This week StartUp Health, CHIME, and ViVE brought together thousands of health innovators with a main stage, exhibit floor, and media program designed to support health moonshots.
It’s good to be together as a global community IRL again.
That was the sentiment repeated again and again at this year’s StartUp Health Festival, which was held at ViVE in Miami Beach this week. After hundreds of Zoom calls and virtual fireside chats held during COVID, the joy of meeting face to face and embracing colleagues and partners was palpable. The annual StartUp Health Festival, first held at a small Mexican restaurant in San Francisco eleven years ago, has always felt more like a meeting of old friends than a work conference, and this reunion doubled down on the feeling.
StartUp Health hosted 100+ entrepreneurs and founders from the portfolio under one roof, and we made the most of the occasion with a packed program designed to highlight health moonshot progress.
The StartUp Health Festival featured interactive panels with 75 portfolio founders.
“The StartUp Health team and fellow Health Transformers put together an outstanding show, with their own tracks, events, exhibit hall, recording area, and curated opportunities,” wrote Tim Fitzpatrick, CEO and Founder of ikona health.
The educational tracks took place on the StartUp Health main stage and featured three days of interactive discussions with 75 founders. In addition, we hosted a series of intimate conversations with health innovation luminaries and StartUp Health investors and collaborators like Glen Tullman (Transcarent), Lee Shapiro (7wire Ventures), Jonathan Bush (Zus Health), and Dr. Roy Schoenberg (Amwell). Every one of these enlightening conversations will be made available through StartUp Health Media in coming weeks.
Unity Stoakes, president and co-founder of StartUp Health, announcing the launch of the new Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Moonshots from the ViVE main stage.
From the main stage, Unity Stoakes, President and Co-founder of StartUp Health, broke the news that StartUp Health has made its 400th health innovation investment. He also announced the launch of two new dedicated health moonshots, one to tackle diabetes and another Alzheimer’s. Both of these health moonshots, which are backed by passionate impact boards, are designed to bring together innovative startups and impact-driven investors towards these two global health goals.
“What I am excited about is the [new Diabetes Moonshot] is saying we aren’t betting on just one company,” said Glen Tullman, CEO of Transcarent, in a main stage conversation with Unity Stoakes. “[We’re] funding many companies to finally bring an end to diabetes.”
Aidar Health Chief Nursing Officer Jenny Matthew shows off the Mouthlab device in the StartUp Health Studio.
We also broke news in the StartUp Health TV Studio, where Media Director Logan Plaster interviewed more than 50 founders about their latest updates. Michael Tu, CEO and Co-founder of Everyplace Labs, shared about their two brand new pilots that put their rapid-diagnostic kiosks into workplaces. These self-contained testing machines make it easy for people to get the tests they need without missing work or risking spreading a contagious illness to coworkers.
Alex Ness, CEO and Founder of Welwaze, announced his company was coming to market with their Celbrea product after seven years of development. The inexpensive device uses heat technology to detect breast cancer and can be used as a pre-screener for mammograms and specialist care. Ness and his team are fielding early interest from government agencies in Latin America who are interested in expanding access to early cancer detection. Similarly, Aidar Health’s Chief Nursing Officer Jenny Mathew showed off the newly-minted Mouthlab, a device that has been in research, development, and FDA validation for years. Now, the company has a market-ready product and is moving to scale manufacturing.
Special guest Dr. Jennifer Schneider took her time in the StartUp Health Studio to announce the launch of her latest venture, Homeward. Schneider, who led Livongo for five years as President and Chief Medical Officer, and guided the company through the largest IPO in health tech history, has been keeping a low profile for a year. But now she’s back in the fray with a new company striving to upgrade the last mile of health, focused on patients in rural America.
The StartUp Health Pavilion, which featured two dozen portfolio companies, was home base for product demos and meetings both planned and serendipitous. Here, StartUp Health’s mission of radical collaboration was on display, with many founders moving quickly from stranger to neighbor to friend to partner.
“It was amazing to get back to a live conference,” said David Haddick, CEO and Founder at PSYCHeANALYTICS. “Healthcare is so diverse, there is no way to know what you don’t know. I made really good contacts from just walking the aisles and talking to people. The StartUp Health Pavilion was a valuable service to our members. I want one next time!”
“We want to connect the dots between the amazing innovators from industry, investors, buyers, customers, and these amazing upstarts who are re-inventing the future of health,” said Unity Stoakes.
The next opportunity to connect those dots is coming soon. Thanks to a multi-year partnership inked between StartUp Health and HLTH earlier this year, we are already looking forward to our next great in-person Festival, to be held November 13–16 in Las Vegas. Mark your calendars!