The Digest for Health Transformers & Changemakers
We’re so proud to have two StartUp Health community companies leading this week's global funding round-up.
Devoted Health more than doubled its membership in 2026 and is now expanding to 1,341 counties across 34 states in 2027. Co-founded by long-time members Ed Park and Todd Park, the Medicare Advantage company’s growth is backed by $555M of Series G primary funding, led by Advent with Temasek co-leading. StartUp Health members can hear more from Ed and Todd at a fireside chat later this month.
Fellow members Veeraj Shah and Sanketh Andhavarapu of Vitalize announced a $31M Series A led by Oak HC/FT. The company’s AI-native platform brings "air traffic control" to hospital operations, automating staffing, scheduling, and capacity planning on top of the EMR and time-and-payroll systems hospitals already use.
Additionally, AI took over the front desk this week as Vocca, Parakeet Health, and InTouchNow all raised funding to answer patient calls. The round-up also covers mental health in China, autonomous surgery, hospital billing AI, sleep apnea, women's hormonal health, and AI-designed genomic medicines.
📈 Dive into the Full Insights Round-up
🚀 Become a StartUp Health Member
Louis Ross, CEO & Founder of MEI Micro, has spent decades at the intersection of emerging technology, semiconductors, and motion sensing. Now, he’s bringing that experience to health with navigation-grade sensors designed to deliver dramatically more accurate data for applications ranging from sports medicine and surgical care to remote monitoring and brain health. In a deep dive conversation, Louis shares the unlikely path that led to MEI Micro, why better hardware could unlock the potential of AI in healthcare, and the deeply personal experiences driving his work in the Alzheimer’s & Brain Health Moonshot.
Building something that moves a Health Moonshot forward? Join the StartUp Health community to connect with founders like Louis, find partners who share your mission, and let us help tell your story.
The people shaping healthcare's next decade aren't waiting for conferences to talk about it. They're doing it in rooms our members get to join. Recent and upcoming Fireside Chat and AMA guests include Todd & Ed Park (Devoted Health), Bob Kocher (Venrock), Greg Yap (Menlo Ventures), Lisa Wu (Norwest Venture Partners), Kimmi Grewal (Microsoft), Lisa Suennen (AHA Ventures), Holly Maloney (General Catalyst), and Nick Culbertson (Techstars). Every session is a chance for our community to ask questions directly, build relationships, and stay ahead of where healthcare is headed. Live Q&A is exclusive to members who attend. Become a StartUp Health member today to reserve your seat and join the conversations.
🎫 Get Your Seat
“Thank you for having us on the podcast and featuring our story! We are grateful for all the support of StartUp Health and every founder and co-founder who are a part of this incredible community. We are all better together!” says Aubrey Sawyer, CEO & Co-founder of InHealth.
“Thank you, StartUp Health, for featuring me and for continuing to elevate conversations around mental health. Grateful to be part of this community and to keep reminding ourselves that small, intentional habits can make a meaningful difference,” says Stephen Sokoler, CEO & Founder of Journey.
“It's really been amazing because, you know, as a founder working with esteemed scientists all day, it's great to have an entrepreneurial community to work with that has the same aligned mission, that understands what I'm doing, and really helps network into that community and beyond that community. And it's just been amazing because you do feel alone sometimes as an entrepreneur, and you guys have helped a lot,” says Diane Alexander, CEO & Co-founder of Pramana Pharmaceuticals.
Wisdom from Health Transformers
From EAPs to AI Signals: Rethinking Workplace Mental Health with Stephen Sokoler of Journey
StartUp Health NOW
Building the Referral Bridge Dental Care Has Been Missing | Brant Herman of Dentistry.One & MouthWatch
StartUp Health NOW
Scaling Trust: What Mediktor's AI Triage Tool Actually Does
StartUp Health NOW
Investing in AI-Native Healthcare with Menlo Ventures' Greg Yap
StartUp Health NOW
StartUp Health Community News
Yair Saperstein, MD, CEO & Co-founder of Avo, Selected for Becker’s 2026 Rising Star List of Healthcare Leaders Under 40
Becker's Hospital Review
Deanna Harshbarger, CEO of Cala Health, Named to the Inaugural Medtech Innovation Board from Medical Design & Outsourcing
Medical Design and Outsourcing
Hucu.ai Won the Gold Award in the Building Bridges Category of the McKnight's Technology Awards, Alongside MD for Seniors
McKnight's Long-Term Care News
NEXT Life Sciences Is Helping Bring the Era of Male Birth Control Closer
The Washington Post
Freedom Diagnostics Partners Up With Scan.com
Insurance Edge
Upcoming Health Innovation Events
MedTech Ahead Event
Featuring MindMuscle
Boston, MA
Oct 8
AI Operations Demo Day
StartUp Health Members Only
Oct 13
Frontiers Health 2026
Get 20% off using code FHKNOP20
Berlin, Germany
Oct 20-21
Fireside Chat w/ Devoted Health's Ed & Todd Park
StartUp Health Members Only
Oct 21
Fireside Chat w/ Norwest Venture Partners' Lisa Wu
StartUp Health Members Only
Nov 4
Expert AMA w/ NYU Langone's Dr. Nick Genes
StartUp Health Members Only
Nov 12
Today’s Sponsors
Built for the unstoppable.
The Dell Pro powered by Intel® Core™ Ultra with Intel vPro® adjusts power usage based on how you work, so your battery life never slows you down.
StartUp Health’s GTM Strategy Preferred Partner
QC Growth is built for startups at their most critical inflection points – helping them bridge the gap between product-market fit and scalable sales. They help early-stage B2B startups scale sales faster through founder coaching, outbound systems, and GTM hiring. Real operators. Hands-on help. No fluff.
Your next enterprise deal dies in security review without a SOC 2 report. Sprinto gets you audit-ready in 14 days: three sessions, AI agents collect the evidence, you approve.
Answering a question takes the right article. Doing the work (a refund, a plan change) takes permission. Running Agents in Customer Work, four weekly webinars. Register for All Four
Help Us Spread the Word
When you shoot for the Moon, it’s important to surround yourself with people who help you get there.
Thank you for being part of StartUp Health’s global community leaning into health innovation. If you found this newsletter valuable, chances are others will too, so please feel free to pass it along.
Sponsored by
If you or your organization are interested in supporting this work through sponsorship or partnership, we’d love to hear from you. You can schedule a newsletter ad placement or check out our partner & sponsor opportunities. We also invite you to use our affiliate link to join us on Beehiiv, our new newsletter platform.
