It’s no secret that healthcare startups face significant challenges to success. Between identifying an unmet need, validating the technology, establishing a solid business model, understanding the needs of the users and the groups that will be paying for it, finding suitable collaboration partners and, if necessary, investors, there are myriad obstacles on the path of a healthcare entrepreneur’s journey.
Failure is a great teacher no matter what business you’re in, but it’s preferable when insights can be gleaned from the experience of others. For more startups to succeed, there needs to be much more in the way of frank, meaningful conversations from those with firsthand experience of this and sharing the lessons they have learned.
Alejandro Foung
At the MedCity INVEST conference in Chicago April 23-24, the founder and CEO of behavioral health startup Lantern, Alejandro Foung, will do just that. He will also offer insights on how healthcare startups can avoid pitfalls. Lantern was a behavioral health startup founded in 2012.
Despite the company shutting down last year, its technology lives on through a deal with Omada Health announced in January and a licensing agreement with Spring Health. Lantern has also sold its IP to some health systems.
Attend MedCity INVEST to hear from healthcare innovators like Alejandro Foung. Use promo code MCN50 to save $50. Register now.
In addition to a fireside chat with Foung, MedCity INVEST has lots to offer investors and collaboration partners such as providers, payers, pharma companies and medical device businesses. Among the panel discussions will be an evolution of the medical device industry as connected devices create large amounts of data that can be analyzed to improve outcomes. There will also be a town hall-style talk with Bakul Patel, Associate Center Director for Digital Health with the FDA, and a fireside chat with Esther Dyson — the executive founder of the Road to Wellville.
Another part of the conference will be the INVEST Pitch Perfect competition, which includes tracks for startups across biopharma, medical devices, diagnostics, health IT, and health IT services. As part of their presentations, startups will field questions from investor judges. The pitching competition will culminate in awards presented to winners from each of the tracks.
Photo: Andrew_Rybalko, Getty Images
