Day Zero: Recent Episodes

Think Medium

Behind every company is an individual or group of individuals with ambition, goals, and dreams. On Day Zero, you’ll hear the engaging voices of these founders as they tell their story, from their perspective, and in their words.

Meet Suchi Saria

Suchi Saria is the John C. Malone Associate Professor of computer science at the Whiting School of Engineering and of statistics and health policy at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. She directs the Machine Learning and Healthcare Lab and is the founding research director of the Malone Center for Engineering in Healthcare.

Key Insights:

Suchi Saria is focusing on making A.I. work at the point of care.

Consumers Lead. Leadership has been reluctant to implement cutting edge technology, but consumers are beginning to demand its implementation.

Is A.I. inevitable? Professor Saria believes it is. The question is how, and what, and where can the new technology be most useful.

Decade in the Making. Prioritization takes time, but in the decade since the EMRs have been the norm, much progress has been made.

Relevant Links:

Read more about Suchi Saria

Read more about Bayesian Health

Meet Elliott Green

Elliott Green is CEO and Co-founder of Dandelion Health AI. Experienced in healthcare, technology and finance, Elliott has demonstrated an ability to develop and implement complex business strategy—in particular, for international expansion and revenue growth.

Key Insights:

Elliott Green co-founded Dandelion Health to make data more accessible and innovation easier.

Follow the money. If you work out the alignment of incentives, you can often get to the answer that’s going to take you to the right place.

Why A.I.?. Artificial Intelligence has the capacity to take an incredible amount of information and produce relatively simple outputs. This is a perfect fit for the healthcare industry.

Change from within. Dandelion is partnering with hospital systems to produce one of the largest scalable data sets available to innovators.

Relevant Links:

Read more about Dandelion Health

Read more about Elliott Green

Meet Adam Lyddane

Adam Lyddane, PharmD, is CEO and Co-founder of Superlanet. With more than 20 years of healthcare and IT leadership experience, Adam has an extensive understanding of, and knowledge in the implementation of healthcare technology, clinical process redesign, consumer market strategy development, and clinical adoption strategy development for leading hospital systems in the United States and Europe.

Key Insights:

Adam Lyddane co-created a successful healthcare IT professional services firm.

Value of Independence. Staying independently owned has allowed Superlanet to stay focused on what’s important and on quality of service.

Jumping In. Once you’ve (realistically) assessed the risk and your tolerance for risk, make the decision—and stick to your business plan, Adam advises.

Hire right early. Make your core team with care. With a foundation of competence and trust, success is sure to follow!

Relevant Links:

Read more about Superlanet

Read more about Adam Lyddane

Meet the Guests:

Mitesh Rao, M.D., MHS is Founder and CEO of OMNY Health; Dr. Brian Fengler is Co-founder, EvidenceCare, and Dr. Bea Bakshi is CEO and Co-founder, C the Signs.

This episode is about the challenge presented by the new data landscape in healthcare.

Data as language. Dr. Rao suggests that the central challenge of the new data is to find a way to make it common, shared, across the industry. A translator is needed.

Can data recommend treatment? With his Co-founder Jim Jamieson, Dr. Fengler is bringing clinical insights and nudges into the physician’s workflow.

Actionable data. According to Dr. Bakshi, a surplus of data threatens to paralyze physicians. Making it accessible at point of care makes data much more useful.

This episode is a mash-up of previous Day Zero guests.

Relevant Links:

Read more about Mitesh Rao

Read more about Brian Fengler

Read more about Bea Bakshi

Meet Eric Langshur

Eric Langshur is the founder and Managing Partner of Abundant Venture Partners, a purpose-based incubator focused on improving the human condition by creating companies that improve Human Wellness, Human Performance and Human Engagement. Eric is also the founder and Executive Chairman of AVIA, the nation’s leading healthcare innovation network.

Key Insights:

Eric Langshur has designed a blueprint for starting a successful business.

Is Entrepreneurship a Process? Eric has identified concrete steps that take startups from ideation to validation and launch. It’s a pattern that works.

Create Collaboration. Make a product that’s going to make the world better, as that will draw potential collaborators and people will want to be involed.

Tech Reorganizes. History shows that the introduction of new technology often catalyzes the reorganization of major institutions.

Relevant Links:

Order Eric Langshur’s book, Start Here: Master the Lifelong Habit of Wellbeing

Read more about Abundant Venture Partners

Start Here: Master the Lifelong Habit of Wellbeing

Meet Ruby Gadelrab

Ruby Gadelrab is the CEO and Co-Founder of MDisrupt. She is a seasoned digital health executive with a track record in successfully commercializing healthcare and healthtech products.She served on the executive team at 23andMe as VP of commercial marketing and has worked for many leading companies in the biotech and genetic spaces. Before founding MDisrupt, Ruby consulted for, advised, and mentored more than 25 digital health companies.

Key Insights:

Ruby Gadelrab is working to ensure that new healthcare products are aligned with physicians’ needs.

What was missing? Ruby noticed talented, passionate individuals with access to capital failing to bring health products that can actually scale.

Aligning Needs. By involving physicians in the product development process, MDisrupt ensures the creation of products that really work.

The Market Leads. Ruby left a dream job to start this business, because she saw an unmet market need, and she had a good sense of how to fix the problem.

Relevant Links:

Read more about Ruby Gadelrab

Read more about Mdisrupt

Meet Mitesh Rao

Mitesh Rao, M.D., MHS is the Founder and CEO of OMNY Health, a venture-backed company revolutionizing how healthcare data is shared and valued.

Key Insights:

OMNY Health is working to ensure that data becomes more accessible and more useful.

What was the problem? Data is very different between organizations, sometimes even in the same EMR. There has been a lack of a common data model.

Democratizing Data. By providing a common data language, OMNY hopes to make data more accessible to physicians and patients.

Physician-entrepreneurs. Mitesh says that physicians and nurses alike have more transferable skills than they realize, and encourages all to consider entrepreneurialism.

Relevant Links:

Read about OMNY Health

Read more about Dr. Rao

Meet Dr. Brian Fengler and Jim Jamieson

Co-Founders Dr. Brian Fengler and Jim Jamieson are the brains behind EvidenceCare, an EHR-integrated platform that optimizes clinical workflows to deliver better patient care, improve physicians’ workflow, capture more revenue, and reduce costs. Dr. Fengler left a career as an emergency medicine physician to focus full-time on his work with EvidenceCare in 2016, where he now serves as Chief Medical Officer. Prior to EvidenceCare, Jim Jamieson built and led sales and implementation teams while serving as VP of Business Development for national revenue cycle companies, a background that prepared him to serve as Chief Revenue Officer with EvidenceCare.

Key Insights:

Brian and Jim are working to provide a product that streamlines physician workflow.

Time Suck. Physicians are so busy that they will tend to resist any new product put before them—even a product that promises to save them time.

What’s the Problem with Order Sets? Order Sets are not patient-specific (enough). EvidenceCare offers more detailed recommendations for particular patients.

Leverage Your Network. Jim advises early-stage entrepreneurs to begin leveraging their networks for advice and other support right from the start.

Relevant Links:

Read more about Jim Jamieson

Read more about Dr. Brian Fengler

Meet Eric Demers

Eric Demers is the CEO of Madaket Health. He believes we can transform healthcare delivery through the power of data and interoperability. With more than 25 years of global healthcare experience, Eric has built and scaled leading technology and service companies, from early stage to Fortune 100.

Key Insights:

Eric Demers is working to ensure that data becomes more accessible and more useful.

Small and Nimble. According to Eric, smaller companies are about to make changes faster than larger companies, and this can work to their advantage.

What Objectives? Everyone benefits when it’s clear what the company is trying to accomplish. Being on the same page creates synergy.

Streamlining Data. Data is helpful only when it is accessible. Eric is working to ensure that data is accessible at every point in the patient’s journey.

Relevant Links:

Read about Madaket Health

Follow Eric on Twitter

Meet Sylvia Hastanan

Sylvia Hastananis the CEO and founder of Greater Good Health; she has spent her career trying to “fix healthcare,” aiming to solve problems of rising costs and uneven quality. With almost two decades of healthcare experience, Sylvia brings her talent for marrying clinical and business operations to GGH, and translates that union into value.

Key Insights:

Sylvia Hastanan recognized that Nurse Practitioners are an under-tapped resource for primary care.

Investing in Value. Sylvia suggests that starting around 2020, a flood of investors began looking to support value-based care.

What is Pacing? In starting a business from scratch, you have a vision. Proper pacing involves understanding many factors, and making choices to progress at the right speed.

Relationships. The reputation of any business is built on the people who compose it. Good relationships mean better business.

Relevant Links:

Read more about Sylvia Hastanan

Read more about Greater Good Health

Meet Russ Richmond

Russ Richmondis a physician entrepreneur with experience building digital health companies such as Laudio, Advanced Practice Strategies (APS), Objective Health, Verisk Health, and D2Hawkeye, as well as counseling large payors and health systems while with McKinsey & Company.

Key Insights:

Dr. Richmond’s company, Laudio, brings all of the major hospital workloads together for frontline health system managers.

Solving Labor. Dr. Richmond understood, early on, that labor and labor productivity would be the major issue for health systems.

A Workflow Interface? Laudio brings 7 or 8 major workloads together, and also suggests the next best actions, to help guide managers.

Start Early. Dr. Richmond suggests that if you have an idea for an entrepreneurial venture, it’s best to start as soon as possible.

Relevant Links:

Read more about Russ Richmond

Learn more about Laudio

Meet Bea Bakshi

Dr. Bea Bakshi is a primary care physician, CEO and Co-founder of C the Signs™, an AI cancer prediction system accelerating early detection and survival. An advocate for health equality and improving access, she is committed to creating a future where every patient survives cancer.

Key Insights:

Dr. Bakshi has built a company focused on software solutions that facilitate early cancer diagnosis.

Values-Based. Dr. Bakshi’s diverse background and experiences have motivated her to aspire to a moral approach that puts solutions ahead of profit.

Why Early Diagnosis? Nearly 100% of patients who are diagnosed in early stages will survive 5 years or more with their cancer.

Transferable Skills. Dr. Bakshi enourages fellow physicians to think about how their skills might transfer to the world of entrepreneurship.

Relevant Links:

Read more about C the Signs

Follow Dr. Bakshi on Twitter

Meet Scott Sowle

Scott Sowle launched Muir Wood Adolescent and Family Services in 2013. Muir Wood is the culmination of his personal and professional experiences and has become recognized nationally as a gold standard in adolescent behavioral health care.

Key Insights:

Scott Sowle is an expert in creating treatment programs that emphasize kindness and compassion.

Urgent Work. Professionals are tracking higher use of cannabis, alcoholism and stimulants—and are especially concerned with fentanyl use among teens.

Gender-separate Treatment? The Muir Wood facilities separate residents by gender, which allows great trust to emerge, facilitating vulnerable sharing throughout recovery.

Twin Keys. The two biggest components of successful treatment are length of stay, and parental involvement.

Relevant Links:

Read more about Muir Wood Adolescent and Family Services

Read about Scott Sowle

Meet Sina Chehrazi:

Sina Chehrazi is an entrepreneur and business executive with experience across the various stages of the entrepreneurial process. Sina serves as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nayya, a platform that uses AI and data science to personalize the way people choose and use their benefits.

Key Insights:

Sina Chehrazi advocates for a leadership that is genuine with the team and with customers.

● How to Improve Healthcare? Sina explains that if you want to change healthcare, you have to start by following how the money flows.

● Confidence. Customers who know what they’re investing in are more likely to jump in with an innovator.

● Integration. Nayya aims to be the hub that connects and personalizes a consumer’s health life.

This episode is hosted by Gary Bisbee, Ph.D.

Read more about Nayya

Follow Sina on Twitter

Meet the Guests:

Chris Severn is the CEO and Co-founder of Turquoise Health. Kian Raiszadeh, M.D., is Founder and CEO, SpineZone; Nina Tandon, Ph.D., is CEO and co-founder, EpiBone.

This episode is about figuring out when it’s time to fully commit to the entrepreneurial vision.

Exploring Opportunity. The pitch to potential investors and partners should involve a clear description of the unique market opportunity. Timing is everything.

Should you Focus on Outcome? Dr. Raiszadeh advises against it. Instead, make the choice to commit, and then try to enjoy the ride – every aspect of it, including ups and downs.

Academic Grants. Nina Tandon suggests that for some, an SBIR grant, or similar sources of funding, can be the perfect foundation for kicking off an entrepreneurial project.

This episode is a mash-up of previous Day Zero guests.

Relevant Links:

Watch Chris Severn’s full episode

Watch Kian Raiszadeh’s full episode

Watch Nina Tandon’s full episode

Meet Nathaniel Hundt:

Nathaniel Hundt is the founder and CEO of Dr. Katz, Inc., a software company that has built a platform to connect mental health and education for better care. In early 2020, Nathaniel established a collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Department in order to design and roll out the Dr. Katz solution, which includes courses, videos and validated measures that help providers easily monitor patients' symptoms of anxiety, depression, and substance use in order to tailor and improve treatment.

Key Insights:

Nathaniel Hundt is making the daily lives of mental health providers easier by offering useful instructional software.

● Can you partner at the starting line? Nathaniel sought out partnership with an established organization—an entrepreneurial journey of shared learning.

● Measuring Outcomes. Mental health, as a specialization, has struggled to consistently measure outcomes. Nathaniel says that’s changing quickly.

● Avoid Pigeonholing. Balance the need to provide specific services for a particular client with a broader aim of serving needs that will be useful across an entire industry.

This episode is hosted by Nathan Bays, Healthcare M&A, Citi.

Relevant Links:

Read more about Dr. Katz, Inc.

Follow Nathaniel on Twitter

Meet Eric Langshur:

Eric is the co-founder and Managing Partner of Abundant Venture Partners, a purpose-based incubator focused on improving the human condition by creating companies that improve Human Wellness, Human Performance and Human Engagement. He is also a New York Times best-selling author. His book Start Here: Master the Lifelong Habit of Wellbeing was published by Simon and Schuster: North Star Way in 2017 and has been translated and released internationally by Hachette/Larousse.

Key Insights:

Eric Langshur has founded multiple healthcare companies and has written a book on wellbeing that draws from the best of philosophy and science.

● Industry Changes. As margins dwindle in healthcare, Eric sees opportunity, noting that “the same plays that worked yesterday aren’t necessarily going to carry us through tomorrow.”

● Purpose and Accomplishment. Concern for material needs can bring us to work every day, but to accomplish something meaningful, Eric advises us to discover our purpose.

● Science of Wellbeing. Eric has traced the science behind ancient wisdom, and affirms that mindfulness and meditation practices can improve bodily health.

This episode is hosted by Rick Lemoine. He is the Chief Medical Information Officer for Sharp HealthCare.

Relevant Links:

o Follow Eric on Twitter

o Order a copy of Start Here

o Read about Abundant Venture Partners

Start Here: Master the Lifelong Habit of Wellbeing

Meet Gene Dantsker:

Dr. Gene Dantsker is President and Chief Operating Officer of EvoNexus. He has been involved with EvoNexus since its founding as selection committee member, mentor to numerous portfolio companies, Executive-in-Residence and most recently Chief MedTech Officer. Gene is a seasoned entrepreneur, board member, advisor, operational executive and angel investor. He holds B.S. degrees in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Maryland, M.A. and Ph.D. in Physics from the University of California at Berkeley, and an MBA from San Diego State University, where he was class valedictorian. He is an inventor on over 60 issued patents.

Key Insights:

Gene Dantsker works at EvoNexus helping entrepreneurs turn good ideas into commercially-viable companies.

● Picking Winners. Because they are selective in their application process, EvoNexus has produced very positive results, with total capital raised approaching $1.7 billion for the 260 companies they’ve incubated.

● Market Timing. Gene suggests that it is actually a good time for startups in general right now, as opposed to even six months ago.

● Diversity is Profitable. Offering examples like pre-diabetes, hypertension, or particular forms of therapeutics or diagnostics, Gene suggests that different strategic plans can be used to find and deliver healthcare to diverse markets.

This episode is hosted by Rick Lemoine. He is the Chief Medical Information Officer for Sharp HealthCare.

Relevant Links:

o Learn More about EvoNexus

o Read more about Gene Dantsker

Meet the Guests:

Chris Severn is the CEO and Co-founder of Turquoise Health. Brad Smith is the Founder and CEO of Russell Street Ventures. Tom Stanis is the Founder and CEO of Story Health.

This episode is about finding potential partners and making good partnerships.

• Saying No. If you are committed to a principled vision, you may face enticing offers that would bring significant financial gain, but in some circumstances, accepting may gradually lead you away from your mission. Consider carefully.

• Partnering with Incumbents. The healthcare economy is evolving rapidly, and it’s difficult to start something from scratch. Accept how the landscape looks in order to identify viable potential partnerships.

• Knowing Yourself. When you partner with large companies, you may have to adjust what you’re trying to do to fit their goals. Aim to maintain clear self-awareness about what role you want your company to play in relation to a larger partner.

This episode is a mash-up of previous Day Zero guests.

Relevant Links:

Check out Chris Severn’s full interview

Check out Brad Smith’s full interview

Check out Tom Stanis’ full interview

Meet Matt Hollingsworth:

Matt Hollingsworth is CEO and founder of Carta Healthcare. The son of a five-time cancer survivor, Matt has developed a passion for improving patient care. Matt holds an MBA from Stanford University, where he worked in the Systems Utilization Research for Stanford Medicine lab, researching methods for using information technology to reduce equipment waste and improve patient care. Previous to his time at Stanford, he spent time as a researcher at CERN as a member of the team that discovered the Higgs Boson particle. Matt received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Physics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Key Insights:

Matt Hollingsworth is improving the work experience for doctors, nurses, and administrators.

● AI Utility. Carta Healthcare has discovered ways to use new AI technologies to solve problems that, historically, people had to solve with elbow grease.

● Data Management. Getting trustworthy, usable data is difficult because it has required an army of nurses to fill out the forms. Carta’s software significantly streamlines this process.

● Remember to Sell. Matt offers important advice for engineers considering a startup: don’t get buried in writing software if it causes you to forget to sell the product. Find people who can pay you for a product that meets their need.

This episode is hosted by Gary Bisbee, Ph.D. He is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Think Medium.

Relevant Links:

o Learn more about Carta Healthcare
o Read more about Matt Hollingsworth

Meet Stephen Beeson, M.D.:

Stephen Beeson, M.D. is founder and CEO of Practicing Excellence. He is a nationally recognized speaker, physician, and author whose life mission is to coach and develop clinicians to be their best. Dr. Beeson started his career as a family medicine physician with the Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group in San Diego. During his career, Dr. Beeson was tasked to coach, develop, and engage clinicians to help improve both the clinician and patient experience. Dr. Beeson received a bachelor’s in Biochemistry and an M.D. from University of California, San Diego.

Key Insights:

Stephen Beeson, M.D. is transforming the healthcare experience for patients and providers.

Practicing Excellence. Practicing Excellenceis a mobile tool that teaches clinicians healthcare skills that improve patient outcomes and experience, as well as the clinician’s experience.

Digital Solution. Clinicians are busy, so the skill training only takes 5-minutes per week. It is designed to be scalable, so everyone in a health system can participate. And the solution maps onto organizational priorities, collaborating with the broader mission of health systems.

Founder’s Journey. While building the company Dr. Beeson experienced sleepless nights, nerve-wracking debt, and tempting acquisitions. What kept him focused was remembering his own experience as a physician, and the virtue behind the mission.

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:

Meet the Guests:

Dana Udall, Ph.D. is the Chief Clinical Officer at Ginger and Headspace Health. Alison Darcy, Ph.D. is the President and Founder of Woebot Health. Virna Little, Psy.D. is a clinical psychologist and the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Concert Health.

Key Insights:

This episode explores how different companies are innovating mental healthcare.

Personalized Care. It is important that mental health resources reflect the backgrounds and identities of the patients, especially for vulnerable or underrepresented groups. Dr. Udall points out that there is no “one size fits all” for treatment.
Mental Health Ally. Woebot is an AI that doesn’t replace therapy, rather its complimentary. Dr. Darcy shares that it helps encourage self-directed mental health care and enables patients to better engage in the practices they learn during therapy sessions.
Collaborative Care. Dr. Little describes how collaborative care gives patients the flexibility to choose their treatment path. It leverages the trust and relationship patients build with their primary care physician and compliments it with a team of specialists.

This episode is part two of a special two-part series on mental health. Check out part one on Her Story!

Relevant Links:

Check out Dr. Udall’s full interview
Check out Dr. Darcy’s full interview
Check out Dr. Littles full interview

Meet Naveen Sikka:

Naveen Sikka is the founder and CEO of TerViva, a food and agriculture technology company that is building a more sustainable plant protein and vegetable oil supply chain. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for Elemental Excelerator and a Fellow for Unreasonable Impact Americas. Previously, Naveen worked as a management consultant at Gemini Consulting and TPI. He received a bachelor’s from Columbia University and an MBA from UC Berkeley.

Key Insights:

TerViva is bringing a new crop to the global market: pongamia.

Food as Medicine. TerViva is centered around pongamia, which grow well in poor quality soil and is climate resilient. TerViva is breeding the plant to create a domesticated version that has more consistent crop yields and is creating consumer products from the plant’s proteins and oil.
Optimism during Recession. Traditional capital from Wall Street will be harder to access for climate tech companies. However, Naveen points to a silver lining. People and companies around the world recognize climate change as an existential threat. Incumbents are willing to invest and partner with startups that make the world more sustainable.
Stay Focused.Naveen advises founders to find the intersection of what you believe in from a mission perspective and what the market is interested and able to fund. Don’t spread yourself too thin.

This episode is hosted by Rishi Sikka, M.D. He is a guest host for Day Zero and is a Venture Partner at Lifeforce Capital and Professor at Brown University School of Public Health.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about TerViva
Read “Beyond Catastrophe A New Climate Reality Is Coming Into View” from The New York Times Magazine

Meet Nick Turkal, M.D.:

Nick Turkal, M.D. is CEO of the Center for Health Education and Access. He is also a practicing palliative care physician. Dr. Turkal serves on several Boards of Directors including the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, and the Crisis Prevention Institute. Previously, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Aurora Health Care. Dr. Turkal received a bachelor’s in Biology and an M.D. from Creighton University.

Key Insights:

Nick Turkal, M.D. and the Center for Health Education and Access is tackling the provider shortage.

Building a Pipeline. The Center for Health Education and Access is creating a pipeline to recruit underrepresented minorities to medical schools to become providers in underserved communities. The center is starting with osteopathic medical schools but envisions expanding to other patient care providers.
Focus on Primary. Historically, osteopathic doctors (OD) go into primary care at higher rates than allopathic doctors (MD). Additionally, the medical schools are selecting students that have a higher interest in primary care, and training them in smaller, rural communities with more exposure to primary care.
Nursing Burn Out. Nurses today have a greater desire for flexibility, and health systems need to adjust. The trend of nurses joining staffing agencies was accelerated by the pandemic, but already existed due to generational differences.

Relevant Links:

Read “The Rise Fund Invests in The Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine and Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine; Launches Center for Health Education and Access”

Meet Ali Parsa, Ph.D.:

Ali Parsa, Ph.D. is a British-Iranian healthcare entrepreneur and engineer. He is the founder and CEO of Babylon Health. He is also a UK Cabinet Office Ambassador for Mutuals. Previously, he was co-founder and CEO of Circle Health. Dr. Parsa was recognized by The Health Service Journal as one of ‘the 50 most influential people in UK healthcare’ and he was featured in the Maserati 100. Dr. Parsa received a Ph.D. in Engineering Physics from University College London.

Key Insights:

Ali Parsa shares an optimistic, but still practical vision of entrepreneurship.

Not Healthcare. The incentives in healthcare are fundamentally broken. What we call healthcare is really “sick care,” because we wait until patients are having health emergencies to intervene. Babylon Health aims to prevent health emergencies by utilizing data, AI, and monitoring to catch problems before they get worse.
Desirable Difficultly. Dr. Parsa arrived in the UK as a refugee at 16 without his family. He built his life and career from scratch. However, he views these difficulties as giving him strength. He has the experience to deal with adverse situations.
Advice for Founders. Dr. Parsa encourages founders to dream big, build fast, and be brilliant. Anything that matters takes a lot of effort, so you might as well do something big. He also asks that we work to create an ecosystem that allows for others to dream big as well.

This episode is hosted by Rishi Sikka, M.D. He is a guest host for Day Zero and is a Venture Partner at Lifeforce Capital and Professor at Brown University School of Public Health.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about Dr. Parsa
Learn more about Babylon Health

Meet Ben Albert:

Ben is the Co-Founder and CEO of Upfront Healthcare Services, Inc.. Prior to launching Upfront, Ben was the Founder and CEO of Care Team Connect, which was acquired by The Advisory Board Company in 2013. Ben also served as an Entrepreneur in Residence and Operating Partner within the Strategic Investments Division of Cambia Health Solutions. Ben received a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and an MBA in Entrepreneurship from the University of Illinois Chicago.

Key Insights:

Ben Albert is a two-time healthcare founder, with over 20 years of entrepreneurial experience.

Challenge Your Assumptions. Entrepreneurs make a lot of assumptions at the beginning of a startup. Many of those assumptions turn out to be inaccurate. So, founders must use data to evaluate, change, and refine the business model.
Acquisition Explained. Upfront recently made its first acquisition: PatientBond. Upfront’s mission is to get patients the care they need, and communication is fundamental to achieve that. PatientBond shares that vision and can deliver personalized communication. It was a clear strategy, that would allow for greater impact on patients, and a greater ROI for clients.
Founding in Healthcare. Healthcare demands that founders have a robust value proposition, constantly evolve the vision based on data, and be patient. Patience applies to the investors as well; they need to trust the vision and not rush decisions that could hurt the company in the long run.

This episode is hosted by Nathan Bays. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is a Senior Banker of Healthcare M&A at Citigroup.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about Upfront Healthcare
Read “Upfront acquires PatientBond; expands capabilities for market-leading personalized patient access and engagement platform”

Meet Erik Kulstad, M.D.:

Erik Kulstad, M.D. is the Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Attune Medical and Advanced Cooling Therapy Inc. He is also a practicing emergency medicine physician and an Associate Professor at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Kulstad was previously the Research Director at Advocate Christ Medical Center. He received a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering from the University of Maryland, a Master’s in Chemical Engineering from the University of Houston, and an M.D. from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Key Insights:

Dr. Kulstad’s breakthrough technology provides lessons in patient care and entrepreneurship.

The Science of Cooling. Dr. Kulstad invented a tube that circulates water in a closed loop system in the esophagus to manage the temperature of a patient. Having more control over temperature can improve patient outcomes for different procedures, both planned and emergency.
Local Incubator. Ideas are abundant, the hard part is all the steps after the idea. Dr. Kulstad recommends that entrepreneurs connect with local incubators for investors, training, and most importantly, mentorship.
Dealing With Rejection. When fundraising, the nos far outnumber yeses. Most people are not prepared for that frequency of rejection. It’s important to have reliable mentors that remind you to keep going.

This episode is hosted by Rishi Sikka, M.D. He is a guest host for Day Zero and is a Venture Partner at Lifeforce Capital and Professor at Brown University School of Public Health.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about the Esophageal Temperature Management technology
Read “Significant Milestones in Clinical Development and Continued Fundraising Support Attune Medical’s Aggressive Growth Strategy”

Meet Kian Raiszadeh, M.D.:

Kian Raiszadeh, M.D. is the Founder and CEO of SpineZone, which provides an alternative approach to neck and back pain without the use of surgery or medications. Dr. Raiszadeh is also an Orthopaedic Surgeon at Kaiser Permanente. Dr. Raiszadeh receive his bachelor’s from the University of California, Berkeley and his M.D. from the University of California, San Diego

Key Insights:

Kian Raiszadeh, M.D. is an Orthopaedic Surgeon trying to cannibalize his own job.

Biopsychosocial Model. This model approaches health from an interdisciplinary perspective, analyzing the impact of factors like diet, sleep, exercise, stress, and mental state on a patient’s health and pain.
Why Venture Capital? SpineZone transitioned to venture capital funding when they saw an opportunity to scale the business and have more support. A mentor once told Dr. Raiszadeh that what gets you to one accomplishment won’t necessarily get you to the next.
Executing Strategy. For Dr. Raiszadeh, if he’s not spending at least a day or two a week thinking about the next one to two years, then he’s not adequately spending his time. It’s important for founders to be aware of market trends and to routinely evaluate their long-term strategy.

This episode is hosted by Rishi Sikka, M.D. He is a guest host for Day Zero and is a Senior Advisor for McKinsey & Company.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about SpineZone
Check out Dr. Raiszadeh’s book “Take Back Control: A Surgeon's Guide to Healing Your Spine Without Medications or Surgery”

Meet Dan Liljenquist:

Dan Liljenquist is the lead architect and Board Chair of Civica Rx. His also Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for Intermountain Healthcare, where he also oversees Intermountain’s Enterprise Initiative and Market Intelligence & Planning Offices. Prior to Intermountain, Dan served in the Utah State Senate. He is a former strategy consultant with Bain & Company, Inc. Dan received a bachelor’s in Economics from Brigham Young University and a JD from The University of Chicago.

Key Insights:

Dan Liljenquist knew the pharmaceutical industry needed to change. He helped establish a nonprofit drug company to reduce generic drug shortages and price gouging.

Market Forces. Huge price increases on generic drugs are only possible under certain market conditions: there is inelastic demand, economies of scale are necessary for manufacturing, and only one manufacturer is required to meet market demand.
Public Utility. For some drugs there is essentially a monopoly. Dan set out to organize the demand side of the equation into a monopsony, a purchasing monopoly. CivicaRx was created to be a non-profit drug company that acts like a public utility, providing hospitals with a consistent and cheaper supply of certain drugs.
Asking the Right Questions. Dan sought out experts and “badgered” them with questions. After extended discussion and iterations on the core hypothesis, the business model and vision emerged. Dan advises entrepreneurs to learn everything you can about what inspires you.

This episode is hosted by Gary Bisbee, Ph.D. He is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Think Medium.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about CivicaRx
Read “CivicaScriptTM Announces Launch of its First Product, Creating Significant Patient Savings”
Read Dan’s commentary on generic drug market issues, published in the New England Journal of Medicine

Meet Carol Gallagher, Pharm.D.:

Carol Gallagher, Pharm.D. is a Venture Partner at New Enterprise Associates. Previously, she was the CEO of Calistoga Pharmaceuticals, and President and CEO of Metastatix. Dr. Gallagher currently serves on the Board of Directors at Atara Biotherapeutics, Chromacode, PIONYR Biotherapeutics, QPEX BioPharma, Recludix, Slope.io, TREX, and Turning Point Therapeutics, and is a Trustee for the Salk Institute. She received a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Kentucky.

Key Insights:

Carol Gallagher, Pharm.D. explores the progression of her career through the pharmaceutical industry and as a founder, CEO, and investor.

• Complement Founders. Dr. Gallagher’s co-founder had a scientific background with immune system cancers, whereas she had experience with clinical trials and patient application related to B cell and other immunological disease. Founding a company is a team sport and building a complementary team is fundamental to success.

• Self-Assessment. For all leaders, it’s important to have an honest self-assessment. Carol cites that the best CEOs are introspective. They understand their limitations and are also able to recruit the right team to fill those gaps.

• Investment Philosophy. Innovators love to think about big changes, but sometimes incremental is good. When investing, Dr. Gallagher considers if the innovation can occur within the 3–5-year investment timeframe.

This episode is hosted by Rick Lemoine, M.D. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the Chief Medical Information Officer for Sharp HealthCare.

Relevant Links:

o Learn more about Carol Gallagher, Pharm.D.

o Read “Salk Institute welcomes biopharmaceutical executive Carol Gallagher as new trustee”

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 Woebot
Meet 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 a16z
Read 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 website
Learn more about Luma Health
Follow 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.v
Generalist. 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 Gadlight
Listen to “The Factor in Great Design” with Gad Shaanan
Read 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 MedArrive
Follow 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.health
Learn 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 Health
Listen 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

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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 Health
FOLX Health was named one of the Time 100 Most Influential Companies of 2022
Read “With Telehealth Platform, Folx, A.G. Breitenstein Aims To Revolutionize Queer Healthcare” By Forbes

Meet Brian Wallach, J.D. and Sandra Abrevaya, J.D.:

In 2017, Brian Wallach, J.D. learned that he was diagnosed with ALS. He and his wife Sandra Abrevaya, J.D. are dedicating their remaining time together to help ALS patients everywhere. They founded I AM ALS, a non-profit organization that successfully advocated for millions in research through major legislation. Brian and Sandra also launched Synapticure, a care platform for ALS patients, with the backing of GV and other investors. They are on a mission to reshape our understanding and treatment of ALS.

Key Insights:

Brian and Sandra are truly inspirational, revealing how a family can go forward with a devastating diagnosis and what two people can accomplish in such a short amount of time.

Founding I AM ALS. Sandra and Brian founded the non-profit I AM ALS to create policy change. Their advocacy facilitated the passage of Act for ALS, which allocates $100 million annually over five years for research and expands treatment options for patients. I AM ALS also provides a platform for patients and caregivers to get support and share their stories, and for volunteers to take “micro actions” that advocate for patients. (12:32)
Founding Synapticure. Synapticure provides ALS patients a care coordinator that helps manage the administrative burden of coordinating between the patient’s entire care team. It also facilitates access to cutting-edge and personalized testing and treatment; ALS is a heterogeneous disease with many sub-types that respond differently to targeted therapies. Sandra and Brian founded this company to create the continuity of care they wished they had during their treatment experience. (21:28)
Power in the Purpose. Brian gets his energy from the knowledge that he and Sandra can change the course of ALS with their advocacy. He is driven partially by necessity, but also the belief that he can make a difference, and potentially save his life and 1000’s of others. (31:00)

This episode is hosted by Gary Bisbee, Ph.D. He is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Think Medium

Relevant Links:

Learn more about I AM ALS and how to take action
Learn more about Synapticure
Read “I am Brian Wallach”
Read “I am Sandra Abrevaya and Brian Wallach”

Meet Jodi Akin:

Jodi Akin is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Hawthorne Effect, a software service that streamlines and decentralizes clinical trials. She is an Angle Investor and Advisor for Astia, Board member for 510 Kardiac Devices, Inc., and the Chief Scientific Advisor for PiCardia, Inc. Previously, she was the Vice President of Global Clinical Affairs at Edwards Lifesciences LLC. Jodi received a Bachelor’s in Diplomacy, Economics and International Affairs from Georgetown University, and a Master of Science in Nursing from Pace University.

Key Insights:

The Hawthorne Effect is changing the ecosystem of clinical trials.

Defining Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is an attitude, not a stage of a company, according to Jodi. She didn’t set out to simply found a company, rather she felt a gravitational pull, a compulsion, to fix an aspect of healthcare. (10:39)
Improved Patient Adherence. Hawthorne Effect brings clinical trials to the patient’s own home, rather than requiring the patient to go to a physical research institution. This removes transportation challenges for the patient, which increases adherence. Jodi cites that 97-98% of their patients adhere to clinical trials. (15:48)
Hawthorne Heroes. Decentralized clinical trials are made possible by a gig network of medical professionals. This allows for geographically diverse trials, and these Heroes have additional opportunities for certification and training for different types of trials, with roles that range from patient visits to trial investigators. (18:03)

This episode is hosted by Gary Bisbee, Ph.D. He is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Think Medium.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about Hawthorne Effect
Read “Startup Improves Clinical Trial Process To Ensure Better Healthcare For All” by Forbes
Listen to “Hawthorne Effect Founder and CEO Jodi Akin” on VatorNews podcasts

Meet the Guests:

This episode showcases three guests previously featured on Day Zero. Mike McSherry is the CEO of Xealth, a platform that facilitates clinicians prescribing digital health tools to patients, tracking usage, and improving digital health recommendations. Brandon Weber is the co-founder and CEO of Nava, a benefits brokerage firm that facilitates high quality healthcare to employers. Sean Mehra is the founder and CEO of HealthTap, a virtual-first, affordable urgent and primary care clinic.

Key Insights:

Healthcare presents a unique ecosystem for entrepreneurs. No market is as complicated, regulated, and confusing as healthcare.

Advancing Technology. Entrepreneurism in healthcareis extra challenging because healthcare often lags in adopting new technology. A hospital may have cutting edge MRIs, and yet still use fax machines. Unpredictable adoption can be due variable reimbursement plans, conflicting incentives, and government regulations. (1:39)
Fixing the Bottleneck. There is a huge explosion of innovation on the supply side of healthcare, but it is not reaching buyers. Part of the bottleneck is in the benefits brokerage industry. Brandon thinks the future might already be here, it’s just not evenly distributed. (3:30)
Expanding the Production Possibility Frontier. In the next 5-10 years, Sean predicts that technology innovation will make supply and demand transactions more efficient, such as telehealth better connecting patients to providers, and make supply itself more efficient, like AI and algorithms to help providers. (5:39)

Meet Sean Lane:

Sean Lane is the CEO of Olive and CEO of Circulo Health. Previously, he was an Intelligence Officer for the National Security Agency. He was also founder and Chairman of the Board for Betamore, and Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Digital Harbor Foundation. Sean received a Bachelor’s in Political Science and Government from Miami University.

Key Insights:

Sean Lane is freeing up healthcare’s scarcest resource: time.

The Inspiration for Olive. Sean was trying to address prescription drug abuse challenges in his community when he realized that healthcare doesn’t have the internet. Healthcare systems and software don’t communicate, rather healthcare relies on humans as routers to complete repetitive tasks and manually share data. (7:46)
What Olive Can Do. Using artificial Intelligence, Olive automates repetitive healthcare tasks to free up human capacity. It started with revenue cycle, but expanded into areas of administration and operation. (15:05)
Challenges. To Sean, Olive’s biggest challenge is scale. There are billions of hours of human capacity wasted on repetitive tasks that could be automated. In order to have an impact on the industry, Olive needs to get big enough to matter. (16:26)

This episode is hosted by Gary Bisbee, Ph.D. He is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Think Medium.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about Olive
Check out Sean’s website
Watch “A plan to redirect a trillion dollars in the US healthcare system with Olive CEO Sean Lane”

Meet Rasmus Hougaard:

Rasmus Hougaard is the Founder and Managing Partner of the Potential Project. He is the author of “The Mind of the Leader,” “One Second Ahead,” and recently published “Compassionate Leadership: How to Do Hard Things in a Human Way.” Rasmus is also a contributor for the Harvard Business Review, Forbes and Business Insider. He received a Master’s degree in Organization and Behavior Studies from Roskilde University.

Key Insights:

Rasmus Hougaard is on a mission to create a more human world of work.

Behind the Why. While working for a large corporation, Rasmus realized that many of his coworkers were burned out, drained of creativity, and not living up to their potential. Armed with meditation and other practices he learned from Buddhist traditions, Rasmus set out to found the Potential Project and change the working world. (1:02)
Rethinking the Great Resignation. An unprecedented number of employees are quitting, or considering quitting. Rasmus reframes this as an opportunity for leaders to be compassionate to their existing employees, and a chance to attract new talent. (19:32)
Get Enough Sleep. Get enough sleep and make time for yourself. Self-compassion is fundamental to resiliency. Before you can take care of others, and the world, you need to take care of yourself. (25:30)

This episode is hosted by Gary Bisbee, Ph.D. He is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Think Medium.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about the Potential Project
Check out Rasmus’ book “Compassionate Leadership: How to Do Hard Things in a Human Way”
Read Rasmus’ contributions to Forbes on Leadership Strategy

Compassionate Leadership: How to Do Hard Things in a Human Way

Meet Leah Sparks:

Leah Sparks is the CEO and Founder of Wildflower Health. She is also a co-chair and Board Member of HT4M. Previously, Leah was the Vice President of Strategy and Business Development for DNA Direct and the Vice President of Oncology Solutions at McKesson. Leah received a B.S. in Journalism from the University of Tennessee and an MBA from the University of Virginia.

Key Insights:

Wildflower bridges gaps in women’s healthcare with digital solutions.

Complimenting Partnerships. Leah had industry knowledge and a vision to make women’s care better. So, she found a co-founder that complimented her skill set, who knew how to build a product and manage engineers. Additionally, Leah knows she is a big-picture thinker, and so surrounds herself with detail-oriented team members. (4:54)
The Value of Feedback. Leah recommends that entrepreneurs listen to market feedback and seek industry experts. Having a variety of advisers from different perspectives will put your company on the right path. (6:40)
Wildflower Expansion. Wildflower’s immediate priority is to scale up existing contracts and better support customers. On the horizon, Leah envisions an advanced primary care model that leverages the close relationship women have with obstetricians. (15:51)

This episode is hosted by Aaron Martin. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the Vice President of Healthcare at Amazon.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about Wildflower
Watch Leah’s TEDMED talk
Read “Smarter Health Care on Your Smartphone: An Interview With Leah Sparks, Co-Founder and CEO of Wildflower Health”

Meet Rajeev Singh:

Rajeev Singh is the Accolade CEO and Chairperson. Accolade is transforming employer health benefits programs through providing personalized, continuous and integrated health services. Rajeev is also a board member of Avalara and Amperity, and a Trustee of the Seattle Children’s Hospital Foundation. Previously, Rajeev was the Co-founder, President and COO of Concur Technologies, which was sold to SAP for $8.3 billion. He graduated with a B.S.E. from Western Michigan University.

Key Insights:

Rajeev Singh is a successful entrepreneur who pivoted to healthcare to make tangible, positive change in people’s lives.

Identity. Like many entrepreneurs, Rajeev saw his company as part of his identity. After he sold Concur Technology, Rajeev went through a period of depression. He took nine months to reinspect his identity and rediscover himself before he was ready for the next challenge. (9:18)
Leadership. Rajeev shares that sometimes leaders try to replicate a leadership style they read about in a book. He encourages leaders to be themselves, and embrace their unique strengths. Don’t copy someone else, be you. (10:51)
Introspection. Entrepreneurship is rewarding, but inspect and understand your motives first. Do you love creating things from scratch and can’t image your life any other way? Then follow your entrepreneurial dreams! If you just want to make money, maybe do something else. (32:52)

This episode is hosted by Gary Bisbee, Ph.D. He is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Think Medium.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about Accolade
Follow Rajeev on Twitter
Read “Q&A with Rajeev Singh, CEO of Accolade”

Meet Leshika Samarasinghe:

Leshika Samarasinghe is the Founder and General Partner at Twine Ventures. She is an investor in a number of companies including Waymark, Stealth Fintech, Apella Technology, Teiko.bio, Rupa Health, and Alaffia Health. Previously, she was a Venture Partner at Future Positive and Managing Partner at The Production Board. Leshika received a B.A. in international Relations at Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Key Insights:

Leshika Samarasinghe works with mission-driven, early-stage founders.

Founder Relationships. Leshika chooses founders that have a strong founder-market fit and who are excellent at communicating their company’s story. She also emphasizes the importance of the investor-founder relationship, which should be based on trust and shared vision. (6:48)
Intentional Fundraising. Twine Ventures raises money from investment funds that are dedicated to investing in venture funds. These types of funds are nimble and have experience helping new companies ramp up. Additionally, Twine Ventures is intentional about seeking individual limited partners (LPs) that provide complimentary abilities or expertise. (9:21)
Time is Scarce for Founders. It’s important to create time and space to learn, think, and voraciously read. Leshika anchors that time to her investments, diving deep into the industry or product. This way she is prepared for conversations with founders. (14:56)

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:

Learn more about Twine Ventures
Learn more about Leshika Samarasinghe

Meet the Panel Guests:

This panel features three guests previously featured at Think Medium. John Glaser, Ph.D. is an Executive-in- Residence at the Harvard Medical School Executive Education. Suchi Saria, Ph.D. is the founder and CEO of Bayesian Health. She is also an Advisory Council member for Day Zero. Kaveh Safavi, M.D., J.D. is the Senior Managing Director at Accenture.

Key Insights:

Three health technology and data experts discuss healthcare trends and innovations that emerged during the HIMSS conference.

Uneven Distribution of AI. Dr. Glaser points out that AI technology has made huge advancements; however, it is unevenly distributed throughout healthcare. AI itself isn’t purchased, rather there is a product that performs better because of AI. Advancements in AI need to effectively solve specific problems for adoption to occur. (17:33)
Challenges to AI Usage. Dr. Safavi points out thata challenge to AI usage is the privacy and consent necessary to utilize patient data. This is a policy and regulation issue that requires government intervention. Additionally, for AI to be reliable, bias in data needs to be mitigated, focusing on quality over quantity. (22:35)
We Have the Tools! Dr. Saria adds that there are many tools and techniques available to monitor and measure bias.However, those tools are variably implemented across the industry and understanding of best practices is inconsistent. (23:46)

This episode is hosted by Gary Bisbee, Ph.D. He is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Think Medium.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about HIMSS
Check out The Gary Bisbee Show interview with John Glaser, Ph.D.
Check out Day Zero’s interview with Suchi Saria, Ph.D.
Check out The Gary Bisbee Show interview with Kaveh Safavi, M.D., J.D.

Meet Nina Tandon, Ph.D.:

Nina Tandon, Ph.D. is the CEO and co-founder of EpiBone. She is a TED Senior Fellow, Adjunct Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Cooper Union, and a former Staff Associate Postdoctoral Researcher in the Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering at Columbia University. Dr. Tandon is also the co-author of “Super Cells: Building with Biology.” She received a Master’s in Electrical Engineering from MIT, and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering and an MBA from Columbia University.

Key Insights:

Nina Tandon, Ph.D. realized that the technologies running our bodies are a lot like the wires and hard drives that we build with our hands. Nina works in the technology between cells and circuits.

Alternative Funding. EpiBone was incubated in Academia. Initial funding for research came from a translation grant. Grants are a good option for academic entrepreneurs like Dr. Tandon, because writing grant proposals is familiar, the rigorous peer review serves as due diligence, and the grant funding de-risks the investment. (8:03)
EpiBone Explained. EpiBone technology utilizes a patient’s own stem cells to grow bone or cartilage into the shape and structure that patient needs. EpiBone has started with facial bones, but sees a future with orthopedic applications. (11:52)
Entrepreneurship is like the Olympics. All Olympians should have coaches, and CEOs are no different. What is demanded of Dr. Tandon is constantly changing. Coaching helps her understand her weaknesses, manage stress, and realize problems before they magnify. (23:47)

This episode is hosted by Aaron Martin. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at Providence, and Managing General Partner of Providence Ventures.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about EpiBone
Read “Why Every Life Science CEO Needs a Leadership Coach” by Nina Tandon
Watch “Personalized Surgery: Growing Your Own Bone” by Slice of MIT

Meet Amanda Rees:

Amanda Rees is the co-founder and CEO of Bold, a digital platform that creates personalized science-based programs to help people age better. Previously, she was a Program Manager of Renewable Energy and Climate at the 11th Hour Project. Amanda received a BSE in Chemical and Biological Engineering from Princeton University.

Key Insights:

Amanda Rees wants to keep people healthy, active, and out of hospitals. Bold as a digitally scalable way to prevent falls and associated hospitalization for older adults.

Healthy Digital Aging. Amanda and her co-founder faced ageist attitudes from potential partners and investors; they didn’t share the vision that the future of healthy aging would be digital. This perspective drastically shifted during the pandemic as people of all ages became more digitally connected. (5:58)
Choosing the Business Model. Bold started with direct-to-consumer marketing so they could grow faster and support more members sooner. They eventually moved into business-to-business partnerships to make their platform more accessible. While it can feel like these business models are at odds, Amanda sees them as part of a holistic business system. (8:34)
Do User Testing. Regardless of the product, Amanda recommends founders get feedback from potential customers. For Bold, Amanda knew that users don’t like being defined by their age. Bold acknowledges the aging process, but doesn’t focus on the specific age of its users. (18:11)

This episode is hosted by Julie Yoo. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is a General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about Bold
Follow Amanda on Twitter
Read “Health tech startup Bold raises $7 million in seed funding for senior-focused fitness programs”

Meet Michael D. Abramoff, M.D., Ph.D.:

Michael D. Abramoff, M.D., Ph.D. is neuroscientist, fellowship-trained retina specialist, and computer engineer. He is the Founder and Executive Chairman at Digital Diagnostics as well as the Robert C. Watzke, M.D., Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Iowa. Previously, he was the Founder, CEO, and Executive Chairman of IDx. Dr. Abramoff received his M.D. from the University of Amsterdam and Ph.D. in Medical Imaging from Utrecht University.

Key Insights:

Dr. Abramoff’s company Digital Diagnostics developed the first FDA approved autonomous AI.

Closing the Care Gap. The primary care physicians and endocrinologists most involved in diabetes care lack the expertise to diagnose diabetic retinopathy. Digital Diagnostics’ autonomous AI can make that diagnosis in-office, rather than referring the patient out to another specialist. (8:29)
Earning Reimbursement. To get buy in from clinicians and the FDA, Digital Diagnostics had to show that their product was safe, effective, and built on diverse data to prevent bias. Additionally, early on they claimed that as creators of the AI, they are liable for its performance. These features eventually led to a CPT code, creating proof of concept and a path for autonomous AI in healthcare. (12:58)
Ethics in AI. When hiring engineers and developers, Dr. Abramoff emphasized the importance of ethics. Single characters in their code could make a difference for a patient. Their work at the aggregate needed to represent individual patients and account for their individual experiences. (22:16)

This episode is hosted by Suchi Saria, Ph.D. She is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the founder and CEO of Bayesian Health. She is also an Associate Professor of computer science, statistics, and health policy, and the Director of the Machine Learning and Healthcare Lab at Johns Hopkins University

Relevant Links:

Learn more about Digital Diagnostics
Learn more about Dr. Abramoff
Listen to “Building the First FDA Approved Autonomous AI in Healthcare,” Digital Diagnostics’ podcast featuring Dr. Abramoff

Meet Mike McSherry:

Mike McSherry is the CEO of Xealth, a platform that facilitates clinicians prescribing digital health tools to patients, tracking usage, and improving digital health recommendations. Previously, Mike was an entrepreneur in Residence at Providence. He has cofounded six startups including Boost Mobile, Swipe, and Zivo Internet Services. He received a B.A. in Economics and International Business from William and Mary.

Key Insights:

Mike McSherry has been an entrepreneur for 25 years. His experience is primarily with mobile and technology, but he moved into healthcare for his most recent project, Xealth.

Know Your Audience. Founders in healthcare need to consider who is the customer. Is it health insurance, health systems, employers, pharmaceutical companies, consumers? While healthcare accounts for 18% of the U.S. GDP, when broken down by payer, healthcare is not a $1 trillion-dollar industry, rather it’s one thousand billion-dollar industries. (5:00)
Advancing Healthcare Technology. Healthcare innovation is extra challenging because healthcare often lags in adopting new technology. A hospital may have cutting edge MRIs, and yet also use fax machines. This is due to a combination of bureaucracy, reimbursement structures, and a reticence by staff to adopt new technology. (16:25)
What’s Next for Xealth? Xealth will continue to expand the number of health systems they work with, and increase the number of digital tools available for prescription. Xealth is looking to be the bridge between healthcare and social determinants of health. (23:42)

This episode is hosted by Aaron Martin. He is a member of the Day Zero Advisory Council and he is EVP and Chief Digital Officer of Providence and Managing General Partner of Providence Ventures.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about Xealth
Read “Xealth CEO Mike McSherry on Becoming ‘the Surescripts for Digital Health”

Meet Derek Streat:

Derek Streat is the CEO of DexCare. He is also the current co-founder and Chairman of the Board at Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative. Previously, he was the co-founder, CEO, and chairman of the Board at C-SATS, Medify, and AdReady. He was also involved in the early founding of Classmates. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Information Management Systems from the University of Iowa.

Key Insights:

Derek Streat is a technology entrepreneur on his sixth venture-backed start up.

Advise for Entrepreneurs. To be a successful healthcare entrepreneur, you need to check yourself at the door and leverage the help of experts. The statistical chance of you being 100% right is low, you need the help of others. (5:37)
Innovation Challenges Unique to Healthcare. Health systems requires founders to walk a fine line. You can’t promise too much and fail on delivery, but if you lack a far-reaching vision that aligns with the health system, you won’t land the partnership in the first place. (18:49)
Let Vision Drive You. Never lose sight of the opportunity to do something that really matters. There will always be roadblocks, healthcare is uniquely challenging for entrepreneurs, but once you get over the hump you will have done what most other people don’t have the fortitude to do. (23:50)

This episode is hosted by Aaron Martin. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer for Providence, and Managing General Partner of PV.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about DexCare
Learn more about Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative
Listen to “Derek Streat, CEO of DexCare & Entrepreneur in Residence at Providence Health”

Meet Virna Little, Psy.D.:

Virna Little, Psy.D. is a clinical psychologist and the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Concert Health. She is also a Zero Suicide Faculty at the Education Development Center and an Advisory Board Member for the Network for Excellence in Health Innovation. She received her PsyD in Psychology from California Coast University and Master of Social Work from Fordham University.

Meet Spencer Hutchins:

Spencer Hutchins is the founder and CEO of Concert Health. Previously, Spencer was co-founded and CEO of Reflexion Health and Senior Director of Business Development and Strategy at West Wireless Health Institute. He also served as a member of the founding healthcare team at the Federal Communications Commission and as a consultant at Booz & Company. Spencer received an MBA from Yale School of Management.

Key Insights:

Virna Little, Psy.D., an experienced clinician, and Spencer Hutchins, an experienced entrepreneur, are working to seamlessly integrate physical, behavioral, and mental healthcare.

Collaborative Care. Collaborative care is patient-centered care. Patients are given the flexibility to choose their treatment path. It leverages the trust and relationship patients build with their primary care physician and compliments it with a team of specialists. (8:36)
How to Disrupt Healthcare. Spencer points out that sometimes disruptors pretend that the complexity of healthcare doesn’t exist. Effective disruption must take into account the complicated relationship between providers, patients, and payers. He emphasizes the importance of humility, and being honest when you don’t have all the answers. (12:26)
Attracting Talent. It’s important to think about how clinicians fit into your product. Concert Health provides fair pay and benefits, as well as a broader value proposition: at Concert Health, providers can become better clinically, and do the most good for the largest number of people. (17:50)
Advice for Entrepreneurs. Dr. Little advises that entrepreneurs be thoughtful about finding the right partner. Her and Spencer’s strong partnership is foundational to Concert Health. (28:28)

This episode is hosted by Rich Roth. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the Senior Vice President and Chief Strategic Innovation Officer with Common Spirit Health.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about Concert Health
Listen to “The Future of Collaborative Mental Health with Spencer Hutchins of Concert Health”
Listen to an “Interview with Dr. Virna Little” about healthcare workers’ mental health

Meet Jennifer Schneider, M.D., M.S.:

Jennifer Schneider, M.D., M.S. is the co-founder and CEO of Welina Care. Dr. Schneider is on the board of Directors for Health Assurance Acquisition Corp. She is also the author of “Decoding Health Signals: Silicon Valley’s Consumer-First Approach to a New Era of Health.” Previously, Dr. Schneider served as Chief Medical Officer and President for Livongo, and the Chief Medical Officer for Castlight. She received a Doctor of Medicine from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and a Master’s in Health Services Research from Stanford University.

Key Insights:

Dr. Schneider’s background in data science and specialty care has led to her newest project, rearchitecting care delivery in rural America.

Personalization Through Language. Using data to better personalize health recommendations improves patient outcomes. For example, Dr. Schneider found that using the phrase “a touch of sugar” instead of “diabetes” increased enrollment in a diabetes intervention in southern populations. (6:28)
Improving Rural Healthcare. 20% of people live in rural America, but rural healthcare lacks access and resources. Welina Care is working to deliver high quality specialty care to rural populations through remote monitoring, medical home delivery, and telehealth. (15:36)
Becoming an Entrepreneur. Find something that matters both to you and to the healthcare ecosystem. Then, build a team of like-minded people around that goal. And know that the innovator’s journey to success is never linear. (28:50)

This episode is hosted by Aaron Martin. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer for Providence, and Managing General Partner of PV.

Relevant Links:

Check out Dr. Schneider’s book “Decoding Health Signals: Silicon Valley’s Consumer-First Approach to a New Era of Health”
Read “Click-and mortar is a better model for healthcare” by Dr. Schneider

Meet Sean Mehra:

Sean Mehra is the founder and CEO of HealthTap, a virtual-first, affordable urgent and primary care clinic. He is also a board member for Infocon Systems. Previously, Sean was the founder and CEO of PayoutHub and GXStudios. He was also the founder and a member of the operating board for the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute. Sean received a Bachelor’s in Biomedical Engineering from Yale University, and an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Key Insights:

Sean Mehra succinctly describes the state of the healthcare economy, and explores how entrepreneurs should best approach innovation.

Defining the Market. Sean boils down healthcare to two parties: providers and consumers. To make true disruptive change in healthcare, solutions much directly speak to those two parties. Too much healthcare innovation caters to middlemen or ancillary institutions. (1:54)
Expanding the Production Possibility Frontier. In the next 5-10 years, Sean predicts that technology will make supply and demand transactions more efficient, such as telehealth better connecting patients to providers, and make supply itself more efficient, like AI and algorithms to help providers. (8:38)
The Art of Problem Solving. Great companies often don’t follow a straight line to success, rather it’s a circuitous path. It is important for entrepreneurs to be fluid and adaptable, as the market, team, and business model can evolve. Things rarely work out perfectly the first time. (16:30)

This episode is hosted by Marcus Osborne. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and the former Senior Vice President for Walmart.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about HealthTap
Follow Sean on Twitter
“HealthTap Announces Sean Mehra as Chief Executive Officer”

Meet Chakri Toleti:

Chakri Toleti is the founder and CEO of care.ai, an artificial intelligence platform that helps organizations create smart care facilities with autonomous monitoring. Prior to founding care.ai, Chakri was the founder and CEO of HealthGrid, which was acquired by Allscripts in 2018. He was a co-founder of Galvanon, which was acquired by NCR in 2005. He also founded organizations Mahathi Software Pvt Ltd. and Cytura.

Key Insights:

Chakri Toleti is an experienced entrepreneur, and has a vision that healthcare can better use AI and automation for better patient outcomes.

What is care.ai? Care.ai couples artificial intelligence with ambient intelligent monitoring, which collects data and develops real-time insights about clinical and operational workflows. (3:35)
Scaling Up During the Pandemic.Due to the pandemic, the care.ai team could not visit client sites. They had to create hardware that was easy to install and set up. Their easy to use “plug and play” infrastructure allowed them to scale up. (10:21)
Finding the Right Investors. During the fundraising process, Chakri emphasizes finding a partner that truly believes in what you are doing, and shares your long-term strategic view. (15:56)

This episode is hosted by Rich Roth. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the SVP and Chief Strategic Innovation Officer at CommonSpirit Health.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about care.ai
Follow Chakri on Twitter
Listen to “Chakri Toleti Safeguards Patients and Improve Outcomes By Providing AI-Powered Autonomous Monitoring Platform”

In this episode, we get to know Day Zero Advisory Council Member Rich Roth. Rich serves as SVP and Chief Strategic Innovation Officer, CommonSpirit Health. Rich is interviewed by Gary Bisbee, Ph.D., Founder, Chairman, and CEO, Think Medium. Gary and Rich discuss the role of the Chief Strategic Innovation Officer, CommonSpirit’s priorities, and Rich’s role on the advisory council.

Meet Melissa Eamer:

Melissa Eamer is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Modern Age, an organization that helps people take control over how they age. Previously, she was the Chief Operating Officer of Glossier, Inc. She was also the VP of Sales & Marketing for Amazon Devices, and worked at Amazon in a number of roles for 20 years. She received an MBA in Marketing from the University of Michigan and a BA in English from the University of Vermont.

Key Insights:

Melissa Eamer felt like there was a better way of caring for people as they age. She brings her experience as a builder and manager of software, to healthcare.

The Modern Age Mission. Their goal is to help people understand their “subjective age,” the age you feel rather than the age you are. Some research suggests that if people feel younger, they take better care of themselves, and live longer. (7:02)
Balancing Patience and Speed. One of the challenges Melissa faces is balancing between being patient, for the right team member or right idea, while working fast enough so that the start-up doesn’t run out of money. (12:24)
Finding the Right Board Members. Melissa searched for board members that offset gaps in her experience, and would be willing to push back or have serious debates to build a better product. (16:55)

This episode is hosted by Aaron Martin. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer for Providence as well as Managing General Partner of PV.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about Modern Age
“Taking Control of the Aging Journey: Why I started Modern Age” by Melissa Eamer
“Modern Age is on a mission to put people in the driver’s seat of their aging journey” by TechCrunch

In this episode, we get to know Day Zero advisory council member Aaron Martin. Aaron serves as EVP, Chief Digital Officer, Providence; Managing General Partner, Providence Ventures. He is interviewed by fellow Day Zero advisory council member Nathan Bays.

Meet Tom Stanis:

Tom Stanis is the founder and CEO of Story Health, a platform that uses virtual care and AI to improve treatment for high-acuity patients. Tom was also the co-founder and Head of Software at Verily Life Sciences. Prior to his entrepreneurial endeavors, he was a Principal Engineer at Google Life Sciences. Tom received a BS in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin Madison.

Key Insights:

Tom Stanis entered the healthcare sector with an understanding of data, and an eye for the logistic and technology problems healthcare needs solving.

Behind the Why. While at Google, Tom was hit by car. A CT scan revealed he had no broken bones, but did have stage 1 kidney cancer. That experience inspired Tom to change careers, and work to improve healthcare. (2:04)
Partnership vs. From Scratch. Partnering a start-up with a big company provides capital, brand recognition, and access to technology and resources. Alternatively, founding a company from scratch allows for flexibility, nimbleness, and less bureaucracy. (12:29)
Building the Right Team. The most important part of starting a business is finding the right team. Small start-up teams spend a lot of time together, there needs to be the right personality fit. Tom went through multiple groups of people before he found the right match. (18:13)

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 Story Health
“Introducing Story Health” by Tom Stanis
“Verily Co-founder Launches Virtual Specialty Care Startup” by MedCity News

In this episode, hosted by Think Medium founder Gary Bisbee, Ph.D., we get to know Day Zero Advisory Council Member Lynne Chou O’Keefe. Lynne is the founder and managing partner of Define Ventures, which focuses on investing in early stage digital health companies that will redefine healthcare.

Meet Cliff Illig:

Cliff Illig is one of the co-founders of Cerner Corporation. He has served as Cerner’s Chief Operating Officer, President, and Vice Chairman. He is also a principal owner of Sporting Kansas City and founder of FanThreeSixty. Cliff was named to the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame as well as awarded the Henry W. Bloch International Entrepreneur of the Year. He is a graduate of the University of Kansas with a degree in accounting and business administration.

Key Insights:

Cliff Illig is a key player in the healthcare industry and has been driving impact and change for multiple decades.

Becoming a Founder. Cliff and his partners realized they wanted to found a software company. They made two lists, one with industries they had knowledge of, and the other industries they knew nothing about. Healthcare was on the second list, but their knowledge of manufacturing helped create their first product for sharing lab data within a hospital. (8:05)
Handling Complexity. To handle complexity, Cliff recommends breaking the problem down into smaller, compartmentalized pieces and working on those individually.Then step back and see how those individually improved pieces look combined. (12:26)
If You Oppose, You Got to Propose. Early on at Cerner, Cliff and his team decided that if you spoke against something, you had to also present a better idea. This empowered employees: ideas were not stuck down because they were “bad,” rather they were replaced with better ones. (28:50)

This episode is hosted by Don Trigg who is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the former President of Cerner Corporation.

Relevant Links:

“Kansas Business Hall of Fame announces inductees”
“Cerner co-founder Cliff Illig shares his startup story with KU MBA students” by The Lawrence Journal World
“Oracle-Cerner Deal Could Help Healthcare Systems Share Data” from The Wall Street Journal

In this episode, we get to know Day Zero advisory council member Donald Trigg. Don is interviewed by fellow advisory council member, Suchi Saria, Ph.D. Don most recently served as President of Cerner Corporation.

Meet Gary Bisbee:

Gary Bisbee is founder, Chairman, and CEO of Think Medium. Prior to Think Medium, Gary was co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of The Health Management Academy. He was Chairman and CEO of APACHE Medical Systems, Aros Corporation, ReGen Biologics, and Sequel Corporation. Gary received his MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in chronic disease epidemiology from Yale University. He is currently a member of the board of directors of Cerner Corporation.

Key Insights:

Gary Bisbee, Ph.D. has rich experience as a lifelong entrepreneur and accomplished board member. He shares insights valuable to founders, operators, and board members alike.

Listening. When founding a company, listen to potential customers and experts knowledgeable about the field. This information adds depth to the business’ design and informs the financial model. (15:27)
Advise for Board Members. Each board require Gary to play a different role. Understanding your role improves board chemistry and effectiveness. Additionally, board members must strike the balance between management and governance, and learn to ask the right questions. (23:12)
Everyone as a Leader. Leaders, regardless of company size, should encourage every person to be a leader in whatever role they are in. If you treat them and define their role that way, it will pay dividends to the organization. (31:18)

This episode is hosted by Nathan Bays. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is a senior banker at Citigroup.

Relevant Links:

Read more about Think Medium
Gary is the host of The Gary Bisbee Show, check it out here
Connect with Gary Bisbee, Ph.D. on LinkedIn

In this episode, we get to know Day Zero advisory council member Nathan Bays. Nathan is a senior banker at Citigroup, focused on M&A and strategic advisory with Leading Health Systems and health services companies.

Meet Daphne Koller, Ph.D.:

Daphne Koller, Ph.D. is the founder and CEO of insitro, a company that aims to improve drug discovery and development through machine learning. She is also a co-founder and board member for Engageli. Previously, Dr. Koller co-founded Coursera and served as the co-CEO, President, and eventually co-Chairman. She was also the Chief Computing Officer for CalicoLabs. Dr. Koller earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science at Stanford University and taught there as a professor for 18 years.

Key Insights:

Dr. Koller is “bilingual” in the worlds of biomedicine and machine learning. She has had a diverse career in academia, industry, and entrepreneurism.

Two Worlds. At insitro, Dr. Koller brings together the two worlds of machine learning and biomedicine. Machine learning understands the capabilities of what data can provide, and biomedicine understands the insights that can be extracted. Working together can not only solve problems, but reveal new questions. (7:27)
Science as a Team Sport. Dr. Koller contrasts academia’s focus on the individual researcher with industry’s focus on organizational growth and teamwork. She emphasizes the importance of releasing one’s ego and creating a whole that is larger than the sum of the parts. (22:16)
The Right Team. It is important for founders to build the right team around them. The executive leadership needs to have the ability to strategize and shape the vision, as well as be equipped with industry expertise. From day one, be deliberate about culture and creating alignment. (25:03)

This episode is hosted by Suchi Saria, Ph.D. She is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the founder and CEO of Bayesian Health. She is also an Associate Professor of computer science, statistics, and health policy, and the Director of the Machine Learning and Healthcare Lab at Johns Hopkins University.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about insitro
Take one of Dr. Koller’s courses on Coursera
Follow Dr. Koller on Twitter

In this episode, we get to know Day Zero advisory council member Suchi Saria, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of Bayesian Health. Dr. Saria’s research has pioneered the development of next-generation diagnostic and treatment planning tools that use statistical machine learning methods to individualize care.

Meet Brandon Weber:

Brandon Weber is the co-founder and CEO of Nava, a benefits brokerage firm that facilitates high quality healthcare to employers. He is a co-founder and advisor for VTS and serves on the board of Directors for WiredScore. Additionally, Brandon is an Advisor for CityBldr and he previously founded and was CEO of Hightower Inc. Brandon earned degrees in Computer Information Systems and Human Computer Interactions from Carnegie Mellon University.

Key Insights:

When founders become truly obsessed about a problem, the solution is therapeutic. That’s how Brandon Weber feels about the ever-increasing cost of healthcare, and Nava scratches that itch.

Bottleneck. There is a huge explosion of innovation on the supply side of healthcare, but it is not reaching buyers. Part of the bottleneck is in the benefits brokerage industry, which Nava hopes to change. Brandon thinks the future might already be here, it’s just not evenly distributed.(1:11)
Strong Beliefs, Held Loosely. Entrepreneurs need to have an unwavering conviction that a problem exists, but listen to the data and consumers to develop solutions. (13:23)
Be the Change. Brandon is passionate about convincing founders to take the leap. From family stories to subreddit anecdotes, many Americans have experienced healthcare events that adversely impacted their health or finances. There is no shortage of problems to solve. (16:29)

This episode is hosted by Marcus Osborne. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and the former Senior Vice President for Walmart Health.

Relevant Links:

Learn more about Nava
Follow Brandon on Twitter
Listen to the podcast “Disrupting the healthcare benefits industry with Nava's Brandon Weber” by Authentically Successful

Meet Ryan Wells:

Ryan Wells is the founder and CEO of Health Here, a consumer patient platform that smooths the healthcare process. Ryan also founded InVivoLink and served as its Chairman and CEO. Prior, Ryan spent 12 years with Johnson & Johnson DePuy Orthopedics, working in sales and management. He received a Bachelor’s in Anthropology at the University of Tennessee and sits on the board of Directors for Siloam Family Health Center, Ethiopia ACT, and Oak Hill School.

Key Insights:

Artificial intelligence and big data can inform healthcare; however, healthcare should never lose its human touch. Ryan explores his journey through healthcare technology and founding his own digital solutions.

The Human Variable. Due to constraints in data quality, Ryan believes that AI should be applied to only non-clinical parts of healthcare at this time. Additionally, AI will likely never displace the relationship between provider and patient, rather augment other aspects of the healthcare journey. (7:36)
Problem-Solution Cycle. Observation and pattern recognition allows you to get to the root of a problem, and creating solutions requires timing and decisiveness. If you make a bad decision, don’t worry. Ryan emphasizes that bad decisions can often be unwound. Besides, solutions often create more problems to solve. It’s part of the process of invention. (12:43)
Humility. Humility is fundamental to the early journey of entrepreneurs. It might be necessary to shift from the original vision, and success requires understanding the consumer and market, especially for more disruptive businesses. (17:50)

This episode is hosted by Marcus Osborne. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the Senior Vice President for Walmart Health.

Relevant Links:

Read more about Health Here
“The Health Here Story” by Ryan Wells
“Innovator CEO Profile: Health Here’s Ryan Wells” by Health Evolution

Meet Alexandra Drane:

Alexandra Drane is an entrepreneur extraordinaire. Currently, she is the co-founder and CEO of ARCHANGELS. Previously, she co-founded Eliza Corporation, Engage with Grace, Seduce Health, and Rebel Health. She served as a Wellness Expert for Prudential Financial and is also a cashier-on-leave for Walmart. She is a board member or advisor for many organizations including RAND Health, Open Notes, and Harvard Medical School’s Executive Council of the Division of Sleep Medicine.

Key Insights:

For Alexandra, community is the front line of health. She believes that healthcare should be driven by love and compassion, and that we are all more alike as humans than we are different.

Humanity in Healthcare. Alexandra shares a personal anecdote about how healthcare is sometimes rigid and callous to the very patients it’s supposed to serve. Healthcare should be guided by kindness, support, and most importantly, love. (12:49)
Don’t Get Comfortable. Making assumptions is risky. Especially with COVID-19, much of healthcare is in uncharted territory. If you feel confident that you have all the right answers, be afraid because that bubble might pop. (19:57)
Life on the Edge. Part of being an entrepreneur is experiencing the constant whiplash between success and failure. There will always be ups and downs, so make sure to have a support system for the downs. At the same time, not everyone needs to be an entrepreneur, and that’s okay. (24:46)

This episode is hosted by Marcus Osborne. He is a member of the Advisory Council for Day Zero and is the Senior Vice President for Walmart Health.

Relevant Links:

Read more about Archangels
Listen to her TEDMED talk: “What five questions can save your Life or end it?”
“Supporting unpaid caregivers in crisis: A talk with Alexandra Drane” by McKinsey & Company
Follow Alexandra on Twitter

In this episode, we get to know Day Zero Advisory Council member Marcus Osborne. Marcus Osborne serves as Senior Vice President, Walmart Health, where he is focused on furthering Walmart’s goal of providing quality healthcare that is affordable and accessible.

Meet Chris Severn:

Chris Severn is the CEO and co-founder of Turquoise Health, which is an online platform that facilitates healthcare price transparency for patients, providers, and payers. Chris previously founded the organizations Acosta and Improv Bridge. His experience with hospital revenue cycles began as a consultant for Triage Consulting Group. Chris has a degree in Business Administration and Management from UC Berkeley.

Key Insights:

Turquoise Health will hit its one year mark this December. Chris shares his advice for early-stage startup founders and insights into price transparency.

Staying True to their Vision. Chris and his co-founder found that some investors wanted to utilize their product to maintain the status quo of healthcare price opacity. They stuck to their mission of transparency, and were able to find the right investors and clients that shared their vision. (13:43)
Take Care of Yourself.Chris shares that he recently took a vacation. Startup founders often don’t let themselves take breaks, but Chris knows he performs best when balanced. The pandemic put in perspective that Turquoise is important to him, but other aspects of life are important too. (26:04)
Go All In! For a long time, Chris tried to “dip his toe in the water” in starting Turquoise, without fully committing. He shares that Turquoise really took off once he went all in. (28:15)

Relevant Links:

Check out Turquoise Health
Follow Chris Severn on Twitter
“Chris Severn, Turquoise Health, on Bringing Price Transparency to Healthcare” by The Pulse by Wharton Digital Health
“Tech Firm Opens Price Transparency Platform to Researchers For Free” by Health Leaders Media

In this episode, we get to know Day Zero advisory council member Julie Yoo. Julie serves as General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz where she leads investments in healthcare technology, with a focus on companies that are modernizing how we access, pay for, and experience the healthcare system.

Day Zero is a podcast where founders share their unique journey. Behind every company is an individual or group of individuals with ambition, goals, and dreams. On Day Zero, you’ll hear the engaging voices of these founders as they tell their story, from their perspective, and in their words.