CMO is a practicing radiologist, providing a clinical perspective, and the CEO has a background in sales and marketing. With his background in product management, Aditya specializes in product engineering and implementation. Patient Success Above All. Health systems want patient engagement, but Aditya is focused on patient success. Success in patient outcomes is a more challenging metric to achieve, and is longer-term, but that is what patients ultimately value.Funding During a Downturn. In boom times, innovation and digital transformation teams have more sway. During downturns, the bar is a little higher and CFOs are the new target audience when finding partnerships. This may require founders to be more ROI-focused, vision-oriented, and disciplined. This episode is hosted by Tarun Kapoor, M.D. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Transformation Officer at Virtua Health. Relevant Links:Check out Aditya’s websiteLearn more about Luma HealthFollow Aditya on Twitter

Meet Gad Shaanan:Gad Shaanan is an entrepreneurial visionary with a thirty-five-year record of creating winning products for internationally recognized, mass-market brands. Gad’s path is rooted in his passions for product innovation and go to market strategy. From identifying a gap in the marketplace, assembling the right team of experts, inventing the solution, executing on the development and finding the right partners to launch. As a business strategist, he fully comprehends the bigger picture and the nature of successful, global business.  Gad is a serial entrepreneur and trusted advisor to Fortune 500 companies, distinguished by his unique perspective and strategic risk-taking. Prior to moving to San Diego he founded, Gad Shaanan Design, a Montreal based consulting firm, with satellite offices in Taipei and Chicago. Key Insights:Gad Shaanan is a serial entrepreneur across multiple industries, spanning from design to drones. Entrepreneurship Philosophy. Gad looks at the marketplace to see where there is a “hole,” potential demand but no unique product. He builds a business around creating a solution to fill that hole.vGeneralist. Gad personally enjoys being a generalist as it gives him flexibility; his entrepreneurial endeavors have included drones, coffee making, and blood glucose monitoring. As a generalist entrepreneur, he knows that once he dives into something specific, he needs to hire a team with experts to have a successful business. A Simple Question.What are you passionate about? Gad was fueled by his interests and so his work never felt like work. This episode is hosted by Rick Lemoine, M.D. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is Chief Medical Information Officer for Sharp HealthCare. Relevant Links:Learn more about GadlightListen to “The Factor in Great Design” with Gad ShaananRead about all of Gad’s patents 

Meet Dan Trigub:Dan Trigub is the Co-founder and CEO of MedArrive. Previously, he was GM and Head of Uber Health as well as the Regional Vice President of Healthcare Partnerships for Lyft. Dan was the Global Business Development Lead for eBay. He also co-founded OpenPlacement. Dan received a Bachelor’s in Economics from Vassar College. Key Insights:Billions of dollars of care services will move of hospitals into the home in the next few years. MedArrive is bringing high quality clinical care directly to patients through telehealth and home-visits.  Building the Team. For Dan, ideas are a dime a dozen. He would rather have a mediocre idea and a world class team over the inverse. Additionally, MedArrive is remote. Dan points out that they can hire better talent, because they can select from a larger pool of applicants. Even though the team is remote, there is still a sense of shared mission and culture. Care at Home. MedArrive brings clinical care into the home. Specifically, their providers are emergency medical service professionals that treat high ER utilizers covered by value-based payers such as managed Medicaid plans, Medicare Advantage, or ACOs. 3 Ts and 3 Ps. TTT stands for “things take time.”Founding in healthcare takes a long time, you have to be in it for the mission. PPP stands for “people, people, people.” It’s important to have the right people on the team, and you can never over-invest in your people. This episode is hosted by Lynne Chou O’Keefe. She is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the Founder and Managing Partner of Define Ventures. Relevant Links:Learn more about MedArriveFollow Dan on Twitter

Meet Frank Westermann:Frank Westermann is a multi-time founder. He is the co-founder and co-CEO of 9am.heatlh and the founder and CEO of Whitewater Ventures LLC. Previously, he was also the co-founder and CEO of mySugr, which was acquired by Roche. Frank earned a diploma in Business Administration from the Otto Friedrich University of Bamberg as well as from the Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences. He also completed an Erasmus Year in Business Management at the University of Angers. Key Insights:Frank Westermann was diagnosed with diabetes, and has since founded two companies that make diabetes care more convenient, affordable, and holistic.  Behind the Why. Frank understands what is annoying, complicated, and frustrating about diabetes management because he was diagnosed with type one diabetes. His experience inspired him to found mySugr and 9am.health. Additionally, many of 9am.health’s care specialist live with diabetes themselves, so they understand the patient perspective.Europe vs America. mySugr benefitted from Austrian government grants that didn’t require equity in exchange. However, Frank notes that if you want to build a business bigger and faster, America provides access to larger financial resources.Follow Your Gut.Frank’s one piece of advice for entrepreneurs is to be really passionate about what you do, and then follow your gut. Sometimes it’s hard, because some decisions seem logically correct, but if it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. This episode is hosted by Lynne Chou O’Keefe. She is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the Founder and Managing Partner of Define Ventures. Relevant Links:Learn more about 9am.healthLearn more about mySugr

Meet Brad Smith:Brad Smith is the Founder and CEO of Russell Street Ventures. He was also the Co-Founder and CEO of Aspire Health. He served as Chief Operating Officer of Anthem’s Diversified Business Group. In government, Brad served as Deputy Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, Senior Advisor to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Deputy Administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI).Brad received an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and a Master of Philosophy from Oxford University. Key Insights:Brad Smith has experiencing innovating in healthcare from government to venture capital.  Taking the Leap. Brad credits his path to entrepreneurship to great mentors that encouraged him to take big risks, and to his work in government and non-profits. He had experience bringing people together and rallying them around a common vision, which is fundamental to building a company. Partnerships Instead of Disruptions. Healthcare is full of big players on both the payer and delivery side; innovators need to accept the healthcare landscape. Disrupting the status quo is challenging. Instead, Brad encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to think about a partnership path, helping large organization effectively leverage their size and scale. On the Horizon.Brad is focused on three things. One, maintaining the United States as the forefront of innovation. Two, addressing chronic conditions, which are burdensome on individuals, as well as the system. And three, decreasing healthcare costs.This episode is hosted by Laura Veroneau. She is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is a Managing Partner and Founding Team Member of Optum Ventures. Relevant Links:Learn more about Russell Street Ventures“Valued-based care firm CareBridge nets $140M, reaches 'unicorn' status” by Becker’s Hospital Review

Meet Hal Andrews:Hal Andrews is the Founder, President, and CEO of Trilliant Health, a data science and analytics company that provides research for healthcare providers. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Trilliant Health and Mployer Advisor, and on the Board of Advisors for the Nashville Capital Network. Hal previously served in executive roles at Aegis Health Group, Digital Reasoning, Shareable Corporation, Availity, LLC, RevPoint Healthcare Technologies, Martin Ventures and Data Advantage. Hal has two undergraduate degrees from Southern Methodist University, as well as a law degree from The University of Tennessee.  Key Insights:Hal Andrews in on a mission to improve market analytics, research, and predictions in healthcare.  Think Local. Many strategic decision and predictions in healthcare are based on national metrics. However, healthcare is local. Different sub-markets have different population health needs and habits, and are dynamic. Trilliant Health gives health providers local-level data for decision making.Dynamic Planning. Many strategic decisions in healthcare are made from inpatient data, which represents only a fraction of services and revenue. Additionally, that data informs year-long strategic planning, with no adjustments unless there is a crisis like COVID-19. Trilliant helps health systems engage in dynamic planning, making decisions based on monthly rather than yearly data.Insights for Entrepreneurs. There’s an old saying that two things in life are certain: death and taxes. Hal adds two more certainties to that list for founders: it’s going take more money than you thought, and more time than you thought.This episode is hosted by Tarun Kapoor, M.D. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Transformation officer at Virtua Health. Relevant Links:Learn more about Trilliant HealthListen to “Lessons from a 5x Healthcare Startup CEO - with Hal Andrews (Trilliant Health)” from Building While Flying

Meet Don Trigg:Donald Trigg most recently served as President of Cerner. He served in a variety of policy roles in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. He spent four years working for George W. Bush on his 2000 presidential campaign and his first term in office. Donald earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University.  Key Insights:Don Trigg is co-author of “The New Health Economy: Ground Rules for Leaders.” It’s an overview the history and impact of health care politics, policy, providers, and personalization. The Inspiration. The authors recognized three key points about the future of healthcare’s economy. First, the big businesses with play outside the scope of their defined area of competitiveness. Second, there isn’t a decision framework for how leaders should think about healthcare at an economy level. And third is underappreciated role of Washington, D.C. as a top regulator and payer.When You Create Value, Good Things Happen. Don notes that sometimes new founders are naïve about healthcare. He emphasizes the importance of both adding value inside the current system, while also not giving up on the bigger vision of change.What’s Exciting? Don is focused on provider networks. Medicare Advantage and the commercial space have been underappreciated, and he predict there will be a lot of movement in the provider network space. Additionally, he predicts there will be billion-dollar businesses created around secondary data use in the future.This episode is hosted by Julie Yoo. She is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. Relevant Links:Check out “The New Health Economy: Ground Rules for Leaders”Check out Dr. Jain’s New Health Economy episode on Her Story 

Meet A.G. Breitenstein, J.D., MPH:A.G. Breitenstein, J.D., MPH is the Founder and Executive Chair of FOLX Health, a virtual-first health platform specifically for LGBTQ+ patients. She is also a board member for WellSky. Previously, she was a Partner and Co-founder at Optum Ventures, and the Chief Product Officer of Optum Analytics at Optum. She also founded Humedica, the Institute for Health Metrics, and PriviaSource. She received a Bachelor’s degree in History from Yale, a J.D. from the University of Connecticut, and an MPH from Harvard University. Key Insights:A.G. Breitenstein was looking to make change in healthcare at a system’s level when she caught the entrepreneur bug. Structural Inefficiencies. Healthcare has big structural inefficiencies, but there are many factors that keep those inefficiencies in place. One person’s inefficiency is another person’s revenue stream. Entrepreneurs must understand the context of the ecosystem and have the acute knowledge of the walls they might hit. Once they reach scale, they can knock those walls down. (15:02)Building a Brand. A.G. shares that FOLX Health was intentional about branding. They wanted patients to like the packaging, the feel of the organization, and feel that the brand represented them as people in the world.Healthcare rarely focuses on brand development, which A.G. sees as a missed opportunity. (20:14)Advice for Young Entrepreneurs. Be obsessive about learning; even on your best days you will mostly be wrong. Understand the context of the healthcare ecosystem, because most often the best solutions come from inside the system. Lastly, engage and build with your patient communities. (28:21)This episode is hosted by Lynne Chou O’Keefe. She is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the Founder and Managing Partner of Define Ventures.Relevant Links:Learn more about FOLX HealthFOLX Health was named one of the Time 100 Most Influential Companies of 2022Read “With Telehealth Platform, Folx, A.G. Breitenstein Aims To Revolutionize Queer Healthcare” By Forbes