Health Transformer Showcase Wrap-Up: Meet the First Five Founders in the StartUp Health x CHCF Health Equity Community
Our Health Transformer Showcases feature entrepreneurs who are upgrading healthcare delivery in every sector. May’s special edition showcase highlighted the first Health Transformers selected for our unique Health Equity Moonshot community in partnership with the California Health Care Foundation.
Every year, the venture capital industry invests billions in US-based companies, but most of that capital does not flow to Black, Latinx, and female-founded companies. This lack of funding creates missed opportunities for new products and services to solve problems, improve lives, and build wealth in communities of color.
Last year, we announced that StartUp Health and The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) Innovation Fund are teaming up to address this inequity by launching a 12-month initiative focused on Black, Latinx, and female health tech founders. The program will recruit and convene founders and support them via StartUp Health’s platform, health investor networks, and global media channels.
On May 18, 2023, a select group of participants spent an hour meeting these inspirational entrepreneurs from the StartUp Health portfolio who are working to achieve health moonshots that will improve the health and wellbeing of people around the world.
Each Health Transformer had just five minutes to share their novel solutions and progress with an invite-only Zoom room of investors and partners. We’re proud to share their stories with you here — learn about each company’s health moonshot story and progress, listen to Q&A, and reach out for more information from the presenters.
Alerje: Transforming Allergy Management for Children & Families
Javier Evelyn, CEO & Founder of Alerje, builds emergency medicine and digital oral immunotherapy (OIT) solutions powered by AI for the 32 million Americans impacted by food allergies.
Black and brown children are the fastest-growing demographic with food allergies and the least likely to utilize the tools available to improve quality of life.
Alerje — which joined StartUp Health in 2020 and was selected as one of the first five companies in the StartUp Health x California Health Care Foundation community focused on health equity — has built an epinephrine auto-injector that integrates into a smartphone case for improved patient adherence improvement and alerts. Their National Science Foundation-validated OIT adherence platform collects, stores, analyzes, and distributes clinically-relevant data for families, allergists, insurers, and pharma. Using this data, Alerje is developing a proactive patient engagement platform to improve the lives of those impacted by food allergies.
→ Learn more and connect with Alerje
Athelo Health: Democratizing Integrative Cancer Care for Women
Jessica Thurmond, Co-CEO & Co-founder of Athelo Health, is on a mission to transform the patient experience for women with cancer — both during treatment and in remission.
For women undergoing breast or gynecological cancer treatment or remission — and soon all women with cancer — Athelo’s care system is a patient-focused support and remote patient monitoring platform that acts as a bridge between clinicians, caregivers, and patients and between patients themselves.
Athelo — which joined StartUp Health in 2022 and was selected as one of the first five companies in the StartUp Health x California Health Care Foundation community focused on health equity — sees themselves as supporting what makes patients human instead of simply addressing the logistics that support their experience as a patient. Central to this is Athelo’s drive to improve effective patient care across racial and socio-economic backgrounds.
→ Learn more and connect with Athelo Health
IndyGeneUS: Using Genomics to Address PCOS, Endometriosis and Uterine Fibroids in Black Women
Yusuf Henriques, CEO & Founder of IndyGeneUS AI, is on a mission to advance health equity by bringing diversity to precision medicine in historically marginalized populations.
IndyGeneUS — which joined StartUp Health in 2023 and was selected as one of the first five companies in the StartUp Health x California Health Care Foundation community focused on health equity — provides a decentralized, blockchain-secured platform for patients to confidentially store and analyze their genetic data and ultimately improve health outcomes.
Earlier this year, IndyGeneUS, announced the formation of the Women’s Health Research Collaborative (WHRC) to identify common genetic variants shared among diverse populations of women diagnosed with endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). With 90% of women in the United States impacted by these conditions, IndyGeneUS is using genomics to identify the molecular drivers of disease, accurate diagnostic biomarkers, and effective treatment targets to improve outcomes. IndyGeneUS AI is addressing health issues impacting underrepresented and underserved populations, while creating insights on health and wellness for all.
→ Learn more and connect with IndyGeneUS AI
Pear Suite: Empowering Community Healthcare for Older Adults
Colby Takeda, CEO & Co-founder of Pear Suite, is on a mission to empower health organizations to virtually assess and address the drivers of health for older adults.
Pear Suite — which joined StartUp Health in 2022 and was selected as one of the first five companies in the StartUp Health x California Health Care Foundation community focused on health equity — is a social care navigation platform for community health workers. For health and community organizations serving older adults, Pear Suite is a SaaS platform that enables anyone to become a virtual care navigator, helping older adults live healthier, happier, and more independent lives.
Unlike other organizations that fail to comprehensively and efficiently assess and address the drivers of health, Pear Suite saves money and lives with personable and scalable care. Pear Suite will be implementing goal tracking, analytics, dashboards, and AI to automate next steps for older adults in their existing platform.
→ Learn more and connect with Pear Suite
Wingwomen: Supporting Women’s Reproductive Health Journey from Preconception to Perimenopause
Adonica Shaw, CEO & Founder of Wingwomen, is on a mission to support positive conception and pregnancy health outcomes, from preconception to perimenopause, for Gen Z and Millennial women.
Wingwomen — which joined StartUp Health in 2022 and was selected as one of the first five companies in the StartUp Health x California Health Care Foundation community focused on health equity — offers virtual and in-home reproductive healthcare and fertility education. The company focuses on reproductive health literacy, prenatal and postnatal health coaching, and fertility awareness curriculum.
→ Learn more and connect with Wingwomen
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