We've enjoyed working on Closing Time over the last year and meeting with incredible healthcare founders and VCs. Thank you, listeners, for tuning in! Going forward, you can find us on The Heart of Healthcare podcast. We'll continue to explore the world of healthcare startups and innovation, bringing you conversations with founders, innovators, and thought leaders every Monday. Search for and subscribe to The Heart of Healthcare wherever you listen to podcasts. Or visit our website: https://www....
Aug 12, 2024•1 min•Ep. 36
In this episode of Closing Time, Michael and Halle sit down with Seth Sternberg, the co-founder and CEO of Honor. Seth shares his inspiring journey of tackling the immense challenge of providing quality home care at scale. We cover: - Building the largest home care network with the most advanced care platform - Treating care professionals with respect, providing job stability, and crafting attractive roles to retain top talent - Honor's unique business model, its acquisition of Home Instead, and...
Jun 26, 2024•35 min•Ep. 35
In this episode, Cobi Blumenfeld-Gantz, CEO and co-founder of Chapter, discusses how his personal experience with his parents' struggle with Medicare inspired him to create a platform that simplifies and optimizes the Medicare enrollment process. Chapter operates as a Medicare brokerage, assisting seniors in navigating the complex Medicare system. They also offer a consumer-focused app that allows users to redeem benefits in their Medicare plans. The company has experienced significant growth an...
Jun 19, 2024•28 min•Ep. 34
In this episode of Closing Time, Vanessa Rissetto, registered dietitian and co-founder of Culina Health, pitches her company's personalized nutrition platform. Culina Health pairs patients with registered dietitians to provide one-on-one nutrition counseling, with 91% of patients utilizing their insurance benefits. Rissetto discusses how her company is democratizing access to clinical nutrition care, leveraging technology and AI to make dietitians more efficient, and generating compelling health...
Jun 12, 2024•35 min•Ep. 33
With a focus on profitability over hyper-growth, the team at Hone Health has built one of the largest men's health telehealth platforms. In this episode, co-founder & COO Stuart Blitz pitches this concept to our hosts. Our guest VC in this episode is Lynne Chou O’Keefe, Founder and Managing Partner at Define Ventures, and investor in hims, Folx, Found, and more. We dive into the business and discuss: Which parts of healthcare work well for D2C business models, and is this one of them User ac...
Jun 05, 2024•44 min•Ep. 32
We’re back talking about startup employment law! In this episode, we double click on terminations. One of the hardest things every founder and manager has to do in their job is letting people go. Whether it's due to poor performance or a restructuring, there are right and wrong ways to handle it. Our guest, Fenwick employment lawyer Sheeva Ghassemi walks us through the steps on handling terminations legally and compassionately. We cover: Common grounds for termination including poor performance ...
May 22, 2024•27 min•Ep. 31
In this episode, Fenwick employment lawyer Sheeva Ghassemi joins us to discuss various aspects of employment law that all founders should know. From the legal risks and consequences of misclassifying workers to navigating employment laws with remote employees across multiple states, this episode is a must-listen for anyone hiring and growing a team. We discuss: The difference between employees and contractors, and exempt vs non-exempt classifications How misclassifying workers can lead to major ...
May 15, 2024•27 min•Ep. 30
May is Mental Health Awareness Month! In this episode, Michael Esquivel and Halle Tecco sit down with David Ko, CEO of Calm, to discuss the mental health challenges founders and their teams face. They discuss practical strategies for building resilience, managing the relentless pressure, and why destigmatizing mental health is crucial for startup success. David shares how leaders can champion well-being, creating a workplace where mental health support is the norm, not the exception. This episod...
May 08, 2024•36 min•Ep. 29
In this episode, Christine Lemke, co-founder and CEO of Evidation Health, shares how her personal struggles with chronic pain fueled her mission to transform how we measure and improve health outcomes. She shares the company's evolution and innovative approach to generating real-world evidence (RWE) using a global research platform serving millions of people. We discuss: - The power of real-world data and understanding health outside the clinic - Lessons from pivots: Evidation's journey to its c...
May 01, 2024•33 min•Ep. 28
In this episode, Sebastian Seiguer, CEO of Scene Health, introduces his company’s innovative use of video technology to drive medication adherence, particularly among underserved populations. He shares how Scene Health supports patients, leading to better outcomes and significant cost savings for payers. We discuss: - The challenges of medication non-adherence and its impact on patients and the healthcare system - How Scene Health's video platform empowers patients and creates unique engagement ...
Apr 24, 2024•38 min•Ep. 27
In this episode, Dr. Bob Schafer, CEO of Lumos Labs, discusses the company's evolution from the popular brain training platform, Lumosity, to a leader in the development of digital therapeutics for the brain. Lumos Labs is pioneering the use of science-backed gameplay to tackle cognitive issues associated with conditions like ADHD. We discuss: - The unique dataset behind Lumosity, with over 100 million users and 8 billion gameplays - How their extensive research fueled the shift towards digital ...
Apr 17, 2024•39 min•Ep. 26
In episode 25, Halle and Michael discuss the process of building a board for a startup. We cover topics such as the importance of board structure, when to formalize the board, adding independent board members, the primary responsibilities of a startup board, changing board composition, and compensating board members. We discuss: - Why it is crucial to consider the right board structure - How many board members startups typically have at each stage of the company’s growth - The primary responsibi...
Apr 03, 2024•30 min•Ep. 25
In this episode, Halle and Michael discuss the process of raising a seed round. They cover topics such as when to raise a seed round, building relationships with investors, and the difference between convertible notes and SAFEs. They emphasize the importance of storytelling and having a clear vision when pitching to investors. They also provide tips for first-time founders, including being mindful of dilution and knowing your use of funds. Overall, the episode provides valuable insights and guid...
Mar 27, 2024•27 min•Ep. 24
In this episode, Dr. Alicia Jackson, co-founder and CEO of Evernow, discusses the importance of women's health research and the need for improved menopause care. She shares the inspiration behind starting Evernow and the challenges faced in addressing the under-researched and underserved field of women's health. Dr. Jackson shares the founding story of Evernow, from idea to raising $28M to creating the largest database on menopausal and perimenopausal women that exists today. We discuss: - How w...
Mar 20, 2024•36 min•Ep. 23
You only get to incorporate once, and you want to get it right. In this episode, we dive deep into the process of incorporation for startups. We cover everything from choosing the right business entity structure to splitting founder equity. You’ll want to listen to this before filing your incorporation paperwork! We discuss: - How the choice of business entity structure depends on the goals and plans of the startup - Why you should prioritize simplicity and avoid over-engineering the legal struc...
Mar 13, 2024•40 min•Ep. 22
In this episode, cancer survivor Kaitlin Christine, the CEO and founder of Gabbi, shares her vision to make all late stage breast cancer obsolete by ensuring all women know their risks and have access to early detection. Gabbi offers women a breast cancer risk assessment along with a Care Concierge team that guides members through the complex healthcare system. We discuss: - How their mobile risk assessment helps individuals understand their risk level and guides personalized care plans - How th...
Mar 06, 2024•35 min•Ep. 21
In this episode, pharmacoeconomist Yoona Kim, the founder and CEO of Arine, shares her mission to solve the problem of medication mismanagement in healthcare and building a fast-growth, 140-person company. Arine is an AI-driven SaaS platform company focused on medication intelligence that grew 100% last year, and has produced more than 33 million life-improving recommendations for over 15 million patients. We discuss: - The problem of medication mismanagement in healthcare, and the potential to ...
Feb 21, 2024•28 min•Ep. 20
In this episode, Ankit Gupta, CEO and founder of Bicycle Health, discusses his telehealth treatment program for opioid use disorder. He shares the inspiration behind starting the company and the comprehensive care model they provide. Gupta explains their business model and pricing, highlighting the challenges of affordability and value-based care. He also discusses the importance of retention rates in addiction medicine and how Bicycle Health aligns incentives with patient outcomes. Gupta addres...
Feb 14, 2024•39 min•Ep. 19
In this episode, Neil Batlivala pitches his startup Pair Team, connecting underserved communities to high quality care. Pair Team's innovative approach brings a community-led, virtual care model to the forefront, addressing the interconnectedness of social and clinical care. We discuss: Bridging the gap between underserved communities and quality healthcare through community partnerships Integrating community organizations like shelters and food pantries into the healthcare delivery system, with...
Feb 07, 2024•36 min•Ep. 18
In this episode, Belgian entrepreneur Thomas Vande Casteele pitches his healthcare startup, Awell, a low-code platform designed for clinical and product teams to create and integrate clinical workflows into their tech stacks. We discuss: Building a low code platform for designing clinical workflows The challenges and strategies of managing a global company, especially in the healthcare sector Insights into Awell's customer base, including both traditional hospitals and tech-enabled service provi...
Jan 31, 2024•37 min•Ep. 17
Last week on Closing Time we talked about M&A in digital health, how we saw 23% YoY dip in 2023, and what’s in store for 2024. Today we’re going to talk about another type of ending for a company, and that’s a wind down. The majority of startups fail, but we don’t talk enough about how to conduct an orderly wind-down. In this episode, we tackle the challenging decision of when and how a founder should wind down their startup (yes— there’s a right way to do it). We delve into legal responsibi...
Jan 24, 2024•29 min•Ep. 16
In 2023, digital health M&A was down 23% YoY. How did this compare to the tech sector? What are digital health acquirers looking for today? And what will 2024 have in store for us? We dive into all these questions and more in this episode about M&A. Here is the link to the blog post Selling Your Healthcare Startup that is mentioned in this episode.
Jan 17, 2024•29 min•Ep. 15
In this episode, founder Jenna Xu pitches her vision for massively more accessible mental healthcare, starting with sleep. Docbotic uses clinically-proven therapy bots available over SMS and WhatsApp. Their first product is Sleepbot , a 4-week text messaging program that is “monumentally helpful to having the most meaningful night's rest”.
Jan 10, 2024•38 min•Ep. 14
In this episode, ALS patient Brian Wallach and his caregiver wife Sandra Abrevaya pitch their virtual clinic for neurodegenerative diseases, Synapticure . Led by neurologists, behavioral health providers, and care coordinators, Synapticure has served over 1,500 patients since launching 18 months ago.
Dec 13, 2023•38 min•Ep. 13
In this episode, serial entrepreneur (3x exited) Dr. Giovanni Colella pitches his fifth healthcare startup — and this time it’s personal. Vanna Health is reimagining care and community for people with serious mental illness. Focused on the most vulnerable and overlooked patients, Giovanni believes in the psychosocial rehabilitation model bringing together community inclusion and the social dimension of care. But how does this scale? And what’s the end goal? Towards the end of the episode, we als...
Dec 06, 2023•46 min•Ep. 12
In Part II of our series on term sheets, Closing Time co-hosts Halle Tecco and Michael Esquivel unpack "clean” and “dirty” terms in startup financing. With the pressure to maintain high headline valuation numbers, investors often grant founders their desired valuations while sneaking in terms that our resident lawyer Michael does not like. The episode breaks down the nuances of terms like liquidation preference, liquidation multiples, cumulative dividend structures, anti-dilution provisions—and ...
Nov 15, 2023•31 min•Ep. 11
In Part I of our series on term sheets, Closing Time hosts Halle Tecco and Michael Esquivel tackle the reverberations from the term sheets of yesteryear. With the generous valuations and optimistic multiples of 2021—many startups now find themselves struggling to justify these figures in the current economic climate. The hosts delve into the nuanced reality of flat and down rounds, dissecting their implications for founders and investors alike. They posit that while no one truly wins in a down r...
Nov 08, 2023•21 min•Ep. 10
After her own mental health crisis, founder Sophia Pages set out to create culturally centered care options for Latine patients struggling with moderate to severe mental illness. With her startup Charla House, she now offers a virtual intensive mental health program for this population. Sophia is early in the journey and looking for a co-founder. Listen in to hear why guest investor Cheryl Cheng of Vive Collective thinks she should skip the VC funding, and what Sophia should do instead. Visit th...
Nov 01, 2023•37 min•Ep. 9
After a career dedicated to health access for vulnerable populations, from communities in Appalachia to Kenya, this year Peter Park decided to co-found Alchemy Health. Alchemy builds and operates in-house pharmacies for safety net providers leveraging the 340B program. In just a few months, they’ve onboarded one clinic and have six more in the works. Our guest investor in this episode is Elana Berkowitz, a Managing Partner at Springbank Collective . Disclosure: Elana and Halle are both investors...
Oct 25, 2023•38 min•Ep. 8
A two-time digital health founder, Pelu Tran is on a mission to use AI to reduce the impact of medical errors, modernize quality improvement, and improve patient outcomes. His company, Ferrum Health, works directly with hospitals and clinics, serving as a middleware layer that everyone seems to be missing. With over 60 AI vendors, and a number of leading health systems on board, he aims to build the Plaid for healthcare AI. Our guest investor in this episode is Jeff Hammerbacher, long time angel...
Oct 11, 2023•37 min•Ep. 7
