🤔 If digital health was a party, what kind of party would it be?
PLUS: Ozempic, Wegovy, Semaglutide, OH MY!
After explosive growth in the first year of the pandemic, the amount of VC funding flowing into digital health in 2022 was about half of what it was in 2021. Meanwhile, exit opportunities have seemingly dried up.
In this week’s episode of my podcast, we dive into the macroeconomic landscape and what it means for digital health founders, investors, and employees. Listen to the end to find out the answer to the question, if digital health was a party, what kind of party would it be?
Guests: Mohamad Makhzoumi is Managing General Partner, Healthcare at NEA and Deena Shakir is a General Partner at Lux.
Fun fact: both guests are first generation Iraqi-Americans whose dads went to medical school together in Baghdad!
Topics covered:
- What to expect in 2023 in digital health (and why they are both still optimistic)
- The evolution of digital health business focus from revenue to outcomes to ROI to unit economics
- If healthcare and digital health are recession-proof
- What types of companies are best positioned to weather the storm
- Why there’s more M than A
- If roll-ups work
- And of course: if digital health was a party, what kind of party it would be
Ozempic, Wegovy, Semaglutide, OH MY!
Despite being a multi-billion dollar business — the weight loss industry just isn’t helping people lose weight.
More than 40% of Americans have obesity, a number that continues to rise. And despite being a multi-billion dollar business — the weight loss industry just isn’t helping people lose weight.
Perhaps that’s why new GLP-1 medications, like Wegovy, are getting so much attention. From Elon Musk to Hollywood stars, it feels like EVERYONE is talking about semaglutide (a type of GLP-1 medication sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy).
To learn more, I spoke to Sarah Jones Simmer, the CEO of Found. With over $130M in venture funding, Found is the largest medically-supported weight care clinic in the country.
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In health,
Halle
The Heart of Healthcare Podcast
PS: It’s been a tough few months for podcasters as sponsors and advertisers slow down sponsorships. If you could take 30 seconds to leave a review on Apple Podcasts, it would truly make my day!
