StartUp Health

25/03/2026

If a device doesn’t work for everyone, it doesn’t really work.

StartUp Health community member Richard Hanbury of Sana Health explains why the next generation of Sana’s device uses laser-based sensors designed to work across all skin tones, addressing a major flaw in many wearables.

Read, watch, or listen to the full Health Moonshot Update ⤵️
https://media.startuphealth.com/p/health-moonshot-update-sana-health-s-regulatory-breakthrough-in-pain-control

24/03/2026

One of the most decorated figures in diabetes medicine just joined forces with a StartUp Health community member.

Dr. Ralph A. DeFronzo, whose landmark "Ominous Octet" framework transformed how the field understands Type 2 diabetes, has been named Chief Medical Advisor at Pramana Pharmaceuticals. His five-decade career includes contributions to metformin, pioglitazone, and incretin-based treatments, the gold-standard euglycemic insulin clamp technique, 900+ scientific publications, and honors including the Banting Medal for Scientific Achievement and the Prince Mahidol Award.

Pramana CEO & Co-founder Diane Alexander called the appointment pivotal as the company advances clinical programs targeting metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. This is the kind of validation that signals a company is ready to move. 🔬

🔗 https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/architect-of-modern-diabetes-medicine-dr-ralph-a-defronzo-joins-pramana-pharmaceuticals-as-chief-medical-advisor-821622282.html

/CNW/ - Pramana Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biotechnology company developing a first in class oral treatment to restore systemic metabolic resilience, today...

24/03/2026

🌍 Global healthtech investment is in full swing.

📈 This week's StartUp Health Insights funding roundup spans clinical AI, medtech, biotech, mental health platforms, rehabilitation tech, neuromodulation, maternal care, and clinical trials infrastructure – with deals from the 🇺🇸 U.S., 🇬🇧 U.K., 🇫🇷 France, 🇨🇭 Switzerland, 🇪🇸 Spain, 🇨🇦 Canada, and 🇮🇹 Italy.

Read the full round-up ⤵️
https://media.startuphealth.com/p/global-capital-flows-into-ai-powered-care-precision-health-and-beyond-startup-health-insights-week-o

This week's funding roundup spans clinical AI, medtech, mental health, rehabilitation technology, neuromodulation, maternal care, and clinical trials infrastructure, with deals from the US, UK, Canada, Italy, France, Switzerland, and Spain.

24/03/2026

Stimulant use disorder affects millions of Americans — and until now, most of them haven't had access to care specifically designed for them. StartUp Health community member Pelago Health is changing that. Their winter 2026 release brings a dedicated stimulant use disorder program and fully integrated contingency management, combining CBT, motivational enhancement therapy, and CM into a single, gold-standard care model. Early results show 2x appointment attendance and 4x daily check-in rates compared to members without CM.

This is what it looks like to close a real gap in behavioral health. 💙
🔗 https://www.pelagohealth.com/winter-2026-product-release

Pelago's 2026 winter release introduces contingency management as a core clinical intervention and a new stimulants program — expanding specialty substance use care to more members.

23/03/2026

Many people do not realize they are caregivers until they are already deep in it ❤️

A ride to an appointment. Picking up groceries. Managing medications. Dressing wounds.

What starts small often becomes a central part of daily life, especially as loved ones age.

StartUp Health community member Christopher Jue of CAREgivers Insight explains why recognizing caregivers earlier matters for families and for the future of health care.

Listen here ⤵️
https://media.startuphealth.com/p/the-caregiving-front-door-how-caregivers-insight-is-rewiring-home-clinic-connections-3f05

23/03/2026

Alyssa Jaffee of 7wire Ventures doesn't sugarcoat it. In a recent AMA-style conversation with StartUp Health community members, she told founders exactly what she looks for, what she warns against, and why she'll sometimes spend an entire conversation talking people out of taking VC money.

Her take on where we are right now: we've entered the evidence era. Outcomes data isn't a nice-to-have anymore. It's table stakes for buyers and investors alike. She also unpacked why she believes the payers hold the keys to building a multi-billion dollar health tech business, and how AI fits in as a provider enabler rather than a provider replacement.

Read our summary and watch the 10-minute highlight reel from the hour-long conversation ⤵️
https://media.startuphealth.com/p/7wire-s-alyssa-jaffee-on-the-evidence-era-the-payer-unlock-and-why-vc-isn-t-for-everyone

23/03/2026

A 30-second smartphone selfie that screens for cardiometabolic risk — no blood draw, no appointment, no waiting.

StartUp Health community member Kavi Misri and the team at Hibiscus Health are making early detection radically more accessible, and the Validation Institute just confirmed it delivers. Proud to see this kind of innovation earning independent validation. 👏

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7440102466085543936/

🤳 What if a 30-second selfie is all it takes to know if you're at risk for diabetes or hypertension? Sounds almost too simple, right? But 80% of individuals only discover their risk when it's too late — and that's exactly the problem Hibiscus Health set out to solve. 🎙️ We had the pleasure...

23/03/2026

More AI agents. More capabilities. More communities served.

StartUp Health community member Nick Lockett of Pear Suite shares what excites him most about the road ahead as the company expands beyond California and reaches new populations across the U.S. 🚀

Watch the full conversation ⤵️
https://youtu.be/1TecfQDVl2c

23/03/2026

Quantitative MRI has the potential to make imaging more objective, reproducible, and clinically actionable — and StartUp Health community members Valerie Gharagouzloo and Codi Gharagouzloo, PhD, Co-founders of Imaginostics, are helping lead that shift.

The company has received a Letter of Support from Siemens Healthineers as the two organizations advance exploratory discussions around potential collaboration — including technical and commercial pathways for Imaginostics' ImagiView™ and ImagiSight™ offerings on Siemens Healthineers MAGNETOM MRI systems. An important milestone, and a promising signal for the future of precision diagnostics. 🔬

🔗 https://imaginostics.com/news/imaginostics-receives-siemens-healthineers-letter-of-support_2026

20/03/2026

The StartUp Health community is making moves. Here's what's new from our founders this week:

🧠 Yuling Luo, PhD, CEO & Founder of Alamar Biosciences, launched the NULISAseq Neuro 220 Panel — the company's largest precision proteomics panel yet, purpose-built to advance neurological disease research.

🌿 Avanlee Christine, CEO & Co-founder of Avanlee Care, welcomed Eric Scott as Chief Growth Officer.

📊 Stuart Jacobson, CEO & Founder of Biome Analytics, introduced first-of-its-kind cardiovascular productivity tools designed to transform healthcare reporting and accountability.

🩺 Eran Atlas, CEO & Co-founder of DreaMed, shared data showing the MODI Dose Guidance Solution demonstrated glycemic safety and improved control in clinical investigation.

🔬 Valerie Gharagouzloo and Codi Gharagouzloo, PhD, Co-founders of Imaginostics, received a Letter of Support from Siemens Healthineers amid exploratory discussions on potential collaboration in quantitative MRI and imaging biomarkers.

💊 Stephen Willard, CEO of Longeveron, announced the closing of a private placement of up to $30 million.

🩹 Yusuf Sherwani, MD, Maroof Ahmed, MD, and Sarim Siddiqui, MD, Co-founders of Pelago Health, released a new product advancing clinical excellence and expanding access to care.

💪 Anna Muñoz-Farré, CEO & Co-founder of Punto Health, was selected for the Alzheimer's Society's Accelerator Programme.

🤝 Guillaume Blivet, Co-founder of REGEnLIFE, partnered with the University Hospital of Lyon to open a new Alzheimer's research center.

🥗 Sami Inkinen, CEO & Founder of Virta Health, shared clinical trial results showing the company's nutrition therapy extends survival by 34% in stage IV pancreatic cancer patients.

Proud to celebrate this community and the work they're doing to transform health. 🌍

20/03/2026

Excited to see StartUp Health community member Nicole Cook, CEO & Founder of Alvee, taking the stage at the Health Equity Innovators Summit hosted by Coyote Ventures on Apr 16 in Tiburon, CA! 🎤

Alvee is reimagining care through AI-driven SDOH insights and automation — exactly the kind of work that moves the needle on health equity. Looking forward to the perspectives Nicole will bring to this room full of founders, investors, health systems, and policymakers.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cooknicole_excited-to-be-speaking-at-the-health-equity-share-7440078154964160512-jPT1/

Excited to be speaking at the Health Equity Innovators Summit, April 16 in Tiburon, CA hosted by Coyote Ventures! The summit convenes founders, investors, health systems, and policymakers focused on building a more equitable healthcare system. I went last year and honestly, the quality of who's in t...

19/03/2026

Doctors complain about healthcare problems all the time.

But StartUp Health community member Dr. Ian Madom of Mocingbird learned a different approach from his father:

👉 Don’t complain unless you have a solution.

That mindset helped inspire Mocingbird, which is reducing licensing friction so clinicians can spend more time caring for patients. 🩺

Watch the full interview ⤵️
https://media.startuphealth.com/p/mocingbird-how-dr-ian-madom-is-reducing-licensing-friction-to-expand-clinical-care