Explore every episode of the podcast The Health Innovators Show

In this episode, Dr. Roxie Mooney sits down with Dr. Lauren Grawert, the Chief Medical Officer of Aware Recovery Care. Discover how they successfully co-created patient treatment models that go beyond traditional feedback, resulting in a groundbreaking approach to in-home addiction care, including the pioneering virtual detox program.

Dr. Roxie and Dr. Lauren explore the challenges and triumphs of securing major payer contracts, the importance of patient-centric care, and the evolving landscape of addiction treatment, especially in light of the growing Sober Curious movement.

Whether you’re a healthtech entrepreneur, a healthcare professional, or someone interested in the future of addiction treatment, this episode offers valuable insights into the power of co-creation and patient-driven innovation.

In this episode, Dr. Roxie Mooney sits down with Sujay Kumar, co-founder and Co-CEO of Lilu, to explore how FemTech is transforming women’s health.

Sujay shares his journey from India to the US and the innovative strides Lilu is making in postpartum care with groundbreaking products like the Omni wearable breast pump and the MilkSense Lactation System.

Tune in to learn about the latest trends in FemTech, the surge in venture capital investment, and the collaborative spirit driving this field forward.

Connect with Sujay here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sujaysuresh

Ready to transform your health tech ideas into market-ready solutions? Visit https://www.legacy-dna.com to discover how we can help you navigate the complexities of commercialization, overcome regulatory challenges, and achieve market success. Join our community of innovators and start making a difference today!

Join Dr. Roxie Mooney in "The Health Innovators Show" with Dr. Andy Moye, CEO of Paige AI. Dr. Moye, renowned for his role in launching Paige Prostate, the pioneering AI-based pathology product for cancer detection, shares his insights on AI's transformative impact on cancer pathology, strategic partnerships with Microsoft and Nuance, and opportunities for health tech entrepreneurs to shape the landscape of healthcare diagnostics and pioneer technology-driven solutions.

When building a digital health company from the ground up, the road will, at times, arduous and challenging.  Entrepreneurs have to constantly examine their goals, their approaches, and - perhaps most importantly, their failures in order to stay on task and motivated. Not an easy task, but when you’re passionate about your solution, it’s a path you’re willing to take and a process you’re willing to submit to. In this episode, Eran Kabakov speaks candidly about his company’s nearly two-decade evolution, some mistakes he’s made along the way, and how the COVID-19 crisis helped open doors. Eran gives our listeners an honest look at the often unglamorous - but most often rewarding - rollercoaster ride of building a digital health company.    Here are the show highlights: How building something from nothing versus working in an existing, established infrastructure is like night and day (3:46) Product market fit and how it can evolve and change over time(7:34) Recognizing when you’ve reached product-market fit and how that can be different for every entrepreneur (13:44) How a crisis can reveal opportunities, even if doors closed in the past (17:01) Sometimes the market has to catch up to the entrepreneur’s vision (22:57) Why keeping your eye on your end goals can help you stay on track and inspired (28:42) Guest Bio Eran Kabakov is CEO and Founder of Docola, a digital health tool that enables providers to quickly share information with patients, tracks progress, assesses comprehension, and provides utilization reports, all on a HIPAA/GDPR compliant platform. Eran has been a clinician for over 30 years, has earned his BS in Physical Therapy from the University of Buffalo, and is a volunteer at the Aurora Project and the Society for Participatory Medicine. If you’d like to reach out to Eran, or are looking for additional information on Docola, you can find him on  LinkedIn at Eran Kabakov or visit their website at doco.la .

When momentum is interrupted by a global crisis, it can take the wind out of even a big corporation’s sails, never mind a startup’s. Sometimes, the trick to keeping momentum going, or at the very least moving in the right direction, could be as simple as a shift in focus.  Staying open to opportunities that build on a process or product you’ve already developed can be key to unlocking doors that might be closing to other innovators. In this episode, Varun Goyal talks about his company’s pre-pandemic momentum and changes in focus and target markets that helped see Illuminate Health through the pandemic crisis. Varun gives our listeners a glimpse into his startup’s strategies and challenges as they actively avoided pilot purgatory in an unpredictable market.    Here are the show highlights: How a formal pilot and patient information can help you expand your solution (3:12) Why shifting use case focus can help keep momentum going during market disruptions (9:53) One of the most challenging pieces to the commercialization process (13:05) Ways to avoid pilot purgatory (14:52) When a crisis can both slow down momentum - or speed things up (21:27) Add-on solutions - can this be a way in the door when the door is closing? (29:09) What’s important when looking for an advisor (32:13)  Guest Bio Varun Goyal is CEO and Co-Founder of Illuminate Health, a digital care assistant for individuals and families that helps simplify healthcare management. An engineer by background, Varun spent a lot of his career at Oracle in various consulting roles before getting passionate about consumer health. Varun earned his BS in computer engineering from Illinois State University, MS in computer science from University of Chicago, and his MBA in marketing, management and strategy, and healthcare from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management. If you’d like to reach out to Varun or are looking for additional information on Illuminate Health, you can find him on  LinkedIn at Varun Goyal, email at vg@illuminate.health, at his company’s website Illuminate.Health.

Launching a successful startup is hard. It’s even harder when there’s a global pandemic affecting every aspect of the market. Market shakeups aren’t new, but when you’re new to the market, your ideas could be the shakeup that’s needed! Fresh eyes, fresh ideas, fresh approaches can be a breath of fresh air in a stalled market. And Evan Ehrenberg and his company threw open the window with their millennial mindsets. In this episode, come hear how Evan and his team at Clara Health used a unique mix of traditional and unorthodox approaches to building a successful startup out of a college project. Evan’s candor, transparency, and vulnerability, quickly pull our listeners in as he recounts the struggles and triumphs, and unique approaches, millennial companies face during COVID-19.   Here are the show highlights: The path from idea, to a minimum viable product, to scalable product (3:58) What success can look for a startup (8:34) What it’s like to be a millennial innovator (11:22) How transparency and vulnerability in conversations can spark ideas (17:36) Combatting discrimination and ageism in the company and when pitching (18:54) Steps to take that can help battle burnout and increase productivity (24:48) Using conversations to help build stronger trust and credibility (31:48) Guest Bio Evan Ehrenberg is Co-founder and CEO of Clara Health, a company that exists to help patients obtain better access to breakthrough clinical trials. Before founding Clara Health, Evan managed AI research at MIT, Pal, and Palantir. He is a USERN (Universal Scientific Education and Research Network) Ambassador and a recipient of the Forbes 30 under 30 award. Having received his Bachelor’s in Cognitive Science from UC Berkeley at the age of 16, Evan went on to become the youngest Ph.D. candidate at MIT. If you’d like to reach out to Evan, or simply want more information about Clara Health, you can follow him on Twitter at @EvanEhrenberg or @ClaraHealth, on LinkedIn at Evan Ehrenberg or reach out on their website at ClaraHealth.com.

The healthcare space has become more dynamic over the past few months - and is showing no sign of slowing down.  So, how do you navigate the obstacles and challenges of such a dynamic space, and continue to remain relevant and possibly manifest a product for launch? It is possible to not only identify opportunity but also leverage it - if you keep your focus on who you’re engaging with. In today’s episode, Dr. Roxie speaks with Kent Dicks, CEO and Founder of Life365, and gets his input on how to increase the chance for market success in a rapidly evolving marketplace. Kent shares his strategies for opening up partnerships and relationships, and how to stay on task while also being agile and remaining relevant beyond the COVID economy. Here are the show highlights: Explore friction points in healthcare during COVID-19 (2:23) Turning challenges and obstacles into opportunity (5:14) Opening up partnerships, relationships, and paths to success (9:50) Dissecting what opportunity in a crisis looks like (12:28) How commercialization strategies are changing during crises (15:37) Telehealth adoption and the future of telemedicine (21:00) Strategies for staying agile and relevant in a post-pandemic market (26:30) Guest Bio Kent Dicks, the Founder and CEO of Life365, has 35+ years experience providing dynamic and strategic leadership in new and emerging markets.  His dedication to improving telehealth systems and establishing efficacy in patient-centered mobile health solutions secured his place as a trusted thought leader in the Mobile and Digital Health space. Kent received his Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Information Systems from Arizona State University and holds an Associate’s Degree in Business from Phoenix College. If you’d like to follow up with Kent, or simply want more information about Inference Analytics or Plug and Play Health you can get a hold of him via email at kdicks@life365.health, his website at  Life365.health or on LinkedIn at Kent Dicks.

Crises impact health innovators in all forms and fashion - including shifting nuances that have a very definite impact on pre and post-crisis strategies.  Weathering the impact of a crisis sometimes requires creative long-term or short-term solutions to strategic approaches. And, sometimes, entrepreneurs can focus so heavily on one strategic course, they may miss an emergent strategy or opportunity that could help them scale and get to market faster. In today’s episode, Farrukh Khan, CEO and Founder of Inference Analytics, talks about his company’s use case pivot during the pandemic. Using a platform they already had in place, Inference Analytics was able to expand their long-term solution while also offering a near-term solution for patients and healthcare providers. Farrukh shares his strategies, insights, and advice on how to stay agile while pivoting and the importance of not letting core value proposition get too far out of sight. Here are the show highlights: Examples of long-term and near-term crisis impacts and solutions (6:13) How to avoid “shelfware” solutions (8:13) Learning how to recognize when to stay the course and when to pivot down a different path (16:13) What is a “Camel Startup” and how do they function? (18:46) How important is your support system as an entrepreneur? (24:51) Two key reasons to pivot or enter a new market (29:39) Guest Bio Farrukh Khan is the founder and CEO of Inference Analytics, Inc. With over 20 years of experience in product management, strategy, and general management in the analytics space, he has held leadership roles in everything from early-stage startups to large fortune 500 enterprises - including Netezza and IBM.  Farrukh earned his Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University and his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University. If you’d like to follow up with Farrukh, or simply want more information about Inference Analytics, you can reach out to him at  Farrukh@inferenceanalytics.com, on his website at inferenceanalytics.com, or via LinkedIn at Farrukh Khan

Timing can be crucial to any startup - enter the market at the wrong time and it’s an uphill battle, enter it at the right time and things can really take off. But even the best timing can’t protect a fledgling business from incorrect product assumptions that can cost valuable resources. Two key factors that improve a startup’s survival rate are great industry advisors and a passion for getting to know the end-user. In today’s episode, Katherine Jin, CTO, and Co-Founder of Kinnos, speaks openly about her startup’s challenges. She shares her take on how good timing helps, but the support of key industry opinion leaders and a willingness to co-create with end-users, are equally critical to success. Tune in and get Katherine’s insights on what it means to be a young entrepreneur managing a startup during a pandemic - and see how they’re making it work.   Here are the show highlights: The ups and downs of taking a college idea into the world of startups (7:38) Key opinion leaders: The difference between getting a ‘no’ or a ‘yes’ when pitching for funding (10:49) Why proof and efficacy are not interchangeable (13:12) Getting to know your end users can pay off in big ways (15:57) Co-creation can put assumptions to rest and give rise to better solutions (18:18)  Awards and accolades are great for startups, but, the real prize is the connections that you make (24:57) Good timing can drive big success, but patience and the ability to pivot in times of crisis is critical for startups (28:40) The pluses and minuses of supply chain issues (33:38)   Guest Bio Katherine Jin is CTO and Co-founder of Kinnos, a New York-based company that is pioneering color technology to revolutionize how the world uses disinfectants.  Their first product, won several awards, is used by the New York Fire Department and has been field-tested by NGOs and healthcare workers in Liberia, Guinea, Haiti, DR Congo, and Uganda. Katherine earned her BA in Computer Science and Biology from Columbia University in New York City, has several academic publications to her name. She is also a recipient of the Forbes 30 under 30 in Healthcare award If you’d like more information about Kinnos or the Highlight solution, you can touch base with Katherine at Katherin@kinnos.us, visit their website at Kinnos.us, or find them on LinkedIn at Kinnos.

Healthcare continues to operate on the same backend delivery models that take everyone into consideration except the direct beneficiaries of care: the patient. It takes ingenuity, a strong understanding of commercialization, and a clearly defined value proposition to successfully disrupt such an established market. But if you’re not careful, you might find your disruptive innovation hijacked, pushing you out of that innovation space and turning your product into just another option out of many. A self-described serial entrepreneur, CEO, and Co-Founder of Solve.Care, Pradeep Goel knows a thing or two about commercialization and staying on task. Tune in to hear his tricks and insights on how to take your innovation through the commercialization process and successfully to market without losing sight of your vision or losing grasp of your value proposition.   Here are the show highlights: 3 key friction points to consider during healthcare co-creation (4:23) Cornerstones of building or commercializing a successful innovation (13:06) Are you on the path to the early market or mainstream market? (19:29) Is what you’re doing fundamentally aligned with your value proposition? (26:37) Why staying true to your value proposition is critical (26:37) 3 questions to ask yourself about your customers’ alignment with your vision (28:08) How to differentiate what process stage your solution is in (30:06) Do you want to be first to market or first to profit? (33:01)   Guest Bio With over 25 years of executive experience touching every level of the healthcare industry from insurance to public programs, Pradeep Goel is the Co-Founder and CEO of Solve.Care -  a platform based health care solution that combines decentralization with synchronization in order to connect stakeholders with each other. Determined to redefine care, cost, and convenience for everyone, Solve.Care is poised to disrupt the healthcare industry with their revolutionary concepts on healthcare delivery, care coordination, and benefits administration.   Pradeep earned his BE in Systems Engineering from Panjab University and has parlayed his education into a laser-defined focus on improving the administration, coordination, quality, and efficiency of healthcare. If you’d like to reach out to Pradeep for more information, you can email him at info@solve.care or visit their website at Solve.Care or on LinkedIn at  Solve.Care

Compared to more established organizations, healthcare start-ups experienced some of the bigger challenges during recent market crises. With less clout, doors close faster, and the word ‘no’ can be discouraging - but not every ‘no’ is the wrong type of ‘no’. Not every ‘no’ is the same. Learning how to power through the let-down of rejection and find your way to the prized bit of guidance hidden beneath, can be key to surviving and thriving in a volatile market. Today, CEO and Co-Founder of Pangea Medical, Ariel Efergan, talks candidly about his start-up’s experiences during the recent international pandemic and their take on the importance of the customer discovery process. Here are the show highlights: These are some of the biggest challenges a startup can face during a crisis (2:18) This is one of the most important aspects of the validation (proof of concept) process (4:49) Having belief in your solution is essential, but so is the ability to take feedback (6:32) Ways the buying environment has changed during the pandemic (8:57) Nothing prepares an entrepreneur for evaluating a pivot process more than an international crisis (11:03) A pivot away from your current strategy might uncover your ‘Eureka!’ moment (15:15) Hearing ‘No’ sucks - but that doesn’t mean it’s not the ‘right’ no! (16:06) 3 important lessons learned from guiding a start-up through a pandemic (21:48) Guest Bio Ariel Efergan is the CEO and Co-Founder of Pangea Medical, a healthcare start-up that aims data-driven actions to work with payers and providers in order to better understand patients and deliver more accurate and cost-effective care. Ariel received his education from The University of Maryland - Robert H. Smith School of Business and had devoted his career to understanding the intricacies of how business, financing, and positive customer experiences work together to form a successful venture. If you’d like to reach out to Ariel with questions, or for additional information about his company, he can be reached via email at info@pangeamedicalcare.com, on their website at PangeaMedicalCare.com, or you can follow them on LinkedIn at Pangea Medical.

When you’re a healthcare innovations startup poised to take that next step, nothing can throw you more of a curveball than a global pandemic. Right now, the market has slowed and is proceeding with caution, but ‘slow’ doesn’t mean ‘stop.’ Funding may be hard, but it’s not impossible - and there are actions every company can take that will help keep them relevant and active in the industry. In today’s episode, Surefhir Co-Founder and CEO, Ana Gomez del Campo gets candid with our listeners as she recounts how her company has weathered the impact of the go-stop-crawl process of the last few months. Ana shares her thoughts on being open to collaboration, willing to pivot, why it’s so important to know who you’re targeting when going to market.   Here are the show highlights: When crises slow an innovation’s forward trajectory, these actions can keep you relevant and active in your industry (4:03) A strong argument for collaboration and customer discovery (9:19) Why funding may be difficult, but certainly not impossible, during a pandemic (14:50) A quick dive into the psychology around why Angel Investors invest (17:41) How a partial pivot to innovation can yield surprising results (19:09) Why right now might be the time to open discussion about how your innovation may work for other potential target markets (22:03) How getting “lost in the fog” can sabotage your success (23:45) When listening to stakeholder advice produces that ah-ha moment (26:01) Recognizing the different value propositions between patient, provider, and those who write the checks are critical to innovation success (31:18) Guest Bio Ana Gomez del Campo is CEO and Co-Founder of Surefhir, a healthcare digital solution that aims to boost patient satisfaction and discharge efficiency with tools that keep patients, loved ones, and care teams all on the same page and up-to-date on a patient’s care journey. A recipient of several entrepreneurial and neuroscience grants and prizes, Ana graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with her BS in Biomedical and Medical Engineering. If you want to reach out to Ana, she can be reached via email at ana@surefhir.co, on LinkedIn at Ana Gomez del Campo, or for more information about the Surefhir solution, visit their website at surefhir.co

For healthcare innovators, getting a head start on your competition can seem like a tall order - especially when we’re in an unpredictable market. Things have slowed, doors are closing, and you already poured all your available resources into your product. So, how are you going to keep your solution relevant and on the minds of your customers? Take a deep breath, relax, and get ready for the inside scoop on how to use relationship building and collaboration to build those key business relationships that are critical to your success. In today’s episode, Twiage CEO and co-founder, John Hui, dishes out his first-hand experience with a looming pandemic. He tells us how he pivoted his solution to meet a changing need, allowing his company to stay one step ahead of its competition. John shares his thoughts on being agile and nimble in this rapidly-evolving market. And get his secret recipe that can sustain even the most frantic among us: a combination of flexibility and openness to collaborate with clients. Here are the show highlights: How getting ahead of a problem can keep you ahead of the game (1:02) Start with a problem, apply co-creation, and create powerful solutions (8:12) This is what a successful collaboration/co-creation process might look like (10:23) When sales strategies need to take a backseat to building relationships (13:36) Sales strategies that can get you in front of the customer (17:38) Underinvesting in these tools can do your innovation a disservice (23:45) Ways to stay agile and nimble with relationship building as you move ahead in a post-COVID market (26:56) Guest Bio John Hui is the Co-Founder and CEO of Twiage — award-winning healthcare IT startup that provides a novel mobile communication and workflow technology that enables hospitals and ambulances to accelerate life-saving emergency care. With over 20 years in the healthcare innovation and development industry, John’s career has taken him to both China and the US and has touched on nearly every corner of the digital health and healthcare industry. John received his MBA from Cornell University and has attended Columbia Business School and the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business. John is also an active mentor for graduate and undergraduate students through the Executive on Campus Program at Baruch College, where he is President of the International Business Association. If you want to reach out to John to learn more about Twiage,  or to simply ask questions, he is active on LinkedIn at John Hui or you can visit twiagmed.com

In this episode of The Health Innovators Show, Dr. Roxie delves into Jonathan Hunt-Glassman's journey in transforming personal struggles into a force for innovation in healthcare as the CEO of OarHealth .

This episode explores how Jonathan leverages a mix of classic marketing channels with modern, customer-centric approaches to guide the development and marketing of OarHealth's solutions for people struggling with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD).

Join us as Jonathan reveals the power of listening to customer feedback, strategic channel diversification, and the importance of resilience in the entrepreneurial world of healthcare innovation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected how healthcare business is done.  But there are constants that never change: a patient (person) who needs care and the whole healthcare system that is (hopefully) designed to take care of the patient in the best fashion. Pre-pandemic healthcare saw quite a bit of disruption from outsiders who saw opportunities to disrupt the system, as-is, and technologies looking to bring in new efficiencies. Opportunities might arise, and pivots might be necessary - and lucrative - if you keep an open mind and remain pragmatic. In today’s episode, Ruchin Kansal shares his thoughts on the changing dynamics of how healthcare does business in a post-COVID landscape. Ruchin brings his experience with pivots - both personal and professional - to life for our listeners. He pairs his knowledge with humor and an abundance of tips and insights on the changing face of healthcare and the opportunities these changes bring to the table.   Here are the show highlights: This is how the pandemic is affecting innovation and healthcare (2:50) The COVID crisis has disrupted the status-quo way of thinking about how healthcare is done in the United States (4:55) Breaking long-standing barriers in telemedicine (5:05) The CEOs of today are the kings of the past: Why leadership might be the key to making changes stick (5:38) This is the new normal in healthcare (6:52) Do you have to pivot your whole business? Heck no! (8:48) Don’t be afraid to leave what was - but do your due diligence (12:50) Not every pivot is a bad pivot (and you don’t need to pivot everything!) (15:55) The “Unicorn Business” and adjusting commercial models (16:49)   Guest Bio Ruchin Kansal is the Founder of Kansal & Company, a consulting firm that coaches transformative leaders and companies in the art of how to find new markets and co-create with investors and entrepreneurs so they can build a better future of healthcare.  Finding “new markets” is old school for Ruchin who is an airforce pilot turned architect turned MBA - he is no stranger to the term “pivot.” Ruchin earned his MBA in Finance and Information Systems from the NYU Stern School of Business and is using his experience and expertise to help others in the business world reach their full potential. In addition to his decades-long career in the industry and his work with Kansal & Company, Ruchin is also co-author of the book Redefining Innovation: Embracing the 80-80 Rule to Ignite Growth in the Biopharmaceutical Industry, which examines the evolution of the biopharmaceutical industry and defines a potential pathway for transforming the industry’s business model via the 80-80 Rule - "Being 80% confident that you will only be 80% right the first time should feel normal." If you want to reach out to Ruchin to learn more about how Kansal & Company might help you, or to simply ask questions, you can reach him at ruchin@kansal3c.com, on the Kansal & Company website at  kansal3c.com or on linked in at Ruchin Kansal.

Many healthcare innovators view the act of pivoting to be a failure in their solution, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, pivoting, the ability to pivot, or the act of remaining open to a pivot while bringing a product to market is pretty much par for the course. And, time and time again, a pivot has meant the difference between success and failure when market demands shift. In today’s episode, Fereydoun Taslimi shares his experience with pivoting a hardware solution into a software homerun in the 1980s. His decision, action, and ultimate success speaks to the importance of remaining flexible and seizing the moment when the market demands change — like they are today with COVID-19. Here are the show highlights: 3 key qualities entrepreneurs need to cultivate in order to successfully identify and navigate opportunities (3:30)  Why the ability to pivot can be critical to your success (6:11) How pandemics and other healthcare related events are shaping the future of healthcare innovation (13:20) Why it’s important to review and update your messaging (17:23) Discussing the challenges healthcare and healthcare innovators face now, and in the future (20:45) Why taking time out to think about all the pivot scenarios to determine a path forward can be critical to success (22:18) How maintaining a strong, optimistic outlook is a valuable asset for all entrepreneurs (28:42) Guest Bio Fereydoun Taslimi is Founder and CEO of SensorsCall, developer of CareAlert — a non-intrusive AI device that extends senior independence while giving caregivers peace of mind. A seasoned industry figure, Fereydoun has worked in technology fields ranging from computer development in the 1970s, hardware and software in the 1980s, interactive voice response and voice recognition, right up to AI driven IOT healthcare devices used in today’s market.  Fereydoun received his bachelor degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of London King’s College and his Masters in computer science from Georgia Tech. If you want to reach out to Fereydoun to learn more about SensorsCall or CareAlert, or to simply ask questions, you can reach him at www.sensorscall.com, or via email at fereydoun@sensorscall.com.‍

There’s never an easy answer when it comes to product adoption, finances, or navigating a disrupted market. But when the market’s as volatile as it has been lately, it can be downright scary. One of our core beliefs is that the more knowledge you have, the better decisions you will make. David Huizenga has seen a lot. He’s worked in just about every industry that healthcare innovation touches, from biochemistry to financial backing to patents and solutions. His unique experience and insight is a guiding light in the face of a growing storm. In this episode, David speaks openly and candidly about the role COVID-19 has played in Moterum Technologies’ product launch, roll-out calendar, and how the company has had to conduct business over the past two months. Here are the show highlights: The #1 most important thing you can say to lead and motivate your team during uncertain times (14:01)  Use this trick to instantly “recharge” yourself when you’re feeling tired and unmotivated (14:27) Why now is the worst time to scale your healthcare business and what to do instead (23:15)  If your business doesn’t demonstrate this, it might not make it into the post-pandemic world (25:33)  Why trying to make reactive changes in your healthcare business backfires on you (26:37)  How to prevent your business from being one of the many that will have to close its doors forever (27:37)  3 key trends about what the post-pandemic healthcare system will look like (29:00)  The “Prohibition Brewery” tactics that will help your business survive and thrive after the pandemic (33:04)  I've spoken with dozens of health innovators, and nearly everyone is trying to figure out their best pivot strategy. But they don't know what to change, how to pivot, or if their new pivot strategy is the right move. So I went into overdrive putting together a clear, actionable 5-step worksheet that will help you quickly define your most viable and profitable pivot path through the COVID crisis. And I’m giving it to you for FREE — no strings attached at https://www.Legacy-DNA.com/Pivot Guest Bio David Huizenga is the founder and CEO of Moterum Technologies Inc., a medical device company in stroke rehabilitation. He is an expert in translating groundbreaking science into realistic commercial opportunities. Over the last 5 years, he has focused his efforts on the unique needs of the neural rehabilitation patient.  Previously, David was CEO and cofounder of Tao Life Sciences LLC, an early stage life sciences technology development and investment company, which successfully monetized over half of its portfolio. David has been on the founding team of numerous life science companies, and has involvement in successful acquisitions and exits. Mr. Huizenga serves on numerous corporate and non-profit boards. ‍If you’d like to learn more about Moterum Technologies and the solutions David and his team have developed, you can reach out to him via email at dehuizenga@moterumtechnologies.com or on their website at moterum.com/.

It’s taken a global pandemic to jumpstart the telehealth industry and showcase the value, convenience, and importance of bringing strong, viable, and scalable technology solutions to the market. And now that the spotlight’s been cast, there’s no going backwards. One might not think of disease detection and quantitative science as services that can be deployed via telehealth and a customer/member focused concierge solution, but Jo Bhakdi of Quantgene would argue that with you. His company built a product around advanced cancer detection using deep genomics and AI technologies and delivers that product in a package that bypasses the traditional healthcare payer system and offers a more affordable solution directly to the customer. And, when COVID-19 hit, Jo’s team was able to envision how a COVID-based solution could be offered to its members in a seamless pivot. In this episode, come hear Jo Bhakdi’s thoughts on the future of telehealth and concierge medicine, how to approach a successful market pivot, and the importance for health innovators to understand the “investor’s triangle” when bringing healthcare innovations to market.  Here are the show highlights: 5 crucial ingredients you must have to develop effective and disruptive healthcare technology (17:33)  This causes more healthcare innovations to die than anything else… (18:39)  The case for healthcare innovators to be ruthlessly selfish (20:05)  Why shrinking your addressable market can prevent your healthcare innovation from a premature death (25:24)  The “Investor’s Triangle” method for pitching investors that skyrockets your chances of getting investments (29:46)  Here’s how you can easily gain the upper hand when talking to potential investors (33:20)  Why you should celebrate the chaos of the current crisis (49:40)  I've spoken with dozens of health innovators, and nearly everyone is trying to figure out their best pivot strategy. But they don't know what to change, how to pivot, or if their new pivot strategy is the right move. So I went into overdrive putting together a clear, actionable 5-step worksheet that will help you quickly define your most viable and profitable pivot path through the COVID crisis. And I’m giving it to you for FREE — no strings attached at https://www.Legacy-DNA.com/Pivot Guest Bio Jo Bhakdi is the founder and CEO of Quantgene. Launched in 2015, Quantgene works on the theory that most diseases can be detected far earlier by employing quantitative science and a new level of precision into medical practice.  Jo holds a Masters in Economics and Psychology from Tubingen University, one of Germany’s leading academic institutions, with a focus on financial theory and statistics. Prior to Quantgene, Jo began his career at WPP and Omnicom, where he held Strategy and Executive Director positions. ‍If you’d like to learn more about Quantgene and the solutions Jo and his team have developed, you can reach out to him on Twitter at @jobhakdi, email at jb@quantgene.com, or on quantgene.com and chooseserenity.com.

Hila Goldman-Aslan and her partners entered the start-up arena in an environment that encouraged healthcare innovation, actively sought out young minds and fresh ideas, and then deepened their support with funding.  The result: a fully functional AI imagining analysis solution that’s currently being used on the frontlines of today’s pandemic. In an industry that sees a nearly 95% failure rate for adoption, DiA Imaging Analysis may have had a supportive boost, but it took ingenuity, tenacity, and an understanding of the importance of relationship building to confidently present their solution to some of the biggest players in the healthcare technology industry - and then successfully bring it to market. In today’s episode, Hila recounts her company’s path to adoption, and the pivot they made to adjust for the COVID-19 pandemic. Our listeners will enjoy her candor and passion for healthcare innovation.  Here are the show highlights: The trick for partnering with big corporations like IBM and GE (6:01)  Why it’s foolish to think your product needs to be polished and perfect before pitching it to investors (9:04)  How to save millions of dollars on features and functionality that nobody wants (11:46)  Why it’s easier than you think to get in front of the right people at any company (14:30)  Tweaking this one little thing will help your product sell like hotcakes (20:15)  How the pandemic will make unusual ideas like AI more palatable (23:28) The reason physicians should celebrate AI instead of fearing it (26:15)  Why aggressively trying to sell backfires on you and what to do instead (33:58)  I've spoken with dozens of health innovators, and nearly everyone is trying to figure out their best pivot strategy. But they don't know what to change, how to pivot, or if their new pivot strategy is the right move. So I went into overdrive putting together a clear, actionable 5-step worksheet that will help you quickly define your most viable and profitable pivot path through the COVID crisis. And I’m giving it to you for FREE — no strings attached at https://www.Legacy-DNA.com/Pivot Guest Bio: Hila Goldman-Aslan is CEO and Co-Founder of DiA Imaging Analysis, a company that uses AI-based technology to help make ultrasound analysis smarter and more accessible to everyone in the healthcare field.  Holding a Master of Law (LLM) from Tel Aviv University, specializing in Commercial Law and a dual bachelor's degree in Law (LLB) and Business Administration (BBA), Hila knows how to get things done. Her determination and passion has served her well on her journey through the med-tech landscape and helped fuel DiA’s successful launch into the AI market. If you’d like to discuss the application possibilities of AI in imaging, or have additional questions or insights you’d like to discuss with Hila, you can reach at hila@DiA-Analysis.com or by visiting DiA Imaging Analysis at DiA-Analysis.com.

Being able to identify a need or problem in the healthcare industry takes creativity and knowledge.  A career on the clinical side helps. And an advanced business degree will send you into a whole new world of insights. But how do those insights help a health innovator navigate today’s disruptive COVID-economy and what might the future hold for an industry that’s stuck on pause?    In this episode, we talk with David Pearlstone, CEO of DICOM Director, about his involvement on both sides of the healthcare innovation equation: from the operating room to the boardroom.  David speaks with candor and experience as he regales our listeners with insights, tips, and personal anecdotes. Here are the show highlights: How unsatisfied clinicians can regain control of the hospitals and healthcare industry (5:17)  The case for using the profit motive to inspire better healthcare solutions (8:54)  How telehealth will eliminate up to 40% of doctor visits in the post-pandemic world (10:19)  The exact moment when you should leave the healthcare industry to help more people (20:03)  Why this economy is nothing like the economies of 2008 or 1929 (27:30)  The real (and slightly nefarious) reason doctors won’t refill prescriptions over the phone (32:59)  I've spoken with dozens of health innovators, and nearly everyone is trying to figure out their best pivot strategy. But they don't know what to change, how to pivot, or if their new pivot strategy is the right move. So I went into overdrive putting together a clear, actionable 5-step worksheet that will help you quickly define your most viable and profitable pivot path through the COVID crisis. And I’m giving it to you for FREE — no strings attached at https://www.Legacy-DNA.com/Pivot Guest Bio: David Pearlston is a surgical oncologist and CEO of DICOM Director, offering advanced solutions in medical imaging using full-3D holographic CT scan imaging in augmented and virtual reality, secure cloud storage for imaging, and quick, simple image sharing. As a lifelong learner, David stepped outside of his comfort zone as a physician, earned his business degree, and entered the world entrepreneurial startup ecosystem and he has not looked back. His unique insights into the clinical and business sides of healthcare brought him to DICOM Director and fuels his charge toward the future of healthcare innovation. If you’d like to reach out to David to learn more about DICOM, you can contact him at David.pearlstone@dicomdirector.com, on LinkedIn at DICOM Director, Facebook at DICOM Director, or on their website at dicomdirector.com.

As the pandemic continues, we’re finding out, more and more, how deep the roots of disruption from shelter-in-place orders and the upheaval of the national (and international) marketplace go. Innovators are now struggling to ask the hard questions: When do I scale back? When do I scale up? How can I ensure my company survives this turbulent and unpredictable market? All valid concerns and, unfortunately, there are no one-size-fits all answers. But what if you could pick the brain of an innovator whose company is poised to not only weather the disruption, but hit the ground running once it all quiets down to a “new normal?” What if you could access his decades of innovation experience in fields that cross the service continuum, including telecommunications and healthcare? You would. And you can. On this week’s episode, we have Eran Sofir, an innovation powerhouse who brings his experience in telecommunications, utilities, retail, and healthcare innovation. He speaks openly and candidly about current market conditions, while also offering his take on what the future might hold.  Here are the show highlights: The counterintuitive secret that the smartest investors don’t want you to know about investing (9:46)  How the pandemic has forced healthcare providers to finally take telehealth seriously (15:07)  Why smaller nursing home facilities gain a bigger advantage from telehealth than larger facilities (15:43)  How the pandemic will shift the financial trends in healthcare more than anything else in the last decade (17:21)  The biggest advantage healthcare innovators have right now thanks to the pandemic (18:15)  Here’s how to ease the adoption for your innovation after the crisis ends (26:08) The biggest opportunity you have right now that sets you up for easy sales when the crisis ends (31:34)  Why customer feedback is even more important today than before the pandemic hit (39:26)  The trick for hiring the top experts for product development without blowing through your burn rate (40:24) How to create a loyal and rabid following in the midst of the pandemic (42:04)  I've spoken with dozens of health innovators, and nearly everyone is trying to figure out their best pivot strategy. But they don't know what to change, how to pivot, or if their new pivot strategy is the right move. So I went into overdrive putting together a clear, actionable 5-step worksheet that will help you quickly define your most viable and profitable pivot path through the COVID crisis. And I’m giving it to you for FREE — no strings attached at https://www.Legacy-DNA.com/Pivot Guest Bio Eran Ofir is the CEO and Founder of Somatix, a provider of wearable-enabled RPM (remote patient monitoring) software for healthcare. Eran has a proven history of success in driving business growth and innovation, and building strong business relationships. His expertise working in industries from telecommunications to retail to healthcare gives him a unique perspective on what does and does not work when delivering technology-based solutions and providing customers with the value-driven services they’re looking for. Eran holds an MBA in finance and marketing and a BSc in electrical and electronic engineering from Tel Aviv University. If you want to reach out to Eran to learn more about Somatix’s solution, or to simply ask questions, you can reach him at www.somatix.com, or via email at info@somatix.com or erano@somatix.com.‍

Healthcare innovators are used to challenges when it comes to securing the funding necessary to bringing their solutions to market — but in today’s COVID-economy, those challenges have grown exponentially. Innovators have questions: What are their options for funding? Should they pivot their messaging? How can they stay relevant? Can going lean carry them through the crisis? In an economy full of unknowns, Kelli Murray brings her expertise and voice of reason to the table in a candid talk about today’s outlook and the future of healthcare innovation in the country. In this episode, Kelli touches on her experience on the funding side of healthcare innovation and offers our listeners her tips, insights and expertise.  Here are the show highlights: How the pandemic reveals if you actually have a product-market fit or not (5:14)  The “G-word” that you need to practice during the crisis to ensure your business thrives after the crisis ends (7:21)  Developing this during the pandemic is way more valuable to the long-term health of your business than making sales (7:52)  Does your business rely on face-to-face communication? Here’s how to “mimic” that interaction during quarantine… (13:15)  The trick to build a loyal and rabid following while helping people without blowing through your entire budget (16:08)  The easy way to create a massive impact in people’s lives doing nothing more than pressing “dial” on your phone (18:56)  How to continue to raise money when the economy crashes and the future is uncertain (22:11)  Tough questions you must ask yourself about your business in the midst of the pandemic (37:26)  I've spoken with dozens of health innovators, and nearly everyone is trying to figure out their best pivot strategy. But they don't know what to change, how to pivot, or if their new pivot strategy is the right move. So I went into overdrive putting together a clear, actionable 5-step worksheet that will help you quickly define your most viable and profitable pivot path through the COVID crisis. And I’m giving it to you for FREE — no strings attached at https://www.Legacy-DNA.com/Pivot Guest Bio: Kelli Murray is the Founder and CEO of MedSpeaks.com, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Health Innovators, and Managing Partner of Other Streets Advisors.   Kelli has dedicated her career to helping those in the healthcare community improve performance and strengthen their bottom lines. Kelli has leveraged her expertise in the healthcare field to assist startups and health innovators with understanding how to navigate the complex and high-touch industry and provide a bridge to private investment and collaboration in public and private sectors. If you would like to reach out to Kelli you can reach her by email at kelly@otherstreets.com or by visiting LinkedIn at MedSpeaks or MedSpeaks.com.

What happens when you launch a product just weeks before a pandemic hits? You learn to pivot, and pivot well, or you risk getting lost in the noise of COVID-19. Innovators who are used to in-person interactions with clients and prospects face a new challenge in the new COVID economy: being unable to utilize tried-and-true outreach. This poses many problems. Not only do you have to rethink how to get your message out, but now you have to get creative in order to get your message heard while trying to navigate digital options you might not be familiar with. However, what may seem insurmountable at first glance, becomes navigable with a little creativity and a bit of priority-shifting.  In this episode, MedRock founder and CEO Tony Rocklin tells us about his experience launching a product at the dawn of COVID-19 and how he’s using creative solutions to get his message heard and place his company in a stronger position when the post-COVID shift occurs.  Here are the show highlights: Why unplanned marketing tactics trump planned marketing tactics (9:57)  The trick for spending more time with your family, engaging your audience, and growing your business at the same time (10:27)  How to not have your business crumble before your feet when the pandemic takes you from 50 clients per day to 4 clients per day (13:27)  Bootstrapped hacks for raising money without giving up equity in your business (16:44)  2 reality-altering changes that will happen as we move into a post-pandemic world (20:44)  How to position yourself as a leader in your field — especially if it makes you queasy with discomfort (26:32)  The “journal method” for creating content that instantly eliminates your natural insecurities (27:57)  I've spoken with dozens of health innovators, and nearly everyone is trying to figure out their best pivot strategy. But they don't know what to change, how to pivot, or if their new pivot strategy is the right move. So I went into overdrive putting together a clear, actionable 5-step worksheet that will help you quickly define your most viable and profitable pivot path through the COVID crisis. And I’m giving it to you for FREE — no strings attached at https://www.Legacy-DNA.com/Pivot   Guest Bio Tony Rocklin is the CEO of MedRock, a company that designs and manufactures medical devices and sports medicine products that “get people moving and keep people moving.” Leveraging his 21 years experience as an orthopedic and sports physical therapist, Tony recognized an opportunity to fill a physical therapy need and designed HipTrac and HotRock, just two of the products developed by MedRock for use in rehabilitation sports performance-enhancement and personal well-being.   In addition to his credentials as a CEO and physical therapist, Tony is also the father of two and a husband who’s learning to balance work life and home life with healthy, positive approaches. For more information, reach out to Tony on Medrock.com

Being a pulmonologist and critical care physician gives Dr. Sandeep Jain unique insight into how our healthcare system works — and where some of its failings may be lurking.  After nearly 25 years working in a healthcare setting, Dr. Jain recognized a need for a better, less distracting way to facilitate quality communication between teams of doctors. That’s when he developed his ListenMD app. And it was the pandemic crisis that alerted him to additional patient needs that could be met by making adjustments and additions to his innovative solution. In this episode, Dr. Jain explains the process of development he’s gone through to bring ListenMD to fruition, how the pandemic inspired him to pivot and make adjustments to his solution, and the future of healthcare in a post-COVID culture.   Here are the show highlights: How the pandemic has forever changed medicine (17:41)  A surprising way the pandemic has improved healthcare (5:51)  The easy way to manage 40+ patients and their doctors without endless distractions (9:40)  How to capitalize on all the silver linings from the pandemic (16:49)  Why inferior products trump superior products and how to reverse that (13:31)  The sneaky way insurance companies sabotage the doctor-patient relationship with telemedicine (21:32)  Why telemedicine isn’t as effective as it could be and how to improve it (20:50) How to “tweak” your product to make it more effective for the pandemic (10:33)  Biggest challenges facing doctors and health innovators after the pandemic (32:52)  I've spoken with dozens of health innovators, and nearly everyone is trying to figure out their best pivot strategy. But they don't know what to change, how to pivot, or if their new pivot strategy is the right move. So I went into overdrive putting together a clear, actionable 5-step worksheet that will help you quickly define your most viable and profitable pivot path through the COVID crisis. And I’m giving it to you for FREE — no strings attached at https://www.legacy-dna.com/pivot Guest Bio Dr. Sandeep Jain is the CEO and Founder of ListenMD, a HIPAA compliant messaging app that intelligently delays a message per sender’s request, enabling efficient, less intrusive communication among doctors. He’s also a Pulmonologist and Critical Care doctor, which puts him on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Jain has practiced in the Fort Lauderdale, Florida area since 1996 and splits his time between working in Intensive Care units and in Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine. If you would like to reach out to Dr. Jain to learn more about his app or to get involved, you can do so by visiting Listenmd.com or downloading the application ListenMD Doctor, which is physician facing, or ListenMD, which is patient facing. Both applications are free of charge during the current pandemic crisis.

Explore the remarkable story of Ryan Lee, co-founder, and CEO of HireMe Healthcare, as he navigates the complexities of the healthcare marketplace. Dive into his inspiring journey, from bridging the gap between nurses and employers to overcoming hurdles in the healthcare marketplace. Witness the transformation of nurse recruitment through the innovative Hire Me Healthcare app and the impact it's making on the lives of healthcare professionals.

Many (if not most) innovators have pivoting on their mind right now. They’re asking themselves: what role can I play in helping fight the COVID crisis, while still making sure that it’s the right move for my business? Of course, this will look different for every innovator. And since nobody can see the future, it’s critical to be as strategic as possible as you’re planning and executing on what’s next for your company. But one big opportunity you shouldn’t overlook is how to find the right partners to co-create something awesome. In this episode, we chat with Stacie Ruth, CEO of AireHealth. She shared with us her brilliant and thoughtful co-creation pivot strategy to make sure that her respiratory care device and app can help more people, faster — while still making sure that her company can continue to stay relevant and flourish in the long run. Here are the show highlights: How to ask other businesses for help without letting them hijack your business (20:04)  Why innovators thrive during chaotic times (27:54)  How to promote your healthcare solutions during a pandemic so you don’t erode trust between you and your customers (5:00)  How to easily transform your current healthcare products to better help during the crisis (6:01)  Make sure you have this critical piece in place before you pivot to help with the pandemic or your business won’t last (15:05)  Neglect this when collaborating with other businesses and you’ll pay for it years after the crisis (17:56)  Mr. Rogers’ secret for helping more people that works especially well during a pandemic (7:17)  The “September check” method for pivoting that ensures your business survives after the crisis (24:26)  I've spoken with dozens of health innovators, and nearly everyone is trying to figure out their best pivot strategy. But they don't know what to change, how to pivot, or if their new pivot strategy is the right move. So I went into overdrive putting together a clear, actionable 5-step worksheet that will help you quickly define your most viable and profitable pivot path through the COVID crisis. And I’m giving it to you for FREE — no strings attached at https://www.legacy-dna.com/pivot Guest Bio:  Stacie is a Connected Health Entrepreneur and the CEO of AireHealth, a respiratory care health company. Go to https://www.aire.health/ for more information, and to get in touch, email stacie.ruth@aire.health.

After nearly 30 years of chasing a dream to connect technology and healthcare, when COVID-19 invaded our everyday lives, Dr. Joseph Kvedar witnessed more movement in his field of expertise over the last month than he has in years. But what does that really mean for the telemedicine industry?   Whether you’re an innovator new to the field or an established player in the telemedicine industry, you’re going to want to hear Dr. Kvedar’s take on how today’s pandemic has thrust telemedicine into the spotlight and how that momentum may play out as we inevitably move into a post-COVID economy.   In this episode, Dr. Kvedar discusses the impacts, implications, and possible outcomes healthcare and health innovator industries may experience due to covid, and offers his own insights and tips on: Why telemedicine is taking hold right now and how the technology that enables telemedicine can reach further into our everyday lives via education, finance, and other industries The past obstacles to the telemedicine industry and why/how that has changed within the COVID-19 economy The challenges telemedicine may face post-covid and the importance of advocating for processes within the telemedicine industry that are being proven as beneficial  Opportunities and challenges health innovators may face due to COVID-19 Tips and insights for telemedicine and health innovators as we move forward - and beyond - the current pandemic crisis   Guest Bio Joseph C. Kvedar, MD is a professor of dermatology, Co-Chair on digital reimbursement for the AMA, incoming President of the American Telemedicine Association, and Editor in Chief for npj Digital Medicine.    A 27-year believer in the idea that there could be a better model of health care delivery with the ability to provide care outside of a hospital or physician setting, Dr. Kvedar has had the privilege of leading the advance toward a more connected health experience while working at Partners Health.     If you have additional questions or insights you’d like to discuss with Dr. Kvedar, you can reach out to him on LinkedIn at Joe Kvedar, Twitter at @jkvedar, by email at  jkvedar@partners.org, or by visiting joekvedar.com.

When you’re an established, comprehensive company bringing products to market in a vertical industry such as healthcare, there’s a certain amount of expectation that runs alongside your everyday processes. That is, of course, until a pandemic comes knocking on your door.   So what happens when an industry hemmed in by HIPAA guidelines and government regulations is given the proverbial green-light to act quickly? They pivot — and they pivot with lightning speed.   In this episode, Sheila Loy discusses how HID Global took a proven, tested product and reworked parts of the platform to meet the need for infectious disease tracking that’s necessary not only in today’s COVID-19 economy, but for future disease-specific crises as well. Sheila gives us insights into: The importance of having a strong understanding of your market and how that can help uncover an unmet need Staying on track with expectations in a fast moving pivot when your company has historically long go-to-market procedures How to know when you have a product that is relevant in the current market — and when you need to add to, or scale back, that product to give clients the most useful end-product for their needs Timing and relevance and how they represent half the battle when bringing a product to market Why communication and internal education is key to a successful pivot — when everyone is on the same page, it’s easier to make the necessary adjustments and keep your company’s momentum moving forward     Guest Bio Sheila Loy is the Director of Vertical Segmentation of Strategy at HID Global, a worldwide leader in providing trusted security solutions in the identity and access management space. Sheila manages the framework strategies and how HID goes to market as a comprehensive company in a vertical industry such as healthcare.   You can reach Sheila at sheila.loy@HIDGlobal.com. You can also visit HID Global’s website to learn about their contact tracing and surge response solutions.

Being a health innovator during the COVID-19 Pandemic can be difficult — dwindling funding, shifting priorities, and challenges with getting your message to resonate with the right audience can make it seem darn near impossible.   But what if it isn’t? Running a lean, nimble, and focused path during any crisis, from financial to biological, can help startups remain in the game while also providing a chance to pivot their product to fulfill a current need. Or sometimes, more importantly, a future need.   In this episode, Emrah Gultekin, CEO of Chooch.AI discusses how his company was able to reteach its AI to read radiology scans and provide a much needed, quicker diagnostic tool to the healthcare industry during the COVID-19 crisis. Emrah’s insights include:   How crises can fuel innovation How the move towards human to technology interaction forced by COVID can help accelerate the adoption of technology-based innovations The importance of positioning your business horizontally so it can have options for growth, and be able to better navigate an unpredictable future How rapid cycle innovation can test innovation’s boundaries in positive ways Why staying lean and nimble can better position your company to survive some aspects of a crisis situation How the concept of “present bias” can hinder or help an innovator in times of uncertainty   Guest Bio Emrah Gultekin is an entrepreneur, innovator and the co-founder and CEO of Chooch.AI. Chooch is a Silicon Valley start-up and visual AI solution that provides fast, accurate facial authentication and object recognition for the media, advertising, banking, medical and security industries.    For those who want to learn more about Chooch.AI and how they may be able to help your company, you can reach out to them at  www.chooch.ai, or email them at hello@chooch.ai.

Most often, people, businesses, and economies are shaped and changed over time through a gradual process of cause and effect. And sometimes, things like COVID-19 happen — which throws everything we know about early adoption, selling, and marketing out the window. Instead, it demands we adjust, adapt, and pivot, or get out of the way of those who can.   In this episode, Bryan Graven, CEO of HiLite Health, throws his company’s window wide open and allows us to take a glimpse into their positioning when COVID-19 hit.   He speaks candidly about adjusting marketing and selling processes during the chaos of a pandemic. Bryan also speaks about the importance of recognizing the opportunities your company may be able to capitalize on and what health innovation, sales, and marketing might look in a post-COVID economy.   Bryan touches on: The effectiveness of video in digital outreach and its ability to build trust and credibility, all while offering clients convenience and better comprehension of the messages you’re communicating The challenges of running a start-up business and how that plays into the COVID economy When the time is right to sell your innovation vs. building relationships Positioning your company to be in the right place when the chaos calms down And the hidden opportunities this pandemic has created to: Build and strengthen business relationships Enhance and fine tune your innovation Tighten your brand messaging, and Pivot into a stronger position to hit the ground running when the dust settles Guest Bio Bryan Graven is CEO of HiLite Health, a company that creates tailored digital solutions platforms for the medical community. He spent 20 years in the healthcare IT arena, including 10 years as CEO of National Physician Services, before turning his energy and passion into developing Hilite Health and its digital health platform HiliteMD.   Driven to seek out solutions through innovation, Bryan leveraged those two decades of IT expertise to develop and deliver the best possible solutions and resources and empower the healthcare community to offer better business and patient experiences. To learn more about Bryan, HiLite Health, or HiLiteMD, visit HiLiteHealth.com or email him at bryan@hilitehealth.com

We’re living in unprecedented times. COVID-19 has closed borders and shuttered businesses. And for many startups, cancelled events means vanished opportunities to build critical networking relationships, showcase their innovations, and secure funding they need for their next steps.   That’s why it’s so important for businesses to be able to take a step back, re-evaluate where they are and where they’re going, and try to figure out how they can fit into the new COVID economy.   On today’s episode, we talk with Adeel Malik, CEO of Clearstep. He was able to create an extension of his care routing tool, helping health systems with their urgent need to quickly and effectively triage COVID-19 patients and ensure that scarce resources are spent wisely. He shares:   How his team quickly pivoted Clearstep’s messaging to cater to their audience’s new, urgent needs — and how they had a record-breaking 8-day sales cycle with a new health system customer Why it’s critical to reassess how your business can fit in with today’s new market needs, while still making sure that you don’t lose sight of your core product in the long-term How you can raise capital in a time where it’s more important than ever to prove your relevance, usefulness, and longevity to investors The importance of having the right team — and the best team — to weather the storm and grow together   Guest Bio Adeel Malik is the CEO of Clearstep, a care routing tool that aims to create the new consumer experience for accessing healthcare. The tool “consumerizes” the healthcare experience, giving patients all the data they need to make informed choices about their care.   Adeel came to Clearstep after spending several years working in healthcare consulting. Before that, he was a medical researcher for Johns Hopkins.   To learn more about Adeel and Clearstep, check out the company’s feature on TechCrunch or visit www.clearstep.health. To chat with Adeel, fill out the website’s contact form and mention that you’d like to connect with him.

Many innovators looking to launch a technology-rich product may come into the game with glamorous visions of tech giants and gurus snapping up their innovations and immediate market adoption. But the path to success is less often glamorous and more often long and arduous. It requires a foresight of challenges and the flexibility to pivot when necessary, which is becoming increasingly apparent in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.   To maximize a product’s chance at success, it’s imperative for an innovator to have a solid understanding of what they can expect when first embarking on their path to product launch. They also need to plan for outliers and the unexpected.    On today’s episode, Electronic Caregiver Founder and CEO Anthony Dohrmann tells us about his experiences on the path to product launch. He offers insights and strategies on what it’s like to have a radical innovation idea, and the work that goes into seeing it come to fruition.   Anthony shares:  His take on the importance of coordinating input between providers, patients, caregivers, and families That even if you have thousands of people telling you that your product is just what the industry needs, a focus group comprised of those who will use your product every day will give you more comprehensive feedback — and help you avoid costly mistakes How having a solid understanding of how to secure capital — and how capital requirements may shift as you develop your product — is an often mis-assessed key to the launch process How to recognize the silver linings and opportunities presenting themselves as COVID-19 pushes a rapid evolution of the country’s healthcare landscape    Guest Bio Anthony Dohrmann is the CEO and Founder of Electronic Caregiver, a company that uses advanced technology and artificial intelligence to create a voice-based virtual caregiver to serve clients based on their needs and resources.   Pushed to pursue his innovative nature through circumstances, Anthony has successfully leveraged his love of technology and drive to change the healthcare landscape into a truly innovative product — and its introduction into the market couldn’t have been better timed.   To learn more about Electronic Caregiver, visit ElectronicCaregiver.com or call 833-ECG-LIFE.

One of the biggest hurdles an innovator faces is the quest to prove you have a solid product-market fit. (Especially because many innovators fall prey to their own assumptions that their innovation will be loved by the masses, without pausing to get the masses’ thoughts first.) This quest is closely tied to another huge hurdle: getting traction in the early stages. In the vast majority of cases, the early adopters, or first users of your innovation, will be quite different than your mainstream users down the road. And it’s absolutely critical to address this as early as possible. On today’s episode, CarePredict Founder and CEO Satish Movva tells us about his savvy early adoption strategy. It’s clear that this early strategy led to the success of his multi-award-winning wearable device, which he developed to help care for his elderly parents. Satish shares: His early adoption strategy of testing his device in the smaller, more controllable environments of senior living centers vs. trying to scale too quickly with a commercial model That a B2B early adoption strategy doesn’t mean you can’t go B2C later — but it will help give you invaluable insights to iterate your innovation before your mainstream launch How the mindset of jumping straight to the B2C market is one of the biggest reasons that innovators never get off the ground Some of the key game-changers and differentiators of his device, like being the first wearable on the market to be able to track arm gestures   Guest Bio Satish Movva is the Founder and CEO of CarePredict, a wearable device that helps to predict serious health issues in seniors before they happen. CarePredict has earned several awards and accolades, including earning a spot in the Digital Health 150 and being named as an Honoree for Wearable Technology Developed Just for Seniors at the CES 2020 Innovation Awards. Satish has spent nearly three decades working in healthcare tech, holding positions with companies ranging from large provider and physician corporations to household names like IBM. To learn more, visit www.carepredict.com or connect with him on LinkedIn.

The more I work with health innovators, the more evidence I have that many healthcare entities are hesitant to innovate. Between all the red tape and risks, many find it hard to see the value. And when they do, the industry generally has much longer acquisition cycles for buying and adopting new solutions. But refreshingly, not everyone is resistant to change. On today’s episode, we’re joined by Pothik Chatterjee, Executive Director of Innovation & Research at LifeBridge Health. LifeBridge is an example of a health system that’s truly on the forefront of innovation, and it’s incredible to hear about. Pothik tells us about his role at LifeBridge, specifically as it relates to his work with startups and health innovators. We discuss topics like: The challenges that new innovators face when it comes to finding the right decision-makers and advocates to pitch and “sell” their innovations to What he looks for in potential innovation partners, like a compelling narrative, a diverse team, solid experience, and the ability to really prove ROI The general process of evaluating potential partners and finding the right way to work together, from designing the pilot to transitioning after the sale The differences and considerations LifeBridge looks at when evaluating innovations that are radically vs. incrementally disruptive to the system’s current M.O.    Guest Bio Pothik Chatterjee is the Executive Director of Innovation & Research at LifeBridge Health, a Baltimore-based community health system. Pothik’s department acts as the “front door” for health tech startups that are looking to enter a clinical setting and find the right partner to do so.    Pothik has worked with hospitals for more than five years, with a high involvement in innovation and operations. Even in his earlier work in financial services, healthcare has always been a theme in his career, leading to his conscious switch into the hospital side. He’s dedicated to better understanding the needs and challenges of patients and providers, so he can better connect them with solutions in the market.   To learn more about Pothik’s work, visit www.lifebridgehealth.org/innovation. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn.

It’s no secret that innovating in healthcare is a completely different beast than other industries. That’s why it’s so important for innovators to work inside a framework, making sure they’re covering the most important considerations on their path. And inside that framework lies a series of checkpoints and critical needs that innovators can’t afford to ignore. On this episode, we’re joined by Jon Warner, CEO of Silver Moonshots and author of 40 books, most recently “SLAM: Build your startup idea or early stage business with the Startup Launch Assistance Map.” We cover some huge topics for innovators, including: How to make sure you’re accounting for upstream and downstream issues, instead of creating a single-point solution that’s never adopted Having a deep understanding of your market so that you can hyper-target the people whose “hair is on fire” — the ones who really need your solution the most The critical need to get as much traction and velocity as possible so that you can rise above the noise   Guest Bio Jon Warner is the CEO of virtual startup accelerator Silver Moonshots. Silver Moonshots works with entrepreneurs who are focused on solving for older adult issues, allowing Jon to focus on his passion of making life better for the 50-and-older population. As a serial entrepreneur, he has several other roles, including Co-Founder of BetterLife Remedies and Adjunct Professor and Mentor in Entrepreneurship at the University of Redlands. Jon has been in the healthcare industry for more than 30 years, where he started his career on the business side, helping healthcare organizations build more efficient systems and processes. To learn more about SLAM and buy your own copy, check out his website www.slamprocess.com. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn.

Tim Hwang, Chairman of the Board for Nitra and CEO and co-founder of Fiscal Note, shares his remarkable entrepreneurial journey in this episode.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation on innovation, fundraising, and the relentless pursuit of customer satisfaction in the competitive landscape of healthcare tech.

A core foundation for market success is making sure that you’re laser-focused on the needs of your customers. Does your solution truly solve the clinical problem? Do you have validation to prove that it does, and it’s not just an assumption you’re making? In this episode, Dr. Kimon Angelides, CEO and Founder of Vivante Health, shares insights into how he’s been able to continuously beat the odds and find huge success with several businesses he’s built. We talk about: The critical need to solve a clinical problem that the “traditional” healthcare system recognizes and appreciates How passion can look a lot being crazy — and how that craziness is a backbone of the most successful innovators How to design a strategy that caters to your market, and how to pivot that strategy in the face of market changes like a big competitor Mistakes he’s made, like treating all customer accounts as equal (spoiler alert: they’re not, and it almost sank them)   Guest Bio Dr. Kimon Angelides is the CEO and Founder of Vivante Health, a pioneer in using digital medicine to manage digestive health. Prior to Vivante, he founded Livongo Health, a consumer digital health company with a focus on diabetes management.   But he wasn’t always in the business of improving population health through technology. He started his career as a biophysicist, spending more than two decades in academia. Later, he and his wife, a pediatric endocrinologist, launched Diabetes America, a network that eventually grew to nearly 50 centers in the southwest US.   To learn more, visit https://vivantehealth.com/. You can also connect with Dr. Angelides on LinkedIn or email him at kangelides@vivantehealth.com.

Many innovators find themselves wearing blinders on either the business side or the clinical side, without catering to the overlaps between the two. But this often results in big issues, like spending unnecessary resources — or worse, building an innovation that clinicians don’t actually need or want. In this episode, independent healthcare consultant Dr. Erkan Hassan explains 3 critical challenges that innovators need to balance: The business challenge of making sure you’re a commercial success Ensuring that you have clinical validation to prove that your innovation does what you say it does (without biting off more than you can chew) After the sale, making sure that you adapt to the health system’s workflows for long-term success We talk about staying solution-focused vs. product-focused, the massive importance of using a patient context lens to present your clinical outcomes, how to make sure you have just the right amount of evidence, and more.   Guest Bio As an independent healthcare consultant, Dr. Erkan Hassan couples clinical expertise and business skills to help health systems and startups. He works to identify the clinical challenges these companies face, then use evidence-based clinical data to create innovative, intelligent solutions that drive patient-centered quality outcomes. Formally trained as clinical pharmacist, Dr. Hassan spent the first half of his career working in academic medical centers to help manage drug therapy for ICU patients. After taking the academic route and working as an associate professor, he switched gears to become the Director of Clinical affairs for an ICU telemedicine startup. To learn more about Dr. Hassan, visit his personal website at https://www.erkanhassan.com/, where you can read and subscribe to his monthly blog. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn.

There are record amounts of investment into healthcare and provider-based services – but to get your slice of the market, you’ve got to be better, faster, and smarter than the big, traditional players. Successful innovators are zeroing in on the weaknesses of today’s healthcare industry and making them better. And by “better,” we mean working toward a model that caters to the demands of the changing landscape: better outcomes at a good value to all stakeholders, with a strong focus on the customer experience. In this episode, 4Sight Health CEO and author of The Customer Revolution in Healthcare: Delivering Kinder, Smarter, Affordable Care for All, David Johnson shares his insights on: How the market is shifting toward risk-based models that demand better value How new innovators are adapting to the shift and changing the game Tips for startups (and bootstrapped upstarts) to stay competitive, including a strong early adoption strategy   Guest Bio-  David Johnson is a speaker, writer and CEO of 4Sight Health. He is the author of The Customer Revolution in Healthcare: Delivering Kinder, Smarter, Affordable Care for All. For more information, visit https://www.4sighthealth.com/ , and buy the book here.

Splitting equity can be a hard and emotional subject for innovators, and the models used for these splits can be unfair for the parties involved. What is the Slicing Pie model and how does it solve many of these equity issues? How does this model help entrepreneurs work through the emotional aspects of giving up equity share? What are the different types of contributors in a startup and how do they get compensated differently? In this episode, Managing Director at Fair and Square Ventures and creator of Slicing Pie, Mike Moyer talks about this new model, and how it helps innovators.  Guest Bio-  Mike Moyer is an entrepreneur, author, educator, Managing Director at Fair and Square Ventures and creator of Slicing Pie, an equity model for early stage bootstrapped startups. Mike is an entrepreneur who has founded numerous companies including Bananagraphics, a product development and merchandising company; Moondog, an outdoor clothing manufacturing company; Vicarious Communication, Inc, a marketing technology company for the medical industry; Cappex.com, a site that helps students find the right college; and College Peas, LLC which provides publications and consulting on a variety of topics including, college admissions, trade shows and job search.In addition to his experience as an entrepreneur he has held a number of senior-level marketing positions with companies that sell everything from vacuum cleaners to financial data services to motor home chassis to luxury wine. Mike teaches Entrepreneurship at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.   For more information, visit https://slicingpie.com/.

Successful healthcare organizations build a successful structure and culture early on, and lay the right foundation from the onset. This is something many upcoming innovators can learn and implement early in their operations. How do we come up with compelling and powerful foundational messaging? What are the most pivotal decisions our guest’s team made that are paying off significantly now? How do we uphold the strength of our value proposition? On this episode, Chief Commercial Officer at Holon Solutions, Julie Mann, shares what has contributed to their success and the key lessons they’ve learned along the way.  Guest Bio-  Julie Mann is the Chief Commercial Officer at Holon Solutions. She leads commercial operations for Holon Solutions. Holon empowers their value-based care clients with patented, first-to-market, sensor-based solutions to surface contextual insights into the workflow.    Holon liberates the data to liberate the care. Julie is passionate about solving the challenges in healthcare through innovation, collaboration, and partnership. For more information, visit https://www.holonsolutions.com/ or connect with Julia on LinkedIn.

The results many innovators gain in the early market phase, don’t necessarily translate into main market success. In order to cross that gap, we have to look to adopt different ongoing models and frameworks. How do we take a fundamental breakthrough solution and bring it to market successfully? What does it take to deploy and instill what’s required to complete the solution for the buyer? On this episode, Chasm Institute Managing Director Michael Eckhardt, shares on the framework for increasing the chance of commercialization success, and how innovators can adopt it into their business practices.  3 Things We Learned  Inability to close the chasm accounts for many commercialization failures. The chasm is the period between early market and mainstream adoption. This gap exists between the early, enthusiastic, visionary risk-taking customers (who represent 5-8% of the market) and the mainstream market, which includes the pragmatists, conservatives, and regulatory groups. The excitement of the early market may not be enough to fuel adoption of customers in the mainstream, and innovators need to be aware of that.   Not everything in innovation is disruptive. Disruptive innovation is defined by having 2 or more of the following conventions - a change in behavior for the customer in that market sector, a change in skill, and a change in process of workflow.     9 criteria and factors for failure and success in crossing the chasm. The primary indicators of success or failure when we go to the market are target market focus, a compelling reason to buy, and a whole product solution. Additional factors are strategic partnerships, sales channels, pricing models, competition, positioning and messaging and how to move into other segments.   Guest Bio-  Michael Ekhardt is a keynote speaker, Senior Workshop Leader, strategy advisor and the Managing Director at the Chasm Institute. He is a veteran of Price Waterhouse (PwC), Harbridge Consulting, Hewlett-Packard, and Pepsico. An MBA graduate of Harvard Business School and a Wall Street Journal Award winner, Eckhardt is a recognized expert in leading 1-day and 2-day Market Strategy workshops aimed at one specific client outcome: accelerating growth for their technology-based products and services in the next 12-24 months.   Visit http://www.chasminstitute.com/ for more information and connect with Michael on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeleckhardt.

Many health innovators target large health systems as investors or buyers of their solutions. However, it can be challenging to know what innovations appeal to this customer group, whether they are open for collaboration, and who within the organization is most likely to buy or champion your innovation.    As a start-up, what is the minimum viable product you need to have already developed to pitch to a large health system? How do we get in front of the right key decision-makers? How do large health organizations build a culture of innovation? On this episode, we’re joined by Hackensack Meridian Health VP of Life Science & Innovation, Sandra Powell-Elliott. We discuss how their health system finds strategic partnerships and collaborations, gains adoption, and how they take a diverse approach to innovation. 3 Things We Learned  Networks are interested in strategic, goal-driven innovations Innovation can take many different forms, but the field is now gravitating towards goal-oriented or purpose-oriented innovation. Innovation is now currently focused on improving metric-oriented outcomes, and putting a provider at the forefront of healthcare in a measurable way.     Replacement cost is a minimum requirement for large health networks  At the very minimum, health networks are looking to invest in innovations that have a low replacement cost. If that replacement cost is low, that can translate into a net neutral and then from there we can move toward a more profit-driven economic model.    Target key decision-makers in large health systems If an organization has an innovation department, those are the people to contact first. If they don’t have people who specifically deal with innovation, go to the CFO or COO, or the Chief Safety Officer. Talk to high-level executives who are making the decisions. Department directors or division directors may have the ability to highlight you but they aren’t the key decision-makers.   Guest Bio-  Sandra Powell-Elliott is the Vice President of Life Sciences and Innovation at Hackensack Meridian Health. To get in touch with her, go to sandra.elliot@meridianhealth.org.

The healthcare system we have is incredibly complex, cumbersome and expensive, and that makes it extremely difficult to innovate within it. What are some of the barriers that innovators are running up against, and how can we mitigate them? How do we take consumer expectations and behavior into account? How does the healthcare model contribute to a lack of innovation within the system? On this episode, I’m joined by HealthEco CEO and Co-Founder, Roger Jansen. We talk about how to overcome the execution, adoption and implementation issues in innovation.  3 Things We Learned  Human adoption plays a huge role in successful commercialization  The barrier to the adoption of healthcare often isn’t whether the product is a better innovation. It’s actually more about people being willing to emotionally process change to do something differently. The consumer will be slow on the emotional side and won’t want to change to a new innovation easily, especially when it’s a transformative product, not just an enhancement of an existing solution.  The payment model of healthcare separates it from other consumer products  Free market principles don’t necessarily apply to healthcare, and a lot of it has to do with the payer model. Because the consumer pays only a very small portion for the services they receive, people don’t shop the way they do for other consumer products.     Don’t talk about features, talk outcomes  Frame up the problem as clearly as you can, don’t sell your innovation on the features. Sell very effectively on how the innovation makes life easier and better, not on how cool the technology is.    The healthcare sector has been harmed by a culture that doesn’t support new approaches, and it doesn’t even hire with a transformative intention. This has impeded innovation and made it impossible for change to come from within the system. All disruption in our industry comes from outside the system, but those innovators run into the same barriers and challenges. In order to succeed as innovators, we have to be focused on the problem we solve, not the features of our innovations. We have to think about the adoption of our solution, both on the consumer side, and from a health system perspective.

One of the side effects of a broken healthcare system is that there isn't enough fertile ground for innovation. How can innovators choose the most viable business models and go-to-market strategies? Where can we optimize and accelerate within the system in order to create growth? How can we rise above all the noise in the market? On this episode, healthcare entrepreneur, influencer, and Health Rosetta co-founder, Dave Chase shares how to solve the key issues that hinder successful commercialization.    3 Things We Learned  The healthcare system can lead innovations to the zombie graveyard. The optics of landing a big health system seems like the golden ring, but it too often ends up being a boat anchor for most innovators. Everything that encompasses the essence of a health system is the polar opposite of what it takes to successfully bring an innovation to market. Proof of this is a zombie graveyard littered with promising healthcare innovations that failed to materialize. Why? One reason is that we have to be incredibly smart about picking our customers.   Benefits brokers are an overlooked linchpin to solving healthcare. The relationship between employers and benefits brokers is the tip of the spear when solving problems in healthcare. Benefits brokers are the single most underestimated role in healthcare and the economy. For better or for worse, they make the decisions that most companies defer to and that’s what drives the state of healthcare.    Think beyond your own innovation. Don’t solely focus on promoting your own products. One of the best ways to accelerate the adoption of your innovation and create a highly defensible market position is to create a new product category and establish a leadership position in it. We should seek to be the voice in our sphere of influence for the category. Be a thought leader. By taking this approach, great outcomes will inevitably come your way.

When it comes to healthcare and innovation, the dysfunction of the system can seem hard to overcome without the right strategies. Why is it hard for some innovations to succeed? What are the key things you need to do in order to ensure your success? What are some of the biggest shifts in care delivery and benefits redesign? On this episode, primary care physician and Envision Genomics CEO, Dr. Grace Terrell shares on her perspective on innovation as an early adopter of value-based care. 3 Things We Learned  Innovators face a commercialization dilemma  Many innovators find themselves at a crossroads as they try to commercialize. First, they can circumvent the current system and go direct-to-consumer, which means coming up with creative cash and subscription models, while handling the costs of educating the consumer market. On the other hand, they can go into the healthcare system, which means dealing with longer budget cycles and outdated payment models. This is a critical choice any healthcare innovator must make, and the decision affects every element of the business. Why many innovations fail  It’s tempting to focus on one part of the commercialization process - the product itself. Other key details must be considered; whether the product really meets the needs of the target market, how the product scales and who pays for it.  The importance of being agile in innovation Don’t become too fixated on one market segment or approach, be flexible enough to pivot when shifts are necessary. Many things in healthcare can change, especially in terms of policy and all healthcare innovators need to be in a position to move quickly.    One of the biggest barriers to commercialization is how innovations are created. Healthcare innovators leave the industry to escape the dysfunction of the market, but end up creating products to sell back into that dysfunctional system. The problem is, it’s difficult to change healthcare outside of the system, or without involving many different people in the process. It takes a village to build a successful innovation and business, from investors, partners, willing payers and patients.

Tom O'Neill, President, and CEO of Cognivue, shares the challenges and triumphs in revolutionizing brain health diagnostics.
From reengineering a clunky device to navigating FDA clearance, explore the evolution of cognitive testing technology and the mission to make a difference in patients' lives.

The digital health movement has spawned so many solutions, which makes the process of innovating in the space more chaotic than ever before. How do we rise above the noise to create awareness and demand for our innovations? How do we make ourselves more appealing to venture capital? What are the biggest healthcare myths innovators should stop buying into? On this episode, healthcare industry consultant, and venture capital partner, Lisa Suennen shares on how innovators can overcome or work around the challenges that come with commercialization.    3 Things We Learned    Regulation and information are a huge barrier to successful commercialization There’s an imperfect marketplace and a disequilibrium in the sharing of information in healthcare. The patient has no information, the providers have less than they need, and the payers have the wrong kind. Additionally, healthcare is heavily regulated, and regulatory expertise, which many innovators don’t have, is critical.    Focus on numbers to appeal to VCs  Venture capitalists would be more willing to invest in people who really know their numbers. It’s less about telling them a story about the innovation, and more about showing its financial viability. But don’t jump into venture capital too quickly. If we get too far ahead with raising money but we haven’t done enough to validate our concept, we will waste money and give up ownership too early.     Understand how compensation works in healthcare One of the biggest mistakes innovators make is not appreciating how payment moves through the system, and how many hands an innovation passes before it gets to the patient. Going direct-to-consumer is almost impossible. It’s hard to get a patient to pay out-of-pocket for something they expect to be covered by insurance.  There is a noise in healthcare right now, and while there are opportunities for big companies to work with, invest in and partner with innovators, there’s also more chaos. If innovators want to succeed, it’s important to understand how the system is set up. Financially, the incentives of the various players are not aligned in healthcare. Patients, providers and payers are financially at odds. On the regulatory side, innovators have to become knowledgeable about the rules that govern innovation, and buying cycles are long so we need to be patient. To succeed we have to be clear on who is going to pay for our innovation and why. We have to come into healthcare innovation with the mindset of a coalition builder, because it’s impossible to succeed going in it alone.

For many healthcare innovators, one of the biggest challenges is managing everything that’s required in the commercialization process. There are so many factors competing for priority. it can be extremely daunting and distracting. How do we develop an innovation to solve a problem the right way? What kind of structures and methodologies need to be put in place? What are the most important things to focus on? In this episode, Aire Health CEO Stacie Ruth shares her transition from commercializing innovations in the corporate world to leading a healthcare startup. She shares insights into how innovators can increase the chances of market success.   3 Things We Learned  The problem we’re solving is key to successful commercialization One of the challenges innovators face is getting caught up in solving the problem without really considering if that problem is something the care community is seeking to solve. If the problem is not a priority for your target market, it can be a huge stumbling block even if we have a great solution.  Successful commercialization is about product and execution  Health innovators can’t solely focus on the product and expect to succeed. Commercial success is more strategy development and execution and less about the product. We have to focus on developing clarity around the problem we’re solving, the identity of our brand, the implementation team executing the commercialization, and stakeholder buy-in. Invest in opportunities for exposure and stakeholder interactions  It’s important to take time to get involved in innovations and events that increase exposure for our innovations. If we have a clear vision of our ideal business, and we can articulate that vision with a story, we need to start sharing that story. We’ll start getting enough feedback to iterate our strategy and better understand how we can solve the problems in healthcare. Successful commercialization starts with identifying the problem we’re solving and prioritizing the allocation of resources and capabilities. We can’t try to do everything. Once we have the problem clearly identified and we validate market fit, it’s about building the right implementation team and executing well. We have to align goals, people, resources and the greater market in which we’re playing. To hear more on Stacie Ruth’s perspective on successful commercialization, check out the podcast episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or get the full interview video on our website!

Many innovators lead with their technology in their creation process, and in the process they leave behind the other important building blocks of a strong business. How do we avoid building a business with a singular muscle? How can we deal with the biggest barrier to successful commercialization? How can we get physicians involved in the ideation process, and what difference can that make?  On this episode, we’re joined by the CEO and Chief Medical Officer of 98point6, Robbie Cape and Brad Younggren, who share their journey to commercialization and lessons learned.   3 Things We Learned  The biggest mistake innovators make  Many innovators lead with a technology and end up with that as the singular muscle behind the business. One of the things 98point6 got right is that they developed 4 core muscles in the business: the medical, technology, regulatory & compliance, and commercial muscle.   How to build relationships with physicians  When it comes to building strong relationships with physicians, we must look at doctors as a separate audience segment, understanding the problems they have and delivering a strong value prop to them as we would with any customer.  How to get into healthcare and win the favor of stakeholders  There’s a huge difference between coming into the healthcare industry as a competitor, and coming into the industry with the intention to find the right stakeholders and people and support their vision and goal. It’s more powerful to sit alongside the primary care community so that you’re not treated as a competitor.  Innovators often focus mostly on raising money and building the technology. They think the vision, mission, values, culture and employee engagement are things that can be built-in down the road. The problem is, they miss the benefits of building these things into the system early on. In order to successfully commercialize, it helps to be deeply integrated with the people who will eventually become your customers and pay for your service. You do that by thinking beyond the technology and considering the greater ecosystem and stakeholders who are critical to your business.