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Announcing the Digital Health Founder’s Fellowship

December 6, 2022

Attention Digital Health Founders: We are now accepting applications to attend the Digital Health Founder’s Fellowship

I’ve spent my whole career in life science and healthcare (as a founder, executive, and now an investor); the fatal flaw that comes up most often in digital health is that many startup companies can’t get paid for the value they create. Most of the companies I meet are developing great products to help patients. Many of these products should reduce overall healthcare costs. But relatively few can actually prove the value they deliver in a payment model that navigates the complexity of our healthcare ecosystem. This is why we are starting the Digital Health Founder’s Fellowship: To help the next generation of digital health founders and startups build sustainable businesses that can realize the unfulfilled promise of technology-enabled healthcare.

Through a partnership with Menlo Ventures and MDisrupt, we are launching the inaugural Digital Health Founder’s Fellowship. We are now accepting applications from founders interested in joining us. We will pack meaningful learning, networking, and mentorship into a two-day event (May 4-5, 2023), followed by ongoing community interactions that will connect startup leaders with fellow founders, top investors, industry stakeholders, and potential collaborators.

My co-host and partner in putting this event together is my friend and collaborator Ruby Gadelrab, CEO and Co-Founder of MDisrupt. She is a seasoned digital health executive who has successfully commercialized healthcare and health tech products and now leads a digital health expert marketplace.  Together, we are gathering leaders from across the ecosystem to help early-stage founders accelerate their path to scalable, sustainable business.

Event Details:

Founders of digital health startups grapple with many of the same common challenges that arise when building a company. They also have to manage the complexity of building within the healthcare ecosystem of payors, providers, regulators, employers, and health systems.

To support these early-stage founders as they build, MDisrupt and Menlo Ventures created the Digital Health Founder’s Fellowship with the mission of helping digital health companies accelerate their path to market and scale their businesses through expertise, access, and mentorship.  

Capacity is limited 

We want to create an atmosphere conducive to connection and conversation. The event is invitation-only and limited to 30 Founders/CEOs. Please scroll down for information on how you, or someone you know, can apply for consideration. 

Digital Health Founder’s Fellowship

May 4–5, 2023
Redwood City, CA

Conference Sessions

This intimate two-day conference, held in early May, will offer access to an unparalleled network of industry-leading experts and decision-makers. Selected participants will have the opportunity to attend conference sessions on topics that will touch on the following:

  • The journey from concept to company  
  • Playbooks for success and how to scale 
  • Business models and channel strategies
  • Engaging payors, employers, and health systems
  • Regulatory considerations
  • The importance of clinical outcomes
  • Fundraising in a challenging economy

 For more details on the event and ongoing updates to the agenda and speaker list, visit the Digital Health Founder’s Fellowship page.

Networking

The Digital Health Founder’s Fellowship was designed to create meaningful and lasting connections. The immersive/interactive nature of the event will introduce attendees to top-tier investors, fellow founders, industry leaders, and critical collaborators who can help them on their journey.

Mentorship

As part of the program, each founder will be thoughtfully matched to a mentor who can provide support as they navigate building their business. 

Cost

This invitation-only event is free to attend. The hosts will cover all conference costs, networking reception, and food/drink during the event.

Participating founders will only have to cover the cost of travel and lodging.

To apply for consideration: ­­­­

If you, or someone you know, would benefit from attending, please fill out an application here.

We look forward to reviewing your application. 

Selection Criteria

To be considered, applicants must be:

  • A founder/CEO of a Digital Health company
  • Representing an early-stage company (Seed-stage through Series B funded)
  • Preparing go-to-market and business models
  • Leading a company based in the US or planning their US go-to-market strategy
  • Available to attend in person May 4-5 in Redwood City, CA
Please keep in mind these key dates:
  • December 6, 2022: Application submissions open
  • February 16, 2023: Application submissions close
  • March 1, 2023: 30 Founder/CEOs selected to participate will be notified
  • May 4–5, 2023: Join us for a two-day immersive digital health experience that connects the most accomplished digital health founders, experts, and VCs who can help you accelerate your path to market. 

We look forward to reviewing your application. Good luck!

About our hosts:

MDisrupt is an Austin-based tech-enabled, health expert on demand network for digital health and the life sciences.  Our goal is to be the bridge between technology and healthcare to help the most impactful health products make it to market quickly and responsibly. We partner with leading companies including Travera, ixlayer, and Thermo Scientific.  

Ruby Gadelrab is the CEO and Co-Founder of MDisrupt. She is a seasoned digital health executive and expert on commercializing healthcare and healthtech products. She served on the executive team at 23andMe as VP of Commercial Marketing and has worked for many leading biotech and genetic companies. Her passion is in helping companies demonstrate clinical outcomes to accelerate their path to commercialization and scale. Before founding MDisrupt, Ruby consulted for, advised, and mentored more than 25 digital health companies. 

Menlo Ventures is a venture capital firm with a long history of helping founders build iconic companies. We believe new technology, appropriately applied, can enable much better healthcare. Our life sciences and digital health portfolio includes more than 25 emerging leaders, including Benchling, Delfi, Genesis, H1, Recursion, Riva, and Ophelia. 

Greg Yap is a partner at Menlo Ventures, where he invests in early-stage teams trying to solve significant problems in life science and healthcare. Throughout his career as an executive, entrepreneur, and now investor, he has focused on improving health through technology. He is committed to helping founders improve health outcomes, reduce healthcare costs, and increase access to better care. In addition to his role at Menlo, Greg is an Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow.