List of post by tag

Sculley: Domain expertise just as critical as technology in healthcare

As Sculey pointed out " Domain expertise just as critical as technology in healthcare".

In order to succeed in the new digital health space, entrepreneurs need three sets of expertise: healthcare, technology and consumer engagement.

Most entrepreneurs are coming from the technology side with little understanding of the complexity of the healthcare workflow and regulatory oversights. It is critical for entrepreneurs to understand the pain points of all the different stakeholders and design of value proposition for their products that meets the needs of all the healthcare players ...and the consumers.

This is why I founded HealthTech capital, an ecosystem of Angel investors that brings those three sets of expertise to the entrepreneurs we invest in and mentor.

Anne DeGheest | 23 January 2012

Venture Capital Flows to Cost-Effective Health Care Companies

Sarah Varney of KQED interviewed me for the KQED California Report and an upcoming National Public Radio broadcast.
Pleased listen to the audio link after the short local news.

Medicare and some health plans are beginning to withhold payments for medical mishaps, preventable infections, and readmissions. The federal health law also forces them to pay more attention to how much they're spending. Both factors have a direct effect on the kinds of investments that Silicon Valley venture capitalists are betting on. Reporter: Sarah Varney

Anne DeGheest | 07 November 2011

What I Know Now That I Wish I Knew Then: Anne DeGheest, MedStars and HealthTech Capital

The best angel investors are really "mentor capitalists" at heart, investing capital for not just a financial return, but the opportunity to share their experience and networks. They are driven to do whatever it takes: fixing the product bugs, changing market strategy, dedicating themselves to getting the company off the ground, investors, advisors and/or board members.

The entrepreneur's relationship to such people must be based on openness and honesty: sharing the good, the bad and the ugly. Often entrepreneurs fall in love with their ideas and cannot answer the famous "So what" questions: what is the value proposition?  Who make customer decisions? Who pays and why? The entrepreneur has to articulate clearly why there is a large market that has to have this new products now. Proactive investors, advisors and board members can help answer these questions.

Often the right people for these relationships are industry veterans who have built a business in the entrepreneur's industry from the ground up, and have known failure as well as success. As "business architects", they can teach the intricacies of market strategy and finance. They often seek both stock for their "sweat equity" and preferred stock for own cash investment.  This aligns them with founders and other common shareholders.  Properly recruited they can be one of the biggest factors in a business's success.

Anne DeGheest | 25 August 2011