Faces of Digital Health

David Buller is a Founding Partner at Ascension Life Fund and exited founder of Avantec Healthcare. With his extensive experience of both raising and investing money in digital health he shared insights into: 🎯 Strategic positioning for acquisitions in digital health 🎯 Lessons from selling a healthcare company 🎯 Role of venture capitalists (VCs) in supporting startups 🎯 Current and emerging trends in healthcare innovation 🎯 Advice for startups navigating the 2025 investment landscape Acquisition Preparation: Startups must understand potential acquirers’ strategic goals and align their operations (e.g., revenue, margins, customer retention) to fit those goals. Relationships with key suppliers or partners can serve as a natural entry point for acquisitions. Role of VCs: VCs, particularly growth-stage investors, play a critical role in guiding startups toward successful exits. Collaboration includes identifying acquirers and preparing for due diligence. Acquisition Process: Intense due diligence requires companies to have robust financials, contracts, and customer relations in place. Negotiations are influenced by the perceived value and growth potential uncovered during due diligence. Emerging Healthcare Trends: AI-powered drug discovery and diagnostics are transforming healthcare by increasing efficiency and enabling predictive insights. Technologies like remote patient monitoring, automated hospital systems, and data-enabled medtech hold significant promise. Challenges in Scaling: The U.S. offers easier scalability due to its unified healthcare market. European startups face hurdles like diverse healthcare systems, languages, and regulations, but also opportunities in addressing these challenges. www.facesofdigitalhealth.com NEwsletter: https://fodh.substack.com/

In this special holiday edition of Faces of Digital Health, healthcare futurist and strategist Zayna Khayat, futurist and founder of NextMed Health Daniel Kraft and digital health expert, CEO of Transform.health Lucien Engelen discuss key trends in digital health and AI. The panel also touches on the role of new players in the health space like supermarkets and tech giants, the importance of prevention in healthcare, and the promising technologies poised to revolutionize the industry.  Topics include: Key Trends in Digital Health in 2024 European Perspective on Digital Health AI's Impact on Healthcare Costs Future of Digital Health and AI Challenges in Healthcare Implementation Exciting Innovations in Digital Health The Role of Technology in Preventive Health Food, Health, and Corporate Responsibility Policy and Legislation in Healthcare See the video on Youtube: https://youtu.be/hwexC4heHGU?si=ut-V9rqx4yvh1V-X www.facesofdigitalhealth.com Newsletter: https://fodh.substack.com/

In this episode James Somauroo, Host of The Healthtech Podcast and CEO of SomX, a PR and content agency specializing in healthcare and biotech. They dive into the challenges healthcare companies face in public relations, the role of content marketing, and actionable advice for founders and organizations at different stages of growth. From crafting a messaging house to building trust with clinicians, James shares his expert insights on navigating the complex world of healthcare marketing. Key Discussion Points: Evolution of PR in Healthcare Strategic Marketing Tips for Startups The importance of a "messaging house" (vision, key messages, proof points). Mapping audiences, their pain points, and the channels they use. When to Outsource Marketing Personal Branding for Leadership: Why personal content from founders and leaders often outperforms company content. The challenges of incentivizing employees to engage in content creation on platforms like LinkedIn. Trends and Predictions for 2025: A shift away from generic "AI" branding to more specific terms like computational pathology. The rise of co-pilots in healthcare for reducing administrative burdens. www.facesofdigitalhealth.com Newsletter: https://fodh.substack.com/

Several organizations are thinking about the right way to regulate AI and the idea of assurance labs which would test and validate AI solutions in the US healthcare is taking shape. This was the topic we discussed with Brian Anderson - CEO of the coalition for Health AI or CHAI: how will assurance labs look like, how much will assessments cost, who will pay for them, and how will AI “nutrition labels” look like.  Summary: Assurance Labs in Healthcare AI The Coalition for Health AI (CHI) is developing a network of quality assurance labs to evaluate AI models in healthcare. These labs aim to provide independent, transparent assessments of AI models' performance across different populations. By the end of 2024, CHI plans to have two certified labs operational, with more to follow in 2025. Model Cards and Evaluation CHAI has introduced "model cards" or "nutrition labels" for AI models, describing their training data, methodology, indications, and limitations. Model cards are created by developers, while assurance labs provide independent evaluation reports. CHAI is working on technical specifications for model cards to ensure consistency and transparency. Goals and Benefits Assurance labs aim to balance innovation with safety in AI development. They can help identify model performance issues across different populations and accelerate improvements. The process is intended to build trust in AI among healthcare providers and patients. Implementation and Challenges CHAI is creating a competitive marketplace of quality assurance labs to keep costs reasonable. Labs must be free from conflicts of interest with AI vendors. Evaluation reports will be published in a public registry for transparency. The cost of evaluations is expected to be in the range of thousands of dollars, not millions. Future Plans CHAI is exploring partnerships with health systems and NGOs to establish quality assurance labs in the EU. The initiative aims to be scalable and adaptable to different geographic regions and populations. www.facesofdigitalhealth.com Newsletter: https://fodh.substack.com/