The Digest for Health Transformers & Changemakers
The connection between what we eat and how we live has always been obvious. What's new is that the science, the market, and the cultural moment are finally catching up. Kim Fisher — Chief Impact Officer of StartUp Health's Food as Medicine Moonshot, Director of Programs at UC Davis's Innovation Institute for Food and Health, and Founding Director of Food & Health Angels — has spent her career at the intersection of entrepreneurship, research, and investment. Now she's bringing all of it to bear on one of health innovation's most consequential frontiers.
In a conversation with StartUp Health co-founder Unity Stoakes, Fisher maps the landscape: the molecular science unlocking the "dark matter" of food, the GLP-1 moment reshaping consumer demand, the big food companies quietly turning to startups for answers, and the early-stage funding gap she's working to close. She also shares the personal story that set her on this path — and the vision she's building toward.
We heard you. Early-bird tickets to the Civic Health Forum are still available – but only through tomorrow, April 2.
On June 16 at Civic Hall in New York City, investors, AI leaders, payors, providers, and founders are coming together around one urgent challenge: building health systems that work for the other 99%. Co-hosted by Fedcap, DHHF, and StartUp Health, the Forum moves from conversation to real outcomes – partnerships, contracts, and capital into the largest undercapitalized markets in health.
One more day to save your spot at the lowest price.
This week, StartUp Health community member Avo, the clinical AI platform that transforms EHRs into intelligent systems of action, announced the closing of a $10M Series A led by Noro-Moseley Partners. Beyond Avo, it was a big week across the board – WHOOP hit a $10.1B valuation on a $575M raise, eMed secured $200M for its GLP-1 employer platform, and Qualified Health pulled in $125M to scale enterprise AI across health systems. Deals also landed in revenue cycle, workforce retention, behavioral health, senior primary care, and medtech – with activity spanning the US, Netherlands, Brazil, UK, Israel, Canada, and India.
📈 Read on Health Transformer Journal
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Turning Heartache into Hope: How ZinniaTV Supports Dementia Patients and Their Loved Ones with Allyson Schrier
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Upcoming Health Innovation Events
Fireside Chat with Esther Dyson, Author, Investor & Board Director
StartUp Health Members Only
Apr 15
Health Equity Innovators Summit
Featuring Alvee
Tiburon, CA
Apr 16
Fireside Chat with CMS/CMMI's Abe Sutton
StartUp Health Members Only
Apr 29
American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions
New Orleans, LA
Jun 5-8
Fireside Chat with General Catalyst's Holly Maloney
StartUp Health Members Only
Jun 10
Alzheimer's Association International Conference
London, UK
Jun 12-15
Civic Health Forum: A Health Moonshot for the 99%
New York, NY
Jun 16
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