Othman Laraki

I'm excited to announce Headline's investment in Citizen Health, a $30M Series A to build an AI Advocate for every patient and usher in a new era of patient-centered healthcare. Founded by Farid Vij and Nasha Fitter, Citizen is transforming rare disease care by combining AI, community, and longitudinal health data to give patients, especially those with rare and complex conditions, clarity, guidance, and agency in their health journeys. Why people choose Citizen: 💜 100+ patient communities trust Citizen Building WITH patients, not for them. We focus on trust and community. 🧬 Infrastructure that actually works Citizen Health built what others are still figuring out. Comprehensive record collection. Research-ready cohorts. #AIAdvocate to drive better health. Engaged patients who trust our platform. 🤖 AI with real impact Not another chatbot. Citizen's AI Advocate (now in beta) turns medical chaos into clear answers for the patients who need it most. Complex ML problems, elegant solutions, empathetic experiences. ⚡ Speed that matters Citizen's data saves lives. It has been used in regulatory filings to the FDA to accelerate drug development. 🔐 Privacy at scale Medical information is never shared with third-party AI companies or used to train their algorithms. Citizen Health builds systems where people and privacy are at the heart of it all. Citizen’s vision is bold: turn fragmented care into connected, proactive, and precise experiences for the 400M+ people globally living with rare disease. We’re proud to partner with them on this mission. More here: https://lnkd.in/gAVjH_72

157

5 Comments

I'm excited to announce that Ryght AI has closed a seed funding round led by Foothill Ventures with participation by LDV Partners to accelerate our development and market traction. Ryght has developed an industry leading, native #GenerativeAI and #AgenticAI software platform with AI applications to automatically match any clinical trial protocol with any site globally most likely to successfully enroll for that trial, then activate them in record time. We have done this by developing an AI #DigitalTwin of every single clinical trial site in the world, each of which is constantly updated with relevant matching data by our AI Agents. Our AI feasibility app automates the completion of site outreach, and activates the best sites in a fraction of the time. Gone are the days of downloading spreadsheets of site data from subscription sources, manually analyzing each, and "cold calling" sites, with low success. Our customers are also using our platform to power their trial software and for medical writing. The market is booming! See our press release here: https://lnkd.in/gyXCN7fZ And thanks to Katherine Davis at Axios for the great article here: https://lnkd.in/gHaAZ7aZ In addition to our new investors, thanks also to our current investors including AIX Ventures, Virtue Top Harvest Capital Page One Ventures and Iaso Ventures

145

29 Comments

Our first Vital Signs of 2025 is a fun one – I sat down with Hemant Taneja the CEO of General Catalyst. GC is one of the world’s largest venture capital firms and has invested in companies like Livongo, Cityblock and Hippocratic AI. We discussed a ton of interesting things including whether we'll see $100B health tech startups, buying a health system, what will succeed in AI, and more. Some highlights: 🏥 $100B health tech companies Hemant believes there will be multiple $100B healh tech companies that are defining the spaces they’re in – for example, a company that can decrease the $150B spending on payment processing in healthcare. He adds that every GC incubation aims to become that large. 🏥 Why General Catalyst bought a health system Hemant argues that no single company can transform healthcare alone, but rather, innovation and partnerships are key to building out the trillion dollar ecosystem. He advocates for radical collaboration over disruption. GC had been partnering with health systems for a few years when it wanted to accelerate its partnerships and create the blueprint for healthcare innovation. This led to their interest in Summa Health to do hands-on transformation work. 🏥 What’s next for AI x venture Hemant does not think AI will be a bubble that bursts. But, he explains that the ecosystem is constantly changing, so companies need to be constantly iterating, with the most adaptive companies being most successful. He also encourages taking on harder problems and thinking on longer horizons, as those will yield the best outcomes. He shares that AI defensibility won’t be in the software but instead the relationships and collaborations companies can foster. 🏥 Getting tech-enabled services right Hemant’s contrarian take is that companies that are the worst from the margin perspective, such as many services solutions, will lead to some of the most exciting IPOs in the next few decades. He asserts that AI is the biggest opportunity for these companies, and it’s important for founders to decide whether this technology will act independently or serve as a companion solution to humans. This decision requires thought around what creates the best consumer experience and the task’s level of responsibility (e.g., revenue cycle management vs. diagnosing patients). Some really great takeaways on the future of healthcare investing & innovation in this episode! Listen to our full episode below: YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gVTkNKDe Spotify: https://bit.ly/4heSk8w Apple: https://bit.ly/3PTk3ja

77

4 Comments

Omada Health, which went public three months ago, just released promising results: more than 60% of its members maintained weight loss after discontinuing GLP-1 therapy. I wrote down a few thoughts. 1️⃣ 𝐔𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲, 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐈𝐏𝐎𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐡 Over 90% of HealthTech companies (including TechBio) that went public have significantly underperformed. Halle Tecco analyzed 23 digital health SPACs (around 40% of all HealthTech public listings went through SPACs). Her findings: ▪️30% declared bankruptcy ▪️26% were acquired at steep losses ▪️90% of those still trading have lost double-digit value since debut But now, it seems this dynamic may finally be shifting. 2️⃣ 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬, 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫, 𝐇𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞, 𝐎𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐚 = 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐬 As of September 9, 2025, their market capitalizations were: Tempus AI = $14B Waystar = $7B Hinge Health = $4.5B Omada Health = $1.4B For comparison: Philips, the leading MedTech, has a market cap of $23B. Tempus is going straight after Philips. 3️⃣ 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 Last year, Hinge Health launched its Strategic Solutions Alliance, which now includes 13 partners whose solutions can be distributed directly to Hinge Health’s member base. This is a more generic pattern: once a HealthTech has gained a strong installed base through its point solution, it becomes a curated marketplace. 4️⃣ 𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 Tempus AI secured the first AI-only CPT reimbursement code in the US (October 2024). It also acquired Page AI, a leader in digital pathology. After oncology, Tempus aims to expand into cardiology, neurology, and psychiatry. 5️⃣ 𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐏𝐎𝐬: 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐌&𝐀 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 HealthEdge, a CareOps player, was acquired by Bain Capital for $2.6B (May 2025) Arcadia, a #healthcare analytics company, was acquired by Nordic Capital for an undisclosed sum (June 2025) Iodine Software (AI-powered healthcare payments) was acquired by Waystar (July 2025) Some HealthTech companies are now mature enough for private equity, while winners like Waystar are consolidating the market. 6️⃣ 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 = 𝟎 𝐈𝐏𝐎 While the US (and China) already count dozens of HealthTech #IPOs, Europe has had none. Doctolib could be the first next year… or perhaps Alan. --------- This analysis was made possible by the HealthTech Alpha platform from Galen Growth | Redefining Digital Health Intelligence. Join the Healthcare Business International conference in March 2026 in Paris for more M&A in Healthcare Innovation discussions! Follow HGM Advisory for daily reposts of the most relevant #HealthTech news.

112

6 Comments

#AmTech Weekly Roundup: Ambience Healthcare raised $243 million in Series C funding from Oak HC/FT, Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI, Kleiner Perkins, Optum Ventures, and Town Hall Ventures. Ambience is building AI documentation software to record patient appointments, generate comprehensive medical notes, and standardize coding/authorization workflows.   Michael Ng, Nikhil Buduma    Reveal Technology raised $30 million in Series B funding from Ballistic Ventures, Shield Capital, Booz Allen Hamilton, and others. Reveal’s two main offerings are 3D mappings generated from drone videos and mobile biometrics. They are deployed with the US Army, Special Operations Command, Marine Corps, and other NATO forces.   Garrett Smith    Prophet Security raised $30 million in Series A funding from Accel and Bain Capital Ventures. Prophet is applying agentic AI to Security Operations Centers (SOCs), or hubs for cybersecurity defenses within an organization.  Kamal Shah, Vibhav Sreekanti #VC #HealthTech #Healthcare #Defense #Cybersecurity

43

3 Comments

We at Define Ventures have been believed in the impact and potential of AI from the very beginning, with the use cases spanning administrative efficiencies to improving the clinician experience. And our team has found a market eager to adopt AI as well: 75% of large payers and providers planning to launch AI this year. But building AI for healthcare isn’t just about having a great product—it’s about proving scalability and longevity. At Define Ventures, we’re focused on finding and supporting founders with the vision and execution to deliver on this promise. The surge in health tech AI funding is just the beginning. Thanks to Mario Aguilar for a great conversation on this topic https://lnkd.in/gkB6RXeJ

99

7 Comments

🩺 🥼Connective Health is building a healthtech service for doctors so they are better equipped with the right data at the right time to deliver high quality care to patients 🥼 🩺 It's W2 / Q1 / 25 & this week in our MGMT Boston startup series we’ve got Connective Health, a Seed stage startup leveraging interoperability for automated medical record retrieval and customized summaries to deliver a better experience for providers and better outcomes for patients. Founded by Joe Athman, Chris DiBlasi, and Ryan Hess, MBA this trio previously worked together at Surescripts. Ryan and the team have known for decades, seeing it up close at Surescripts, that our healthcare system still works in antiquated ways. The concept of interoperability, which was supposed to solve many of healthcare’s ills, has been a grind to become a useful force. Healthcare is still fragmented. When your parents come down to visit from New Hampshire, they’re probably bringing a 4 inch thick binder with their entire patient history because the doctor they're going to see won’t have it. On the other hand, if they do bring it, no one’s going to look at it.. And it certainly won’t improve their care. The healthcare provider network management market just passed $4B and is projected to grow to $12B by 2032. Healthcare is 17% of U.S. GDP and provider burnout to service this behemoth of a system is a real thing. Some studies show physician burnout prevalence as high as 60%. Connective Health uses AI & analytics to deliver a doctor exactly what they need ahead of each patient appointment, combing through patient files as long as 500 pages from 10 different locations and reformatting those sources to deliver specific and actionable information. Making sense of these disparate data networks, formats, and information is where the magic happens so doctors can more quickly figure out why the patient is there and deliver great care. Connective Health locates 98% of patients, analyzes 1M documents per month, combs pharmacy databases, and interacts with 4,000+ clinical sites monthly. This Seed stage startup billed $1M+ ARR in 2024 with bookings 2-3x of that number. Their customers pay per provider with average deal sizes ranging from $50k - $500k with a small but mighty team of 8. Their goal is to triple their revenue growth in 2025, growing to dozens of customers, as they look to grow their GTM team further. Operators to Know: -Anne Jacobson, Director, Customer and Product Success -Kathryn Jaggers, Product Strategist -Richard Kramer, VP of Sales -Adam L., Director of Engineering -David Theobald, VP of Business Development If you're interested in learning more, the full post is linked in the comments And sign up for the newsletter to see who we bring you in the weeks ahead!

67

5 Comments

Incredible panel last night on AI and its impact on Women's Health. Some key take aways: - Although there are many risks or negative potentail impacts of AI in women's health, we also have to remember that there are opportunities in access, personalization, acceleration of diagnoses (incorporating multimodal data), and more. - Data is still the foundation - there are still so many missing datasets in women's health (for example, Strawberry Health is collecting the first longitudinal data on hormonal health). Public and academic partnerships are critical to this to enable datasets that can be shared across the community. - The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is still alive! Some grants are still being awarded, so the panelists encouraged to still try to secure them, even if research into women's health is not publicly encouraged. - We have to have a seat (or make a seat) at the table to implement any change we want to see in women's health and influence policy. Without voices demanding what is needed, change will not happen. One example of this is when the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), the largest and oldest such study, was cancelled, so many women and media spoke up in protest that the study was re-funded. https://lnkd.in/ga_XwtRC Thank you to the amazing panelists Svetlana Kazantseva (Strawberry Health), Nikole Kimes (Siolta Therapeutics), Anna Chukaeva (Intercellular) and moderator Kamayani G. (KAMI Think Tank) and co-host Vanloan Nguyen (Berkeley Pharma Tech). Huge thanks to MBC BioLabs and Cooley LLP for hosting! #artificialintelligence #womenshealth #genai #agenticai #healthcare #lifesciences

192

19 Comments

I constantly meet founders who say, “AI is going to replace doctors.” But that’s not really what’s happening. After building AI products at Meta, I spent the past year working with doctors launching private practices and turning those insights into what we’ve built at Vibrant.  My take? 🚀 AI isn’t replacing doctors—it’s dramatically changing what makes a great one. The best doctors are turning to functional, integrative, and longevity medicine and they aren’t just diagnosing and prescribing, they connect the dots across labs, lifestyle and personal history: ✅ Piecing together data from labs, wearables, and intake forms ✅ Adjusting treatments in real-time based on how patients actually respond ✅ Personalizing care based on lifestyle, culture, and root cause The problem? They’re drowning in admin. Instead of focusing on understanding patients, they’re stuck with disconnected systems, manual research, and hours of paperwork. The trend I see is clear:   💡 Doctors who embrace AI will deliver better care—those who don’t will fall behind.  I’ve seen it firsthand. Doctor A uses AI to interpret a mix of patient data before the visit, so they start with a clear picture and spend the visit focused on the patient. Afterward, they generate a personalized care plan in minutes and wrap up notes and orders in just 5 minutes with the help of AI agents. Doctor B spends 45 minutes manually reviewing intake forms, labs, and charts before the visit. Half the visit is spent filling in missing context, and post-visit admin takes another 40+ minutes. They need another visit to finalize the care plan—leading to even more admin. The difference? Efficiency, connection, and better patient outcomes. This is why we built Vibrant — yep, Doctor A is powered by us. This is the future of private practice: 🔹 AI in the background. 🔹 Doctors fully present. 🔹 Patients getting care that fits their life. If you’re a doctor building a practice like this, let’s chat.

248

73 Comments

HARPETH VENTURES ANNOUNCES INVESTMENT IN VENTEUR Harpeth Ventures Opportunity Fund (“Harpeth Ventures”) is pleased to announce its participation in Venteur’s recent $20 million Series A funding round. The round was led by Informed Ventures and American Family Ventures, with participation from Morgan Health, Ingeborg Investments, Catalyst by Wellstar, Plug and Play, Revelry Venture Partners, Houghton Street Ventures, and Techstars. San Francisco-based Venteur is the leading healthcare benefits technology company transforming how employers offer and manage health insurance through Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs). Venteur’s platform empowers employers to offer flexible, personalized health benefits by enabling employees to select individual plans that fit their unique needs. Through a combination of technology and concierge support, Venteur helps individuals navigate their healthcare options while driving improved outcomes and greater cost efficiency for employers. More information is available at Venteur.com. “We greatly appreciate Harpeth Ventures’ involvement from both a capital and relationship perspective,” said Stacy Edgar, Co-Founder and CEO of Venteur. “The Harpeth team has already been instrumental in several business development opportunities.” Added Chuck Byrge of Harpeth Ventures, “With our relationship-driven approach, we were fortunate to meet Stacy in early 2024 and have followed their growth closely. We couldn’t be more excited about their future and the tailwinds driving ICHRA adoption.”

56

7 Comments