The Digest for Health Transformers & Changemakers
StartUp Health community member 9amHealth – the San Diego-based virtual specialty care platform that has delivered more than $50M in projected pharmacy savings for Fortune 100 employers – closed a $26M Series B this week led by Define Ventures. The raise extends a model that's already proven in cardiometabolic care into the broader landscape of high-cost specialty conditions, as employers increasingly grapple with GLP-1 costs and specialty drug spend that now accounts for up to 70% of pharmacy budgets. It's a significant step forward for a company that has been a part of the StartUp Health community since 2022.
The 9amHealth raise is just one piece of an exceptionally active week for global digital health investment. Isomorphic Labs, the Alphabet-backed AI drug design company led by Nobel laureate Sir Demis Hassabis, closed a $2.1B Series B led by Thrive Capital – one of the largest private financings in AI drug discovery history. Add in a $160M raise for AI prescription network Forus, $100M for virtual nutrition-focused Nourish, quantum healthcare tech from Germany, smart implants from France and Israel, and deals spanning the US, UK, Japan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, and India, and this week's roundup reflects the full breadth of where health innovation capital is moving right now.
Today’s Sponsor
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Wisdom from Health Transformers
Essentials: Compulsive Behaviors & Deep Brain Stimulation | Dr. Casey Halpern of SynchNeuro
Huberman Lab Podcast
Real Voices, Real Impact: Dan Kendall & Unity Stoakes on Podcasting in the Age of AI
StartUp Health NOW
Early Answers, Better Outcomes: How Cx Precision Medicine Is Rethinking Alzheimer's Diagnosis From the Ground Up
StartUp Health NOW
From Startup Founder to Cleveland Clinic Innovations: Jerry Wilmink on Building Health Tech That Reaches Patients
StartUp Health NOW
Rethinking the Rules: Julie Yoo of a16z on Infinite Healthcare, Compound Businesses, and the New Investor Playbook
StartUp Health NOW
The New Data Layer in MRI: Valerie and Codi Gharagouzloo, PhD, of Imaginostics on Building a One-of-a-Kind Vascular Health Platform
StartUp Health NOW
StartUp Health Community News
Kehlin Swain, CEO & Co-founder of Greens Health, Selected as a 2026 Aspen Ideas: Health Fellow
LinkedIn
Upcoming Health Innovation Events
Fireside Chat with ŌURA Vice President Jill Angelo
StartUp Health Members Only
Jun 3
Expert AMA w/ Mass General's Katie Brandt, AD/ADRD & Caregiving Advocate
StartUp Health Members Only
Jun 4
American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions
New Orleans, LA
Jun 5-8
Texas Brain Economy Summit
Houston, TX
Jun 9-10
Get 50% off tickets: TexasBrainHalf
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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