StartUp Health NOW Podcast

Today’s episode is a conversation with Murray Brozinsky, CEO of Conversa Health. Before COVID-19 struck, Conversa was working with big health systems, supplying them with a type of chatbot that kept patients and doctors connected between appointments. Turns out a few well-worded and well-timed questions, even if they’re automated, can improve care and reduce costly bouncebacks. When COVID-19 hit, Murray and his team knew they had the technology – and institutional relationships – to really make a difference. They quickly scaled up multiple COVID-specific products using automated chat and have seen massive growth in 2020 as a result. This conversation with Murray is pulled from a recent Expert Office Hour, which was attended virtually by an audience of other founders from the StartUp Health portfolio. We dug into how Conversa was able to stay nimble and grow in spite of uncertainty, and other Health Transformers weigh in with their thoughts as well. Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com Investors: How to invest in StartUp Health Moonshots healthmoonshots.com Want more content like this? You can subscribe to the podcast as well as other health innovation updates at startuphealth.com/content. Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

This week, two-time Super Bowl Champion and former Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith announced that he was joining mental health startup Rose Health as an ambassador and investor. On this episode, StartUp Health's Logan Plaster catches up with Torrey to learn about life after the NFL, and why it was important for him to become an advocate for mental health resilience. Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com Investors: How to invest in StartUp Health Moonshots healthmoonshots.com Want more content like this? You can subscribe to the podcast as well as other health innovation updates at startuphealth.com/content. Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

Established with the goal of improving recovery time and bettering outcomes for patients undergoing surgical procedures, the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocols have revolutionized that experience. Unfortunately, variations in surgical practices do not allow every patient to benefit. Brand Newland, CEO and Co-founder of Goldfinch Health, hopes to change that. Through Goldfinch, Newland is making sure that employers are able to provide their patients with the best surgery options available; An opportunity for patients to recover faster, employers pay less in sick leave, insurance companies pay for fewer complications and setbacks. Finally, and perhaps most importantly at this moment in history, faster recovery times mean less reliance on opioids. And Newland sees his work at Goldfinch as a critical upstream component to fighting the opioid crisis. Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com Investors: How to invest in StartUp Health Moonshots healthmoonshots.com Want more content like this? You can subscribe to the podcast as well as other health innovation updates at startuphealth.com/content. Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

On this episode of the podcast we dive under the hood to talk about practical strategies for getting a startup’s story out into the world. We turned to Megan Hernbroth, the reporter who covers health tech and venture capital for Business Insider. Megan’s work has run the gamut from silicon valley PR to writing for a website that gets 375 million unique visitors per month. This episode is an excerpt from an Expert Office Hour session hosted by StartUp Health and attended by a group of Health Transformers from the StartUp Health Portfolio. In addition to our interview with Megan, you’ll get to hear directly from founders, some of the day-to-day challenges they face in sharing their stories, and Megan’s sage advice. Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com Investors: How to invest in StartUp Health Moonshots healthmoonshots.com Want more content like this? You can subscribe to the podcast as well as other health innovation updates at startuphealth.com/content. Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

In 2020, the coronavirus caused a societal lock-down like this generation has never seen before. Many who were already isolated and lonely -- like seniors – were put into a desperate situation. Beth Sanders, CEO and Co-founder of LifeBio, a startup that’s been with StartUp Health since 2014, has always had a heart for isolated and lonely seniors. She’d worked with them for years, helping them to tell their stories, using what’s called reminiscence therapy. But COVID-19 put LifeBio and this important work into overdrive. Not only was the work needed more than ever, but LifeBio was able to connect the dots between fighting loneliness and improving health outcomes. Turns out a phone call with a trained conversationalist can fight depression, anxiety and keep you mentally nimble. Their findings got the attention of health systems, insurance companies, and even won them a coveted SBIR grant. Logan Plaster, Media Director at StartUp Health, caught up with Sanders to learn more about how LifeBio works and the critical role of storytelling in healthcare in a post-COVID world. Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com Investors: How to invest in StartUp Health Moonshots healthmoonshots.com Want more content like this? You can subscribe to the podcast as well as other health innovation updates at startuphealth.com/content. Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

In today’s venture capital world, the vast majority of decisions are made by male investors – by one recent estimate, 87% of partners at digital health venture funds are men. This imbalance has resulted in an overall lack of investment in women’s health innovations, and in female founders. That’s shifting thanks in part to investors like Maria Velissaris, our guest on this week’s episode. Maria was a successful entrepreneur and business development maven before she became a managing Partner at SteelSky Ventures. SteelSky is a VC firm with a laser focus on women’s health, and a desire to see women-run startups get the funding they deserve. Today’s conversation has been pulled from an expert office hour held by StartUp Health and attended by entrepreneurs from the StartUp Health portfolio. So in addition to Maria’s insights – on investment trends, how to pitch, and how COVID-19 has changed the game – you’ll get to hear real-life questions from founders who are working in the trenches. The session was moderated by Katya Hancock, StartUp Health’s Investor Network Director. Enjoy. Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com Investors: How to invest in StartUp Health Moonshots healthmoonshots.com Want more content like this? You can subscribe to the podcast as well as other health innovation updates at startuphealth.com/content. Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

Tennis icon and Olympian Venus Williams has built on her success on the court to become a savvy and successful investor, advisor and entrepreneur. Now she’s making her mark on health innovation. Venus Williams has partnered with Zeel, the wellness company that invented the idea of massage-on-demand. Now, Zeel has expanded to a tech-platform that offers a range of wellness on the go services. Recently, Zeel Co-founder Alison Harmelin sat down with the iconic tennis star to get her candid thoughts about health, entrepreneurship, and how startups can bounce back from COVID-19 even stronger than they started. Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com Investors: How to invest in StartUp Health Moonshots healthmoonshots.com Want more content like this? You can subscribe to the podcast as well as other health innovation updates at startuphealth.com/content. Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

Our lifestyle choices play a big role in affecting our overall health and, in today’s society, are largely unaddressed. Health coaching, or “Lifestyle Therapeutics,” can help people modify behavior, which can lead to a healthier future. In this Startup Health NOW episode, we talk about the idea of “lifestyle as medicine” with the CEO of InHealth, a startup that’s helping people change habits to fight diseases like type II diabetes and hypertension.  Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health startuphealth.com Investors: How to invest in StartUp Health Moonshots healthmoonshots.com Want more content like this? You can subscribe to the podcast as well as other health innovation updates at startuphealth.com/content. Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

With the recent IPO of GoodRx, drug price transparency – at least on the consumer side – is having a moment. But what about at the patient’s bedside? In this week’s podcast, we sit down with Carm Huntress, CEO of RxRevu, a StartUp Health company that for seven years has been bringing drug price data to doctors at the point of care so they can make smarter decisions for their patients. Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health https://www.startuphealth.com/ Investors: How to invest in StartUp Health Moonshots http://www.healthmoonshots.com Want more content like this? You can subscribe to the podcast as well as other health innovation updates at startuphealth.com/content. Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

Steve Krein. CEO, co-founder & managing partner of StartUp Health, discusses the importance of having the right entrepreneurial mindset. Thoughtfully organizing the struggles you are still facing today through a DOS (Dangers, Opportunities, Strengths) exercise helps your audience better understand your top priorities, your biggest challenges, while being able to discuss the opportunities you're excited about. Entrepreneurs: How to get investment from StartUp Health https://www.startuphealth.com/ Investors: How to invest in StartUp Health Moonshots http://www.healthmoonshots.com Want more content like this? You can subscribe to the podcast as well as other health innovation updates at startuphealth.com/content. Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.