Oliver Kharraz, MD

In 2023, only 13.2% of all startup founders were women. Startups with all-women founders raised less than 2% of all venture capital funding. Only 15% of unicorns that went public in 2021 had at least one female founder. April Koh is one of the rare founders who has made it through the gauntlet to get to this point. While companies are struggling to raise more capital in this environment because the hurdles are higher, imagine how much harder it is for a woman founder. It is a triumph and credit to how she has built Spring Health into a $3.3 billion valuation. We are all pulling for you April, because the more Spring Health's there are in the world, the more likely we are to see women unicorn founders in the future.

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A little late, even though this process started in July.... Excited to share our latest investment in Heads Together Health!! We met Steve DeVrieze in October last year, and we think they are poised for impressive growth! Read more here: https://lnkd.in/ecYcqqkn #earlystagestartup #earlystageinvesting #VCinvestment #ncstartups #nctechstartups

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The healthcare landscape is rapidly evolving, driven by advancements in technology and a deeper understanding of patient care. I had the pleasure of speaking with Ambar Bhattacharyya, Co-Managing Partner at Maverick Ventures, on the latest episode of The Full Ratchet. Ambar has partnered with numerous billion-dollar companies like hims & hers, Cityblock Health, Devoted Health, and ConcertAI. His unique journey from rural America to becoming a prominent figure in venture capital offers invaluable insights into the future of healthcare and technology. We discuss his investment strategy at Maverick Ventures, the megatrends shaping healthcare, the impact of AI on the industry, and the importance of integrated care. Ambar also shares his thoughts on the challenges and opportunities in healthcare investment, offering a comprehensive view of what lies ahead. Check out TFR Episode 438 to catch our conversation. You'll be glad you listened.

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At Kearny Jackson, founders constantly ask us what we look for in founding teams. I’m sharing the rough framework that my partner, Sriram Krishnan, outlined to assess founders as a pre-seed/seed investor. This is also how I judge whether someone is “biased for action” or “biased for thought.” I get along well with the former and not the latter, but that’s a story for another day. Level 1 - Speed of communicating Whether by text or email. Quick turnarounds, “acknowledged receipt” types of folks. Not being speedy is not necessarily a bad sign; it can also mean they’re busy or don’t care about you or your email. Usually “closes the loop” and, most importantly, tries to leave no email unresponded. Level 2 - Speed of rewriting deck or memo Founders who pitch one version of the deck and share an updated version after the pitch the same day with slides that address the questions asked during the pitch. Or founders that iterate on positioning and strategy quickly based on input and ship a new version of a deck within days. Some founders use a static deck when presenting (i.e. the same deck for weeks on end), but some are more dynamic and change/pivot/edit when new information or tactics come to light. Level 3 - Speed of talking to or onboarding design partners Founders who not only speak to 50-70 potential prospects within a short time frame but also ones who onboard X design partners very quickly. I’ve seen some founders pitch an idea in week one and sign up four design partners in week two. That’s pretty impressive regardless of what is being built and shows they can execute. Level 4 - Speed of shipping new code, new features, new products, or new pivots This is the holy grail. This is what every early-stage investor means by execution velocity. In the world of early-stage startups, the big fish don’t eat the small fish. The fast ones eat the slow ones. And how quickly you ship code represents how efficient or productive you can be in a resource-constraint environment. All investors would preferably want to see how founders execute with code, but (A) founders don’t always have product during the seed/pre-seed rounds, eg. figma designs, mock-ups, ideas, etc (B) so investors have to rely on other signals to decipher whether you can execute on 4 so levels 123 above will hopefully inform them on that.

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As physicians, we are committed to improving patient care through clinical excellence. However, there's an often-overlooked avenue where our expertise can significantly impact healthcare innovation: serving as medical advisors for startups. Here are a few reasons why I believe we should engage with the entrepreneurial community 👇 1️⃣ Driving Innovation Forward: Startups are at the forefront of medical technology and services. By contributing our clinical expertise, we can guide these companies to develop solutions that are not only innovative but also practical and patient-centered. 2️⃣ Broadening Impact: While our primary influence is within the confines of our practices or hospitals, working with startups allows us to extend our impact globally. Technologies we help develop could benefit patients worldwide, many of whom could never visit us in person. 3️⃣ Learning and Growth: Engaging with startups exposes us to the latest technologies and business strategies, enriching our understanding beyond the medical field. This cross-disciplinary knowledge can enhance our own practices and the way we approach patient care. 4️⃣ Professional Networking: Collaborating with entrepreneurs and other tech innovators can open new doors. These connections can lead to other advisory roles, speaking opportunities, and even advancements in our own careers. 5️⃣ Financial Opportunities: Often, advising roles come with financial compensation, including equity options. These can provide significant financial benefits, particularly if the startup succeeds. 6️⃣ I urge my fellow clinicians to consider stepping into the role of a medical advisor. Our insights are invaluable, and our participation can be the key differentiator in the success of health-focused innovations. ---- Join our vibrant community of 2,000+ healthtech experts and thought leaders. Comment below or DM me, and I’ll provide you with an invitation to our fast-growing network. 📩

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TL;DR - 1) Mario & team at Oscar are testing (and writing about) LLMs in real-world healthcare applications and their blog is a good read for the AI-curious. 2) o1, even in preview format, is a must-try to address complex problems where 4o might not have delivered consistent results. Hopefully folks are starting to set up AI-sandboxes with test data and tinkering!

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