ReBootHealth

In episode 25 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Cory Janssen. Cory is unique compared to previous guests with a background in finance as the founder of Investopedia and now operating AltaML. I’ve spoken to Cory on several occasions and really enjoy how he uses his business and founder experience to create a lens of AI/ML in healthcare. Today’s conversation focused on several high-level concepts including the challenges of building AI startups, regulations, Canada’s role in the future of AI/ML In healthcare, and the importance of data with maybe an overemphasis by some organizations on its value. To be clear, Cory brings a fresh perspective on what it takes to build AI/ML companies in any sector, but it’s clear that despite the challenges, he remains keen on building something massive in this industry!  As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on October 5th, 2023.

11:21—Are we in an AI hype cycle?

17:34—Understanding the venture studio model in healthcare innovation.

26:49—What are the inputs and challenges to building a successful AI startup?

40:09—Why don’t we emphasize AI in the operations of healthcare?

47:20—The power of LLMs, technology stacks, and data to power healthcare.

53:35—Data, healthcare organizations, and competitive moats in AI and healthcare.

1:01:28—Open vs closed systems, regulation, and the future of healthcare innovation.

In episode 24 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Frank Rudzicz. There’s been so much ‘hype’ around the use of artificial intelligence/machine learning in life sciences that I wanted to get a solid footing for where we are and what’s possible. Now this is a big topic and one show cannot do it justice, but as they say, you have to start somewhere. Frank and I started out with his own journey, moved to some high-level definitions in LLMs, discussed Winterlight Labs, and challenges for founders, and then moved on to elements Canada might need to accelerate AI/ML in healthcare and finally possibilities for where ML might be deployed. On this show, we only touched on AI in surgery, which I think could be a fascinating topic all on its own, so hopefully, we’ll get Frank back (…if he wasn’t too traumatized by my show!). As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on July 19th, 2023.

07:20—Early signals for NLP and level setting.

18:03—The spark for Winterlight Labs.

25:40—Challenges for AI founders entering healthcare.

35:50—Moving Canadian AI forward in healthcare.

43:30—Adapting to LLMs and its quirks.

50:48—Where will value accrue most with AI?

54:48---Grading our work on the CIFAR roadmap.

1:00:46---AI in surgery.

In episode 23 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Mith Jones. Mitch was referred to me by a previous guest of the show and as a Canadian in the US life sciences ecosystem, I was curious to get a bit more on his perspective. I’ll admit this show won’t be for everyone, but during our pre-show chat, I came to quickly appreciate the depth of knowledge and skill that Mitch brings to the therapeutics arena. I couldn’t help but think if we just had a “few more Mitch(es) north of the border” we would be able to make some real strides in closing the talent gap. Mitch was also one of the few guests that highlighted and corrected my show notes (thanks Mitch!!) …the first one to dig in and a sure sign of the ‘real deal’ if there ever was one. We touched on many topics including the influence of culture on venture creation, critical components of developing clinical programs, the long duration of life sciences innovation, and future technologies to watch. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on April 11, 2023.

07:15—Building a life science venture two decades ago.

19:44—Culture and opportunity matter for big ideas.

26:50—Foundational elements for successful ventures.

29:40—A role for AI in life sciences.

33:20—Critical pieces for the development of a clinical program.

40:00—Patience required: The long duration of innovation.

48:03—Future technologies to watch.

In episode 22 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Zain Kassam. Zain was a co-founder and former CMO of Finch Therapeutics, a publicly listed, therapeutic microbiome company in Boston. I’ve known Zain for a little over a year now and he’s probably the closest I’ll ever get to a ‘Kendall Square cluster founder’. I wanted to explore Zain’s thoughts from his unique lens of building ventures and how to do it better in Canada. I certainly could have spent a lot more time with Zain but we did manage to tackle a number of topics including the need to solve a problem, building teams to move life sciences forward, the importance of storytelling when raising capital, cultural challenges to innovation in Canada and where we might want to focus our efforts and ways to move forward. This is a great pod with clear articulate thinking and lots of food for thought for innovators, policymakers, and most of all builders of life science ventures. A great way to start out the show for 2023. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on March 10, 2023.

08:20—Moving from academics to venture building.

14:12—Building the right venture team.

22:50—Choosing the right ‘science’.

26:00—Storytelling for capital raises.

34:40—Overcoming operator and cultural challenges.

46:07—Re-re-visiting IP and commercialization.

56:01—Start at the beginning for cultural change.

1:04:00—Where should Canada focus in life sciences?

In episode 21of ReBootHealth, I speak with Sanjana Basu, Investor at Radical Ventures. In her time at Radical, Sanjana has focused on AI/ML innovation across multiple sectors including health. We all know that this is a hot area and see its eventual value in healthcare, so I wanted to get a sense of where we are in this journey, especially as the capital markets take a breather.  With that as background, we talked about Canada’s continued role in AI/ML in healthcare, the foundational underpinnings of the sector, what investors in the space look for in ventures, managing the market reset, and future opportunities in the space.  As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on September 28, 2022.

07:37—Canada’s opportunities and challenges for AI/ML in healthcare.

12:50—A path to move ahead in AI/ML and healthcare.

19:50—The waves of AI/ML in health.

27:30—Level setting between media ‘hype’ and reality.

31:00—Investors and the need for second-level thinking.

43:30—Preparing your venture for a successful capital raise reset.

56:40—Assessing the risks of AI/ML health ventures.

1:01:35—Future opportunities in the space.

Building a Learning Health System for Canadians

Adoption Imperative Part I: Digital Health’s Inflection Point

In episode 20 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Anne Woods, Managing Director of Life Sciences and Healthcare, Silicon Valley Bank Canada. Anne is also a Board member at Life Sciences Ontario and has a bird’s eye view of the life sciences ecosystem across the country as well as our neighbours down south (…think chowder). We talk about how she meandered into the industry having an open mind, the role of SVB for ventures, the four pillars of life sciences, regional variation in innovation and her three top picks for our life sciences technology. Anne proves that you don’t have to be only at the bench or bedside to make an impact in this industry!! Just keep yourself open to the prospects and you might just find yourself in the life sciences industry. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on August ###, 2022.

07:45—The role of Silicon Valley Bank Canada for ventures.

14:20—Measuring ourselves against big brother in life sciences (yes, again).

25:54—Exploring the “T” word…talent.

33:00—Touching on infrastructure and IP.

47:00—Focusing on funding for ventures.

50:00—Upping our game in Ontario.

60:00—Anne’s future picks for Canadian life sciences.

Here’s a link to SVB reports on healthcare for some great data!

In episode 19 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Dr. Karen Cross, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon and co-founder of Mimosa Diagnostics. I was keen to chat with Karen on several fronts and get her thoughts on transitioning between academic medicine and entrepreneurship, balancing various roles, perspectives on clinician founders, strategies for addressing diversity challenges in medicine and ventures, moving from Toronto to the east coast to continue work, and so much more. I didn’t get to know Karen while she was in Toronto (my loss) but glad I connected with her through the show. If you’re even remotely thinking of a move from academics to entrepreneurship, you should listen to Karen’s learnings! As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on July 5, 2022.

07:16—Merging academics and entrepreneurship.

16:50—Embracing the difference in ‘entrepreneurial’ health providers for change.

24:49—The challenges of transition.

30:30—How to be a clinician and a founder.

37:40—Perspectives on clinician founders and adoption.

46:25—DEI, lessons learned and moving forward.

1:00:30—Collaboration for success.

In episode 18 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Crystal Phillips, Health Lead of Thin Air Labs. This pod was a bit different from my normal format. Crystal kindly agreed to have a meandering chat on a few topics that I wanted to dive deeper into. She was willing to talk about her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and how it impacted her Olympic speed skating hopes, her journey into the healthcare world, launching Branch Out Foundation for research in neurological sciences, her foray into the world of venture capital and her thoughts and future perspective on the role of data in healthcare. Thanks, Crystal, for being a great role model for others in the face of adversity and a prime example of the diversity that we have and need in health innovation, and finally, for being willing to experiment with a new interviewing style with me!  If you want to connect with Crystal, I’ve provided some links in the show notes. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on May 12, 2022.

07:34—Deploying data in diagnosis and treatment.

12:11—Be the CEO of your own health.

19:32—Moving from challenges to solutions.

26:45—Getting the entrepreneurial itch.

31:20—Thin Air Labs' future thesis on medicine.

37:22—Alberta’s power in health innovation.

Organizations mentioned in the podcast:

Thin Air Labs

Branch Out Neurological Foundation

In episode 17 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Frank Baylis and Kris Shah, co-founders of Baylis Medical Technologies. These two founders are clearly operating experts—no hype, no exaggeration--just hyper-focused on executing their way to a great business. The most interesting aspect of this show was chatting to two co-founders who started and ‘finished’ running a business successfully. We jump through several topics including pivoting medical ventures, the benefits of bootstrapping, the changing landscape for medical device ventures and thoughts on what Canada needs to work on to help ventures do better on the national and global stage. If you’re just starting out as a founder, I’m sure you’ll be able to appreciate the operational expertise of these two guests. Certainly, proved to me that we have amazing founders and operators in this country if we just give them a chance. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on April 12, 2022.

08:06—The importance of learning business versus technology.

13:28—Leveraging the learning mindset to pivot.

23:34—Bootstrapping to success.

29:00—Canada’s impediment to medical device innovation.

35:54—Changing landscape for medical devices.

43:50—The uphill battle for medical device ventures.

52:40—The beginning of a medical device renaissance.

In episode 16 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Dr. Pieter Cullis, professor at UBC and co-founder of Acuitas Therapeutics. This was a masterclass in personalized medicine. Pieter has a wealth of knowledge but I spent the entire episode reviewing his 2015 book, Personalized Medicine. We start with his impetus for writing the book and move into areas that in 2015 were nascent but are now in full view. I asked him to comment not only on our progress but also on the potential obstacles and then the two areas that remain unexplored—neuroscience and aging. This was a special treat for me to be able to sit down with one of Canada’s most eminent scientists and peer into the future…he is truly an example Clarke’s first law. If you’re at all interested in personalized medicine and need a primer, I urge you to give this a quick read. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on February 11, 2022.

06:56—Starting the personalized medicine journey.

14:34—Shifting from population to individual health.

18:49—What tools will change biotechnology?

31:25—Potential obstacles (and solutions) to moving forward.

40:58—The final frontier--neuroscience.

46:58—Aging and chronic disease.

50:50—Reflecting on the speed of progress.

The Personalized Medicine Revolution: How Diagnosing and Treating Disease Are About to Change Forever

In episode 15 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Drs. Singh and Moffat. They co-founded Empirica Therapeutics in 2018 to address glioblastoma and were recently acquired by Century Therapeutics in 2020 to form Century Therapeutics Canada. Sheila and Jason discuss their chance meeting to collaborate, Canadian stem cell research, the challenges they faced as an early-stage biotech venture, and where they feel Canada can do better. We also touched on the great things we’re doing in the biotech space despite all the challenges and finally, for all you aspiring graduate students, you’ll hear how to get invention out of academia and turn it into innovation. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on January 28, 2022.

09:30—The two Christophers.

14:30—Serendipity and the power of collaboration.

19:55—Canada and stem cell research.

26:08—Starting Empirica Therapeutics.

34:27—Transitioning scientists to entrepreneurs.

43:56—Moving research from the ivory tower.

51:44—Fostering the Canadian biotechnology ecosystem.

In episode 14 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Ali Tehrani. Ali is the co-founder and former CEO of Zymeworks, a publicly listed, clinical-stage, biopharmaceutical company focused on developing biotherapeutics in the oncology space. It was an honour and a joy to have Ali be a guest and share his deep knowledge around building one of the pioneer biotechnology ventures in the Canadian ecosystem.  We could have spent hours on this show but decided to focus on the key passions of Ali including talent in biotechnology, permission to be ambitious, entrepreneurship, and the new world of biotechnology. There’s a lot more I wanted to explore and look forward to having Ali back on the show. For those of you who listen until the very end, a surprise ‘hack’ to quickly connect to one of Canada’s all-star biotech founders. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on January 24, 2022.

10:15—Starting the Zymeworks journey.

17:22—Diversity of talent in biotechnology.

23:32—Debunking the obstacles in Canadian biotechnology.

30:49—Permission to be ambitious.

33:15—Exploring entrepreneurship.

38:33—“The Last Dance” and leadership.

42:50—The new world of biotechnology

48:07—Reflections.

In episode 13 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Dave Kuraguntla. Dave is the founder and CEO of Alio, a non-invasive, remote patient monitoring start-up focused on chronic conditions.  Telehealth and remote patient monitoring have been hot areas in venture over the last two years and we talk about Alio’s impact in this area. Dave talks about the importance of finding a tribe for founders, focusing on solving problems rather than building technology, the role incentives play in helping (or hindering) a market and the role serendipity can play with a founder’s journey. Dave is a classical “scratch the itch” type of founder who saw a problem and needed to solve it. While it sounds easy, Dave reminds us of many valuable lessons when building ventures in the health care market. If you’re a founder take note of his 4 “P’s”, it’s a good reminder of what it takes to get product adoption for health care innovation. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on December 15, 2021.

06:58—Aligning incentives to solve problems.

10:25—The importance of finding your tribe and maintaining focus.

23:52—Incentivizing nephrology in the digital age.

34:40—Unlocking remote patient monitoring for scale.

40:10—When to chase serendipity for upside.

In episode 12 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Ali Ardakani. Ali is the founder and managing director of Novateur Ventures a global talent firm of device and drug development experts.  Ali continues our exploration of the Canadian biotechnology ecosystem with a specific focus on British Columbia, a province that has recently been firing on all cylinders. Ali provides insight into what is working in BC and what is not. We chat about entrepreneurship, BC and its talent pool, and the role of capital in the ecosystem. Ali is passionate about a national vaccine strategy, and we talk about its relation to national security. Finally, we touch on the future of growing teams in early biotechnology and finish off with a brief primer on platform technology and its role in growing regional ecosystems. I was thrilled to have been connected with Ali, and hopefully after listening you’ll understand why he is a huge asset to the BC biotechnology ecosystem. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on November 17, 2021.

06:30—Biotechnology and entrepreneurship.

13:00—Growing the talent pool in BC.

20:30—The search for Canadian capital.

25:55—Biotechnology and national security.

35:00—The future of biotechnology and virtual work.

41:00—Platforms and building ecosystems.

In episode 11 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Peter van der Velden. Peter is the Managing General Partner of Lumira Ventures, a multi-stage life sciences investment firm focused on biotechnology, medical technologies, digital health, and consumer healthcare solutions. Peter is no ‘biotech-tourist’ and so it was great to hear a seasoned veteran’s perspective on the Canadian health ecosystem. We could have chatted for hours, but I wanted to touch on the critical aspects of the innovation ecosystem: people, places, policies, and purse strings (‘capital’) that fuel our system. We explored many topics including Canada’s health innovation status, the role for institutional players and governments, and his perspective on how clinicians can become more involved. Peter has some specific thoughts on what needs to happen to boost our system to the next level. While some may not agree with all his ideas, it was refreshing to hear such a clear and articulate thesis of what needs to be done and where we need to go from here. I do hope some of the players mentioned in this show step up to life sciences, as Canada has a lot to offer the world from its great science! This episode was a pleasure to conduct with many useful nuggets and thought-provoking ideas. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on November 12, 2021.

05:55—Canada, life science and innovation.

12:55—Sourcing talent and capital to grow biotech.

22:20—Shifting capital landscape and venture models.

28:25—The role of government in life sciences.

40:50—Angels, venture philanthropy and life sciences.

46:53—Roadmap to healthcare innovation.

In episode 10 of ReBootHealth, I speak with James Somauroo. James is an anesthetist and intensivist in the UK who has become a healthtech start-up communication “whisperer”.  He is the founder of SomX, host of the Healthtech Podcast, and editor and chief of Healthtech Pigeon. I was fascinated with James’s journey and felt a kindred spirit in helping to shine a light on all the great founders and activities in the healthtech ecosystem. I was particularly excited to invite James as my first, inaugural ‘across the pond’ guest. We touched on a number of topics including the power of storytelling, the importance of a communications strategy for healthtech start-ups, a high-level overview of the NHS healthtech ecosystem, and where we might go from here for the ecosystem in general. James is a prolific content distributor, and I was honoured to have him share his learnings. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on October 6, 2021.

10:10—Choosing healthcare policy vs founder route.

18:20—Storytelling and healthcare start-ups.

25:30—Balancing healthcare marketing and evidence.

37:50—Where is health technology today.

42:46—Assessing the UK health technology ecosystem.

54:00—Moving away from ‘hype and hope’.

In episode 9 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Alexandra Greenhill. Alexandra is an emergency care physician and founder of Careteam Technologies. Alexandra has an immense depth of experience as a clinician, administrator in the healthcare ecosystem, and now as a founder and CEO. I crossed paths with Alexandra on a CDL reading club and quickly appreciated her passion for the fields of technology and health. On today’s show, we talk about some of her generalizable heuristics that all founders could benefit from, diversity in the health tech ecosystem, and the role of evidence for early-stage founders. If you’re an early founder in health tech (but particularly a woman) and not already following Alexandra Greenhill, you must add her to your list. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on August 26, 2021.

06:55—Starting with the “Why?” in healthcare.

11:15—The Greenhill heuristic-perspective, time, and inner happiness.

17:20—7 key tenets for all founders.

33:40—Diversity and gender in digital health ventures.

41:51—Digital health tech and the impact of diversity.

45:33—Is clinical evidence required for early ventures?

53:26—Canada and the innovation ecosystem.

AUTHORS/BOOKS REFERENCED 

Marshall Goldsmith

Good to Great

Mindset

In episode 8 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Muhammad Mamdani. Muhammad is Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and Vice-President of Data Science and Advanced Analytics at Unity Health Toronto. Muhammad bridges advanced analytics including machine learning with clinical and management decision-making to improve patient outcomes and hospital efficiency. I brought Muhammad on for 2 main reasons; one to shine a light on the great work being done by healthcare organizations in AI and health care and the second, to understand the more neglected parts of the exciting health innovation journey--technology evaluation and change management. Muhammad and his team have produced some amazing results through multiple projects at Unity Health. What struck me most was not the emphasis on specific data sets or ML models, but rather the impact of social buy-in and change as one of the most dominant factors for technology success. If you’re entering the field of ML/data helps to remember that this is still a ‘people industry’. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

If you enjoyed the podcast, please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on August 19, 2021.

08:30—Understanding the data life cycle in healthcare.

16:35—Creating excitement around AI within the health system.

24:45—The ‘social game’ of technology deployment.

27:48—Will change happen outside-in or inside-out?

30:46—What clinicians need to know about the models.

37:33—How does evidence play a role in AI technology.

44:40—How role of regulators and change management.

In the seventh episode of ReBootHealth, I speak with Avi Goldfarb. Avi is Professor of Marketing and the Rotman Chair of Artificial Intelligence and Healthcare at the University of Toronto. He is also co-author of the Book Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence. This interview with Avi was fascinating as he unpacked AI and healthcare through an economic lens. The content in this episode won’t help you build a better AI but it will do one better—help set the context for the profound impact of AI on the business and structure of healthcare. We talked about AI’s impact on the anatomy of a decision, the pace of adoption in healthcare, its potential role in clinical medicine and design implications, and a utopian/dystopian view of the future of health. I highly recommend Avi’s book (linked below) for a novel way to view AI without all the hype and buzz. I must admit that this episode was quite enjoyable to research as it opened a whole new perspective for me. I promise it will do the same for you. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence

Avi Goldfarb’s publications

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on August 13, 2021.

05:00—AI and its role in decision-making and healthcare.

15:04—Estimating the pace of change for AI in medicine.

19:20—How to capture value with AI.

27:10—Applying lessons of the past and present to AI adoption.

39:40—Decision support versus automation.

44:15—How to design technology for the task.

47:31—Will 'ship-to-shop’ apply to healthcare?

54:27—Canada’s status in AI/healthcare.

In the sixth episode of ReBootHealth, I speak with Ray Muzyka. Ray is a family physician turned gaming founder (BioWare) turned prolific investor (Threshold Impact). Ray co-founded BioWare in the early1990’s and continued to work with Electronic Arts after they acquired BioWare in 2008. Ray has a wealth of knowledge in so many areas, it was hard to narrow down the show to only a few topics. We eventually decided to dig into his thoughts on qualities that make great founders and the role of mentors and advisors (all 3 areas in which Ray is familiar).  We end the show with a brief chat about Ray’s love of games and specifically his thoughts on poker. This was a particularly enjoyable show as I had the privilege of diving deep with one of the most knowledgeable, humble, and generous angel investors in the Canadian innovation ecosystem. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

· Ray’s full bio

· Ray Muzyka’s book list

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on July14th, 2021.

05:40—The founding of BioWare, compatible co-founders and leadership

13:24—Defining the qualities of great founders.

20:24—Building a founding team.

25:08—Potential challenges for new founders.

28:14—The importance of mentorship.

38:15—Where to find a mentor for coaching and support.

40:47—The role of poker in Ray’s life and its relation to entrepreneurship.

50:10—An overview of the Canadian healthcare innovation landscape.

In the fifth episode of ReBootHealth, I speak with Arash Zohoor, founder of Inkblot Therapy, a digital mental health platform designed to deliver convenient, affordable, and confidential mental health services. Inkblot Therapy was founded in 2015 and was acquired by Green Shield Canada in 2021.  Arash is a family physician and in many ways was well ahead of the curve with digital mental health services, one of the hottest sectors in digital healthcare over the last 12-24 months. We discuss his role as clinician and founder, the need for strong vision and flexibility by entrepreneurs, how he started Inkblot Therapy, thoughts on the digital mental health space, and a framework for thinking about this space and its potential opportunities. This was a great conversation by a clinician and operator that I was very much looking forward to exploring for quite a while. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on July 8, 2021.

05:00—Systemic barriers to change in healthcare and the way forward.

07:45—Balancing the clinician role with entrepreneurship.

14:43—The need for flexibility with a strong vision.

22:05—Building value for Inkblot Therapy.

29:15—Exploring the use of data in mental health and healthcare.

37:48—The explosion of digital mental health services.

43:20—What might happen next and moving forward with digital healthcare.

49:47—A framework for assessing opportunities in the digital mental health space.

54:40—Challenges to innovation in Canadian healthcare.

In the fourth episode of ReBootHealth, I speak with Jehangir Appoo, Founding Partner of AIoT Health, a physician led syndicate investment partnership. Jehangir has recently transitioned from cardiovascular surgeon to early-stage start-up investor and advisor. We talk about a broad range of topics on the show including his transition from clinician to investor, his sources of learning and his advice for early-stage founders entering healthcare. This interview was particularly fun as it brings insight from an individual who was recently able to make a major career transition in a short amount of time and do so in a graceful manner. Jehangir will no doubt have a lot to offer the Canadian healthcare venture system. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode was recorded on June 23, 2021.

05:00—The lure of digital technology in healthcare.

08:00—Learning and the power of conversations.

16:55—Overcoming the ‘imposter syndrome'.

18:30—Advice for healthcare start-up founders

23:42—Technology is not enough.

33:40—The next layer of healthcare and untapped domains.

42:50— Mentorship versus capital to build the ecosystem.

In the third episode of ReBootHealth, I speak with Sachin Aggarwal, CEO of ThinkResearch. Sachin was successful in taking the company public recently and I wanted to get him on the show to talk about the journey from startup to public company. Rather than a high-level overview we focus on two central elements and how they change through a company’s growth: KPI’s and culture. This episode will dig into choosing KPIs for your startup and how to make them relevant for the healthcare market.  We then attack the nature of culture…developing it and maintaining it. It was a pleasure interviewing Sachin and getting his insights. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on June 16, 2021.

04:19—ThinkResearch and the global knowledge crisis

09:25—Engaging healthcare providers

14:15—Choosing your KPIs for healthcare

23:43—Changing KPIs as you grow

28:55—Focusing on value vs cost-containment

31:45—Developing your startup culture

34:35—Reducing friction between you and your customer

38:10—How to maintain culture with growth

42:35—Current trends in healthcare innovation

In the second episode of ReBootHealth, I interview Noah Crampton, CEO/founder of Mutuo. We cover a fair bit of ground in this episode including how to balance life as a clinician and a founder, the impact of computers in examining rooms, natural language processing (NLP) and its role in healthcare, the mindset of clinician versus entrepreneur and thoughts on Canadian healthcare innovation.  Noah provides insight on moving from a clinician to a founder and how the two roles overlap. I hope you enjoy today’s discussion with Noah Crampton.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on May 26, 2021.

04:40—Balancing the clinician and founder roles

09:45—Patient-physician-computer relationship

17:00—Personal learnings of Noah his research

19:00—Starting Mutuo

24:46—NLP and its roles in healthcare

30:56—Clarifying Mutuo’s value proposition in clinical care

35:28—The impact of a clinical lens on an early founder

42:30—What we can do better to support start-ups

In the first episode of ReBootHealth, I interview Joshua Liu, CEO/founder of SeamlessMD. We touch on a lot of points in this podcast with Joshua including how he got started, navigating the pull of healthcare customers, early wins, and the role of peer-review evidence in supporting your venture. Joshua had a lot of great insight as an early-stage entrepreneur and hopefully, his learnings can help others thinking about moving down this path. I hope you enjoy today’s discussion with Joshua Liu.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on May 12, 2021.

05:00--How SeamlessMD landed on patient engagement

10:47--Balancing customer pull and vision

13:49--Is founding a startup in healthcare really different?

19:00--Keeping track of early wins.

20:40--Does peer-review evidence matter for startups? What outcomes are important?

26:38--Adding healthcare members to the founding team.

31:58--Choosing geographic markets. USA vs. Canada

36:00--Defining the problem to solve in healthcare as a startup?

39:50--Improving the Canadian healthcare ecosystem.

43:45--Not everything in healthcare is bad.

This is the inaugural episode of RebootHealth and I'll be your host, Amol Deshpande. This episode explains why I decided to launch this podcast. It's a short piece setting out the map for our journey to explore the people and technology rebuilding the digital health care system. If you have any interest in learning from founders, researchers, clinicians, or investors and how they're trying to help build a better health care system for the future, then I encourage you to have a listen.  See you inside...