Neel Shah

What keeps me up at night? It’s not the pace of innovation. It’s whether that innovation is actually reaching the people who need it most. We’ve got AI refining diagnoses. Wearables delivering real-time vitals. Virtual care becoming standard. Everything says we’re accelerating. But speak to someone navigating a broken insurance portal. Or a caregiver juggling three jobs and no time for a consult. You’ll see the gap. 2025 won’t be about building what’s next. It’ll be about fixing what’s already here. Making it work better. Work fairer. Work for all. Because in healthcare, the real breakthrough isn’t tech. It’s trust, access, and empathy delivered at scale. That’s the future I’m still building toward. #HealthcareAccess #FutureOfHealthcare #HealthForAll

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Shared some updated thinking with the MedCity News team around where moat and defensibility are built in healthcare AI. Healthcare buyers are clear in what they want: Year 1 ROI, ease of integration, products that solve real pain points, and roadmaps that inspire platforms over point solutions. In an increasingly crowded market, three characteristics will determine who rolls and who gets rolled as consolidation accelerates: • Product velocity — moving fast with AI by unlocking new datasets, using best-in-class models, and developing internally where there’s a unique advantage • Positioning — owning fulcrum points by originating data, converging workflows, and bridging interstitial spaces among siloed entities • Distribution & Brand — reaching, serving, and relating to users in ways incumbents can’t replicate Proud to see Breyer Capital portfolio companies like OpenEvidence, Iterative Health, Atropos Health, and ArteraAI demonstrating to the market what this looks like in practice. https://lnkd.in/eXbBfTqg

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Quantified Health ≠ Better Health We’re tracking everything — steps, sleep, glucose, mood — but are we actually improving care? In my latest piece for Medscape, I explore how we can move beyond raw data toward actionable, personalized insights that truly transform health and medicine. From #wearables to #AI, the goal isn’t just measurement — it’s meaning. Let’s move beyond the noise to what really matters. 🔁 What if we could merge continuous biometric tracking with real-time AI enabled interpretation, integrate that with EMRs, and build adaptive, crowd-sourced feedback loops that learn with every patient encounter? That’s the future of Quantified Medicine — not just more data, but more wisdom. 🔗  Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gk8SGftE #DigitalHealth #PrecisionHealth #FutureOfMedicine

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Our new AI in Healthcare Thesis explores how we view where are the large platforms to be built, what are ingredients for success, and companies already showing what real adoption looks like including: Cohere Health streamlining prior authorization and payer–provider collaboration. Layer Health unlocking value from unstructured clinical data. Luminai automating complex operational workflows. Solara Health tackling workforce shortages with AI-driven clinical copilots. Together, they illustrate the future we believe in: AI not bolted on, but rearchitecting the healthcare system itself. Read our thesis here: https://lnkd.in/gei5nRnX

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Digital health is exploding, but most miss the real story. Last week’s news reveals a game-changing shift. Here’s what I uncovered diving into the latest breakthroughs. • Funding fuels innovation: Quilt Health raised $6M for sickle cell treatments. ↳ Total funding hit $8M, expanding access fast. https://lnkd.in/ggGX-hYk • Sword Health’s AI mental health tool, Mind, scored $40M at a $4B valuation. ↳ Omada and Hinge Health went public, proving digital health is maturing. https://lnkd.in/gMQYAA-C • AI transforms, but risks loom: Xsolis’ AI slashed admin time at Beacon Health. ↳ Rural hospitals face cyber threats as Medicaid cuts bite. ↳ Most think AI’s all upside, but security lags. https://lnkd.in/gTNCqYtm • Global moves matter: New Zealand’s $175M digital health service eases ER pressure. https://lnkd.in/gsFGzh7w ↳ South Korea’s AI predicts traditional medicine efficacy, game-changer. https://lnkd.in/gnJ7ECAy ↳ UK’s Altera Sunrise 25.1 boosts patient portals. https://lnkd.in/gReZsH5b • Data’s the bottleneck: U.S. pushes open Medicare standards. ↳ AI startups sue over blocked EHR data access. ↳ Interoperability isn’t optional, it’s make-or-break. https://lnkd.in/gmfNUDFx I learned the hard way: innovation without access fails. Which trend will reshape healthcare most? Comment below.

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"My job as a commercial leader is to build your pipeline, and your job is to execute on that pipeline." Dickon Waterfield President Lantern tune in this week to the Digital Health Heavyweights Podcast to hear Dickon's take on everything from building sales team, to how Lantern is differentiating themselves in the digital health space, his career highlights and everything in between. Learn about Lantern's mission with specialty care as it is meant to be. Learn about their direct contracting model, and how cutting out the health plan middle man is saving companies a ton. They discuss Dickon's journey from strategy consulting to healthcare, his experiences in investing, and his pivotal roles at Big Health and Lantern. The conversation delves into the challenges of the PBM industry, the importance of direct contracting, and the future of healthcare innovations, particularly in specialty care and oncology. Dickon emphasizes the need for transparency, quality care, and the alignment of incentives in the healthcare system. ❤️ Healthcare is a deep personal field that impacts everyone. 🔄 Transitioning from investing to operational roles can provide valuable insights. 🤝 Sales in healthcare requires a focus on building relationships and trust. 🔍 Understanding the details of the product and the buyer is crucial for success. ⚠️ The PBM industry faces significant challenges due to misaligned incentives. 💼 Direct contracting models can lead to substantial cost savings for employers. 🔎 Quality care and transparency are essential in specialty care. 👥 Building a strong team is vital for scaling a healthcare business. 🎯 Focusing on a few core services can lead to greater impact than spreading too thin. 🧘 Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is important for long-term success. https://lnkd.in/drn34vVc

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What does it really take for tech-native founders to build in healthcare? For Max Cohen and Cameron Behar of Sprinter Health, it meant focusing on where tech could unlock scale without breaking clinical trust. In a recent conversation with Julie Yoo, they discuss how their model is reintegrates unengaged patients through various methods including the challenging frontier of in-home care: blood draws, eye exams, and virtual NP visits coordinated by a W2 workforce and a custom logistics engine. It’s tech-meets-operations in one of healthcare’s messiest frontiers. Their advice to builders entering healthcare: 👉 Don’t assume tech alone is the value. It’s how you fit into existing systems that counts. 👉 You won’t win by ignoring regulation. Learn it. Design around it. 👉 Be clear on what problems you are best suited to solve. Not every healthcare challenge is yours to own. Listen here: https://lnk.to/zFk0tz None of the above should be taken as investment advice or an advertisement for investment services; please see https://lnkd.in/gjmYWkHi for more information. For a full list of portfolio companies, visit https://lnkd.in/g7hjSuHb

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There’s no shortage of startups and point solutions trying to optimize pieces of healthcare, and many of them are doing important, innovative work. But I think we sometimes forget that one of the most powerful things we can do is trust the people already delivering care. We’ve all seen a wave of third-party solutions trying to improve access, reduce costs, and enhance quality. And while the intentions are good, the reality is that too many of these solutions end up creating more fragmentation. Instead of working through the physicians and care teams our patients already trust, they often operate in parallel or around them. Beyond the fragmentation issue, it’s administratively burdensome to keep bolting on new solutions. And it’s confusing for patients who continue to receive outreach from yet another company that isn’t part of their care team or their health plan. By simplifying the system, we not only boost efficiency, we create a more cohesive and patient-centered experience. At the end of the day, patients don’t need more apps, emails, phone calls, or texts. They need a care team they can count on. When we cut through the noise, the clearest path forward is one that is streamlined, supportive, and rooted in trust between patient and provider. At GuideWell Health and Florida Blue, we’re focused on building models that put care back into the hands of the providers our members know and trust. And we’re using innovation to simplify the experience, not complicate it. When payers and providers work in true partnership, everyone benefits - especially the patient. #healthcare #primarycare #careteam #valuebasedcare #patientfirst #innovation #payervprovider Tracy Williams Raul Daza Gina Mangus Alicia Zoya Dana Dunn Santori Florida Health Care Plans GuideWell Emergency Doctors Sanitas Medical Center

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Andreessen Horowitz is one of the world’s most influential venture capital firms Partners David Haber, Julie Yoo, and Daisy Wolf describe companies operating at the intersection of fintech and healthtech as "payvidors"—businesses that not only deliver care but also solve the question of how patients and providers pay for it.This thinking sits at the very center of HealthCap Africa’s investment thesis. We focus on healthtech and fintech because we see, every day, that healthcare delivery is meaningless without the ability to pay for it. A diagnostic lab, a hospital, or a telehealth platform can only scale sustainably when patients have access to financial tools—insurance, credit, payments, or savings—that make care affordable and accessible. That is why our team combines deep subject-matter expertise across both sectors. We back the entrepreneurs building at this frontier: health innovators who improve quality of care, and fintech disruptors who unlock access to it. Together, these companies create the infrastructure for healthier, longer lives across Africa and beyond. 📖 Read David Haber and his team’s excellent piece on payvidors here: https://lnkd.in/dvMJ_KtZ

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The Rise of Tele-Sexual Health: Virtual Clinics and Remote Care Models View my Portfolio. Telehealth transformed mainstream medicine — and now, it’s reshaping sexual wellness. Virtual clinics and remote care models are breaking barriers that once kept people from seeking support around intimacy, sexual health, and confidence. Why this shift matters: • Access without stigma: Surveys show that over 60% of adults hesitate to discuss sexual wellness concerns with in-person providers. Telehealth reduces embarrassment and increases comfort. • Global reach: Virtual platforms make sexual wellness expertise accessible across regions where providers are scarce, particularly in rural or underserved communities. • Integrated care: From contraceptive guidance to pelvic floor therapy, remote models are enabling multidisciplinary support in ways brick-and-mortar clinics often cannot. • Market acceleration: Digital sexual wellness platforms are forecasted to grow alongside the broader telehealth sector, which is expected to exceed $450 billion globally by 2032. At V For Vibes, we see tele-sexual health as more than convenience — it’s a pathway to equity. By combining technology with empathy, we’re advocating for a future where intimate health support is accessible, discreet, and evidence-based. The question is no longer if remote care belongs in sexual wellness, but how quickly we can scale it responsibly to meet demand. #SexualWellness #Telehealth #DigitalHealth #Innovation #SexTech #VForVibes

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sadly, evaluating bias in AI outputs by health tech startups is viewed as a "nice to have" and often an after thought. sharing this thoughtful framework by Irene Chen and Emily Alsentzer which highlights the essential domains to evaluate when guarding against the unintended consequences of new technologies. besides systemic evaluations of outputs, what are some other creative approaches to tackling this problem upstream? e.g. data sets representative of populations utilizing the tools Source: Redefining Bias Audits for Generative AI in Health Care (NEJM AI 2025)

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The longer you spend in health care x tech, the more you learn about human preferences in the wild bc you are exposed to thousands of experiments. What has become abundantly clear to me is that people really do respect and desire experts in their care. What they have lost all patience for is conflating that with the right to take away their own agency to make decisions. Look at the companies growing fastest with DTC patient acquisition or business models. This is one of their core insights. This is NOT always the “fault” of the experts even though it’s typically labeled paternalism - in fact those DTC companies all have physicians in leadership positions and in the care delivery model too! The agency issue is embedded in how we decide what care gets paid for, how we regulate, institutional policy and care pathways, and what exposes the experts to legal risk. Unless we fix this as a core industry principle, we are not giving many people the kind of care they want and will “engage” with over time.

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Just published a deep dive into how organizational structure can literally create billion-dollar value in health tech. Sword Health's CEO Virgílio (“V”) Bento credits their "CEO team" model with generating $1B+ in company value. It's a 7-person team that acts as a force multiplier for the founder, providing what they call "dynamic elasticity" - basically a flexible pool of high-quality talent that can be rapidly deployed wherever fires need fighting. The model is brilliant in its simplicity: take top-tier consulting/banking talent, expose them to the hardest problems in the company, then expect full team turnover every 18 months as they get promoted into senior roles across the organization. It's leadership development that actually scales founder judgment. I also looked at how OpenAI pulled off their Codex launch - concept to full product in 7 weeks with a small senior team. Their bottom-up culture and bias toward action is something health tech companies could learn from, especially in our heavily regulated environment. The pattern across companies like Teladoc, Cedar, and Virta Health is clear: traditional hierarchies don't work for rapid scaling in health tech. You need structures that can integrate clinical expertise with tech capabilities while maintaining the agility to pivot quickly. The companies winning in this space aren't just building better products - they're building better organizational machines. Structure as competitive advantage is real, especially when you're trying to coordinate across providers, payers, and patients simultaneously. Worth thinking about how your own organization scales decision-making and develops talent. The companies that figure this out are the ones capturing the biggest exits.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ _________________ Disclaimer: The thoughts and opinions expressed in this essay are my own and do not reflect those of my employer or any affiliated organizations.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ _________________ See link in comments for full essay

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