7wire Ventures partner Alyssa Jaffee joined StartUp Health CEO Steven Krein and the StartUp Health community for a wide-ranging, hour-long conversation on what it really takes to build in healthcare right now. She opened up on the "evidence era" and why outcomes data has become non-negotiable for buyers and investors alike, why she believes the payers hold the keys to building a multi-billion dollar business, how AI is reshaping what founders need to bring to a first meeting, and why she'll talk founders out of taking VC money if that's what the situation calls for.

Conversations like this one happen regularly inside the StartUp Health community. And if you want to be in the room in person, join us on June 16 in New York City for the inaugural Civic Health Forum, a half-day event at Civic Hall bringing together investors, founders, AI leaders, and policymakers around one question: how do we keep everyone healthy in the first place?
» Read & Watch on Health Transformer Journal
» Register for Civic Health Forum

This week's global health innovation funding landscape spans the full arc of transformation – from StartUp Health member Longeveron's breakthrough cell-based therapies for aging and pediatric conditions, to a new generation of AI-native platforms reshaping how healthcare practices and health systems manage their operations, finances, and pricing. Brain health emerges as a defining thread, with investments in non-invasive BCI, Alzheimer's immunotherapy, and minimally invasive laser neurosurgery spanning four countries. 
» Read on Health Transformer Journal
» Join the Alzheimer’s & Brain Health Moonshot Community

What if the next major breakthrough in health was not a new drug, device, or app, but a new way to invest in prevention before illness begins?

That is the idea behind the inaugural Civic Health Forum 2026, a half-day convening on June 16 in New York City that brings together investors, AI leaders, payors, providers, government officials, and founders around one urgent challenge: building health systems that work for the other 99%.

Co-hosted by Fedcap, DHHF, and StartUp Health, the Civic Health Forum is designed to move beyond ideas toward real outcomes, including partnerships, contracts, and capital flowing into the largest undercapitalized markets in health.

This is where civic infrastructure, prevention, and innovation meet, and where health moonshots launch.

At Apollo House 2026, StartUp Health community member Sami Inkinen of Virta Health shared how a personal pre-diabetes diagnosis led him to challenge the status quo and build a company proving that Type 2 diabetes and obesity can be reversed. Now scaling to hundreds of thousands of patients and hundreds of millions in revenue, Virta is combining nutrition, clinician-led care, and AI to deliver real outcomes at scale. Inkinen breaks down why metabolic disease is reversible, how Virta became AI-native across every function, and why scaling disease reversal is critical to delivering better health for the 99%.
» Read, Watch, or Listen on Health Transformer Journal
» Register for Civic Health Forum for More Chats Like This 
» Join the Cardiometabolic & T1D Health Moonshot Community

With more than 2,400 videos, 11,000 subscribers, and nearly a million views on YouTube, our video channel spotlights Health Transformers in action, showcasing how the right mindset, moonshot vision, and the spirit of an entrepreneur make anything possible. Recent videos feature datosX, Mocingbird, VIBEcare, REGEnLIFE, Cognimark, and more.
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Yuling Luo, PhD, CEO & Founder of Alamar Biosciences, on the company’s launch of NULISAseq Neuro 220 Panel, its largest precision proteomics panel with the sensitivity and specificity to advance neurological disease research.
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Avanlee Christine, CEO & Co-founder of Avanlee Care, on Eric Scott joining the company as its Chief Growth Officer.
» Read 

Eran Atlas, CEO & Co-founder of DreaMed, on the company’'s MODI Dose Guidance Solution (DGS) demonstrating glycemic safety and improved control in clinical investigation.
» Read 

Valerie Gharagouzloo and Codi Gharagouzloo, PhD, Co-founders of Imaginostics on the company receiving a Letter of Support from Siemens Healthineers in connection with ongoing exploratory discussions regarding potential collaboration in quantitative MRI and imaging biomarkers.
» Read 

Yusuf Sherwani, MD, Maroof Ahmed, MD, and Sarim Siddiqui, MD, Co-founders of Pelago Health, on the company’s latest product release advancing clinical excellence and expanding access to care.
» Read 

Anna Muñoz-Farré, CEO & Co-founder of Punto Health, on being selected to join the new cohort of the Alzheimer's Society’s Accelerator Programme.
» Read 

Guillaume Blivet, Co-founder of REGEnLIFE, on the company’s partnership with the University Hospital of Lyon in opening an Alzheimer's research center.
» Read 

Sami Inkinen, CEO & Founder of Virta Health, on a new clinical trial showing the company’s nutrition therapy extends survival by 34% in stage IV pancreatic cancer patients.
» Read 

2026 will redefine IT as a strategic driver of global growth. Automation, AI-driven support, unified platforms, and zero-trust security are becoming standard, especially for distributed teams. This toolkit helps IT and HR leaders assess readiness, define goals, and build a scalable, audit-ready IT strategy for the year ahead. Learn what’s changing and how to prepare.

Download the Toolkit

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.

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