Companies to Watch: Transforming Health and Wellness Through a Pandemic
Innovation and adaptability define New York’s tech community. That culture inspired a rapid call to action from entrepreneurs, engineers, and creatives alike to respond to the myriad of changes New Yorkers are experiencing in their work and home lives. Chief among them are the new ways that everyday New Yorkers are receiving not only COVID-19 care, but general primary care — and the new ways healthcare professionals are providing it.
Here, we’re profiling New York startups using their tools to support the health of all New Yorkers — and that of the entire country — over these difficult months. Check back here weekly for new conversations with the founders lending a hand.
AIDOC
What does your company do?
Aidoc co-founder and CEO Elad Walach: Aidoc — pronounced “Aid” plus “Doc” — aids doctors using AI. We work with doctors to provide solutions that increase their efficiency and improve patient outcomes. We have six FDA clearances for detecting and prioritizing acute abnormalities in CT scans for pathologies, including brain bleeds, stroke, pulmonary embolisms, and C-spine fractures.
Why did you bring your company to NYC?
EW: When we received our first FDA clearance, we wanted to be close to our target market — the US. We chose New York because it is closer to Tel Aviv (where we have team members) than the West Coast, and because it is both a tech and healthcare hub. It also has the best restaurants and most interesting architecture.
Aidoc’s technology has a lot of components — it’s built for radiologists, uses computer imaging, and is powered by artificial intelligence. How did you decide that AI was a tool that the medical field could benefit from?
EW: My two co-founders and I worked with AI in the Israeli military and we experienced firsthand the power that good AI solutions could have. When we completed our service, we were looking for a field that could utilize the AI we knew for the better good. Radiology is one of the most technologically advanced fields in healthcare, and as such has put radiologists in a position that exposes them to increasing amounts of patient data—- better quality of scans, more data per scan — while at the same time making it almost impossible for them to effectively gleen the information needed from that amount of data. This is where we realized AI can make a real impact on patients' lives — by building a tool that runs in the background to make radiologists’ jobs easier.
You closed an extended Series B round just a couple of months ago — at that point, New York was about six months into the pandemic. What’s it been like continuing to scale a company — much less a healthcare company — during a public health crisis?
EW: It was definitely challenging. I think that in times of uncertainty, the most important thing is to be transparent — over communicate to your employees and to your board of directors. When the first lockdowns happened, we put a lot of effort into making sure our employees were comfortable at home and above all, safe. My management team and I met on a daily basis to assess the market situation and think about how we were going to address the pandemic and its future outcomes. Plus, it was important to me that I met with my investors to share our thinking and be open about our direction.
What role do radiologists have to play in detecting coronavirus? What makes their work different from that of an epidemiologist right now? Have you been able to expand your imaging technology to look for COVID-19 risk?
EW: The role of radiologists was unclear when the pandemic started. The immediate guidance from the American College of Radiology was actually to stop all elective scans, cutting scan volumes in the US and across the world by close to 50 percent. This caused some employment issues within radiology practices, with radiologists being furloughed or sent on paid leave.
What became apparent after the initial shock was that the need for scanning wasn’t going to decrease — patients were just waiting at home with scheduled or, unfortunately, urgent scans they still needed. With that demand still there, we found that our solutions were becoming even more relevant. In addition, the FDA released some new guidance (“Enforcement Policy for Imaging Systems During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Public Health Emergency”) which made it possible for us to market a solution that can prioritize incidental findings suggestive of COVID-19 in patients that come in for routine scans.
Telemedicine and telehealth have been around long before the pandemic, but, of course, we’re seeing a rapid increase in demand for virtual healthcare options. Is that also true of radiology? How is radiology — and even AI more broadly — going virtual?
EW: Teleradiology has been available for many many years, and radiologists in general are not patient facing so the “virtuality” has actually been part of radiology from day one. The radiologists are the expert in abnormality detection and serve as a physician’s consultant. The more efficient radiologists can become in their scan reading, the more time they will have to consult and help advise on patient treatment paths.
Do you think this moment is going to make more permanent changes in healthcare, even post-pandemic? What do you hope the industry will look like at the end of the decade
EW: COVID-19 has changed the playing field for everyone, especially the healthcare industry. The combination of lower hospital budgets and reduced stability in the financial market will only widen the gap between industry players with significant adoption and those without. Specifically, in machine learning for medical imaging, there is a significant glut of companies that develop algorithms for image analysis competing for an increasingly finite amount of resources. I believe we will see some radiology AI players begin to consolidate or liquidate, as well as potential mergers or acquisitions amongst the bigger players.
Are there any projects Aidoc put on hold when the outbreak began? What are you most looking forward to devoting more time to when the pandemic ends?
EW: We didn’t put any projects on hold — if anything, we increased our work and projects to maintain the growth we experienced. If I had to say one thing that I miss is traveling — to our customers or to our offices in Israel to spend some face-to-face time with our teams.
Where do you get your favorite pizza slice?
EW: From my wife — she makes a great homemade whole wheat pizza.
What’s your favorite New York building?
EW: The Flatiron Building.
What’s the best place in New York for a coffee or lunch meeting (remember in-person meetings)?
EW: Our office is close to Columbus Circle so I used to go to Bouchon Bakery there a lot.
What’s one new thing your team is doing to stay connected while everyone works from afar?
EW: I’ve started sending video updates to the whole company, and we’re doing regular doing “on the mic” sessions with our various teams.
OULA
What does your company do?
Oula co-founder and CEO Adrianne Nickerson: Oula is building modern maternity centers that combine the best of obstetrics and midwifery care to deliver a more evidence-based and personalized pregnancy experience.
Why did you found your company in NYC?
AN: There was such a huge need for better maternity care in New York that it was hard to ignore. That coupled with great talent and a competitive healthcare market made it the best place for us to start.
It’s not hard to imagine that a lot of expectant mothers are feeling an extra layer of anxiety their pregnancy is happening through a pandemic. Has Oula’s strategy shifted at all to respond to the time we’re in?
AN: We felt strongly even before COVID that individuals who were pregnant deserved more support than they were getting. COVID just put a spotlight on that, so for us, it hasn’t really changed our strategy as much as it has validated the need for what we are building.
You started building Oula just over a year ago, just months before New York confirmed its first case of COVID-19. What’s it been like building a new company — much less a healthcare company — during a public health crisis?
AN: From raising capital to hiring our first employees, we had to do all of it remotely. My co-founder and I both value and appreciate in-person time, and so it has been particularly hard not to be able to sit as a team in front of a whiteboard and work through the challenge of the day. It has forced us to think more intentionally about communication and building team culture.
How is Oula approving upon what people typically think of maternal care — lots of ultrasounds and clinical check-ups — and working to improve womens’ experiences with hospitals, insurance providers, and other companies?
AN: Prenatal care is largely the same now as it was after World War II, which is mind-boggling given how much technology has advanced in the last few decades. The way we deliver maternal care at Oula is different in that we designed the care team to be truly collaborative and personalized. Patients are able to access the right team for their unique needs and we’ve woven technology into the experience in a way that enhances connectivity and communication with their care team. And most importantly, we are able to deliver care that feels premium without the price tag by partnering with insurers to cover our enhanced model of care.
This is your second health tech company. What have you learned about the healthcare industry that everyday New Yorkers might find surprising? What will healthcare look like in ten years?
AN: For a while there was a general feeling in digital health that tech was the solution to all of healthcare’s problems. Over the years, I’ve realized more and more how critical it is to use technology to enhance how clinicians deliver care, as opposed to replacing it.
Are there any projects or plans Oula put on hold when the outbreak began? What are you most looking forward to devoting more time to when the pandemic ends?
AN: Community is really important in the maternity space. We delayed plans for in-person community events and support and are really looking forward to a time when we can incorporate back into our model.
Where do you get your favorite pizza slice?
AN: Barboncino in Crown Heights.
Where do you get your favorite bagel?
AN: Murray’s Bagels.
What’s your favorite New York landmark?
AN: The Brooklyn Bridge? Despite having lived in New York for well over a decade, I haven’t visited some of its biggest landmarks, like the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty.
What’s the best place in New York for a coffee or lunch meeting (remember in-person meetings)?
AN: Sant Ambroeus in SoHo.
What’s your favorite remote work office hack?
AN: Getting up and going somewhere in the morning just to mimic the routine of heading to work. It helps get me in the right mindset for the day.
What’s one new thing your team is doing to stay connected while everyone works from afar?
AN: We are just kicking off a virtual cooking series and are excited to have everyone share their hidden kitchen talents!
MIRA
What does your company do?
Mira founder and CEO Khang T. Vuong: Mira is the first health benefits solution that costs less than your cable bill. We radically reinvent what it means to access healthcare, regardless of insurance status. The traditional health insurance model works by having a healthy pool —more healthy than sick people. This creates an adverse relationship between your healthcare utilization and the insurer’s profitability. But we know that for certain services like preventative, primary care, and even urgent care, the earlier you get them, the less “sick” you will become down the road.
Why did you found your company in NYC?
KV: The only way to get healthcare in the US is through an insurance plan, even the most basic services. And, you can only get insurance in this country through a great job or having to pay thousands of dollars on your own.
I came to the US alone when I was very young. After working my way through school and then in the health system space, I realize this problem is so unique and complex, but solvable. I left my job as a health system administrator and started Mira with that mission. I grew the team from just me to ten people and expanded our provider network to 125 clinics, 1600 labs, and 60,000 pharmacies.
Today, we have partnerships with the biggest players out there including the Urgent Care Association, LabCorp, National Foundation for Cancer Research, and the Association of Independent Workers. All of that was accomplished under a year and a half since the founding of the company.
Mira gives individuals access to clinics and preventative care services for a fixed membership fee. Is that fee meant to be an alternative to health insurance, or more of a supplement? Are most of your users uninsured?
KV: There are 30 million uninsured, and 56 million underinsured according to the Commonwealth Fund’s 2020 statistics. Those people spend $1,000 on healthcare out of pocket expenses a year on average. Many of our users have a high deductible plan and use Mira as a supplement, but some of them have Mira as their only healthcare option, since they are uninsured.
How has activity — both with you users but also the providers you partner with — changes since the COVID-19 pandemic began?
KV: During coronavirus, we developed a COVID screening tool so people could screen themselves without going to the doctor. In the beginning, there weren’t a lot of tests being given out due to the shortage, so this was one way we tried to be there for our community.
You founded Mira in 2019, and you’ve got about a full year under your belt before the pandemic hit, right? What’s it been like building a new company — much less a healthcare company — during a public health crisis?
KV: Having a pandemic in the background is challenging. But the fact that millions of people have already lost their healthcare coverage due to mass layoffs has made us even more motivated to build an affordable healthcare solution.
Of course, with COVID-19, telehealth and telemedicine has really taken off even more than it had pre-pandemic. Does that inform Juno’s growth strategy? Are you focusing more on virtual care solutions or expanding your in-person clinic network
KV: Right now we are focusing on expanding our in-person clinic network. In the past, we were primarily focused on New York and Los Angeles as our primary markets, but demand has shown we need a presence throughout the country. Virtual care solutions are still a priority right now too, and we definitely saw more of a demand for that during coronavirus.
You got your start working in large health systems, which are notoriously complicated and hard to navigate. What’s one tech solution healthcare in the US should adopt to make their services better?
KV: I don't think US healthcare is broken — we actually have very good medicine. The problem is that it’s very expensive, and technology in healthcare tends to make things more expensive, not cheaper. There is literature out there suggesting that, for example, there is a correlation between rising costs and new MRI machines being added at hospital systems. I am cautiously optimistic that tech like AI will make medicine better — but not necessarily healthcare. We can have the best tech, but if people don’t have access to it (because they don’t have insurance), it only makes life better for a few, not all.
Are there any projects Mira put on hold when the outbreak began? What are you most looking forward to devoting more time to when the pandemic ends?
KV: Right now we are working on developing a lab module so users can get lab tests done at an affordable price, and we’re adding a gym membership element for Mira members. We knew this was essential because a lot of people who are uninsured or underinsured cannot afford lab tests, which ultimately leads to more problems down the road. Market research showed us that our target market prioritizes these things.
Where do you get your favorite pizza slice?
KV: Artichoke Pizza.
Where do you get your favorite bagel?
KV: Brooklyn Bagel & Coffee Company.
What’s the best place in New York for a coffee or lunch meeting (remember in-person meetings)?
KV: Fabrique Bakery.
What’s your favorite remote work office hack?
KV: Lots of meditation.
JUNO
What does your company do?
Juno founder and CEO Akili Hinson: Juno is designed to be a one-stop solution for you and your family’s everyday healthcare needs that brings the best of pediatrics, adult primary care, women’s health, and same-day services in one place. You can think of us as the new healthcare home for you and your family that features exceptional hospitality, modern technology, and transparent prices that won’t break the bank.
Why did you found your company in NYC?
AH: NYC is my home and the greatest city in the world, so there wasn’t much deliberation or debate. It also happens to the epicenter of busy people who need accessible, affordable healthcare that’s designed with their needs in mind. So, I can not think of a better place to show the value of what we’re building.
You started building Juno at the very beginning of 2020, only a couple of months before New York confirmed its first case of COVID-19. Did the pandemic totally upend your plans? What’s it been like building a new company — much less a healthcare company — during a public health crisis?
AH: Perhaps counterintuitively, the COVID-19 crisis accelerated our plans. Juno Medical is a mission and values-driven company — full-stop. I believe we had both a professional and moral responsibility to join the frontlines of the coronavirus response, so we bootstrapped and moved up the opening of our first clinic in Harlem. Since all of our current physicians are Harlem residents, this decision was also deeply personal. From a model standpoint, our vision has always been to build for the future of care — so our planned features and services were well-positioned to address many of the financial and operational challenges that COVID brought to bear.
During March and April in NYC, it often felt like the world was ending. I have a distinct memory of driving down Fifth Avenue to pick up equipment for our Harlem location and there were no other people in sight. That said, the impact we were able to have during May and June was inspirational for the entire team — we identified several treatable cancers in women without symptoms that otherwise would have been missed if we did not provide comprehensive preventive care while most physician offices in the neighborhood were closed. We also provided COVID-testing to hundreds of Harlem residents, many of whom shared that the only reason they came was because they believed they would be safe in the environment we created.
Right, much of Juno’s mission is about providing inclusive healthcare. How are you building inclusion and accessibility into your business model?
AH: At Juno, we believe that everyone deserves great care that’s both accessible and affordable — regardless of where they live, the color of their skin, the size of their bank account, or who they love. This principle informs almost every decision that we make and as a result there are few things that are really important for our model. First, we think it’s critical to have a team of clinicians that are representative of the neighborhoods we serve and to build an environment where people from all walks of life feel seen, heard, and welcome. Second, our market entry strategy focuses on neighborhoods that have few high-quality care options because they are either rapidly growing or in transition. Finally, we’re committed to seeing our fair share of Medicaid patients at national scale and will launch programming with community partners that include care options for the uninsured.
So many other industries and services have been able to transition online — especially now with people still mostly at home — but healthcare isn’t usually one of them. Most people still think of healthcare as going to a doctor’s office in-person. Is Juno using more technology features? Do you think technology is going to push the sector in that direction post-pandemic? What will healthcare look like a decade from now?
AH: Technology is a huge part of what we do at Juno. The formal launch of our care technology platform will include modern virtual care solutions, next generation appointment scheduling for families, and our price transparency engine. While AI and wearables are great, we think that a lot of people are ready to move past faxes, paper forms, unconfirmed appointments, and having no clue how much their visit will cost.
A decade from now, I believe the most impactful healthcare companies will use technology and intentional design to meet people where they are and create a great experience for both patients and clinicians. I think it’s possible some people will prefer to have all of their healthcare provided in their home, but I’m not sure the majority of people will ever feel this way. Humans are designed for community and socialization. There are folks who have placed large bets that in the future nearly all care will be provided virtually or by a robot. Time will tell, but our data suggests that people might actually prefer to be around other humans — if it’s a delightful experience they find valuable.
But of course, with COVID-19, telehealth and telemedicine has really taken off even more than it was pre-pandemic. Does that inform Juno’s growth strategy? Are you focusing more on virtual care solutions, or still plan to open more in-person locations?
AH: Virtual care has always been a part of our growth strategy. That said, we also believe in the power of human connection, trusted relationships, and the built environment. In many ways, I feel like virtual care vs. in person is a false choice. We’re omnichannel by design and plan to open hundreds of locations all over the country that are built for the future of care.
Are there any projects Juno put on hold when the outbreak began? What are you most looking forward to devoting more time to when the pandemic ends?
AH: We placed all our plans for community programming on hold, and that continues to be one of the most challenging aspects of the coronavirus pandemic for Juno. Our entire team is passionate about community and our ability to connect with the neighborhoods that serve. We’re looking forward to formally launching our Harlem location and introducing our programming and services to established and expectant families, faith-based and community organizations, and people looking to learn more ability how to live and lead a healthier life.
Where do you get your favorite pizza slice?
AH: Patsy’s Pizza in Harlem. Coal-fired slice is the way to go. Back in the day, Rubirosa was also my jam.
Where do you get your favorite bagel?
AH: Bo’s Bagels in Harlem. Proper NYC bagels made on site, the old-school way.
What’s your favorite New York landmark?
AH: The Apollo Theater. The history is palpable each time I walk into the building.
What’s the best place in New York for a coffee or lunch meeting (remember in-person meetings)?
AH: The Monkey Cup in Harlem. It’s owned by a lovely Venezuelan couple, Laura and Alfredo, who are artists and expert baristas. Can’t go wrong with the “Kyoto Monkey” Japanese iced coffee.
What’s your favorite remote work office hack?
AH: As a busy NYC parent, having a dedicated workspace in my apartment with some natural light and plant life in the immediate vicinity is a game-changer.
What’s one new thing your team is doing to stay connected while everyone works from afar?
AH: The most important thing to celebrate and recognize is that, since we’re an essential business on the frontline in this fight, many of our team members have courageously worked in person throughout the entire ordeal. A new thing that we introduced is virtual 1:1s with team members that sit outside your function or capability area, which has been effective from a connectivity and culture-building standpoint.
Long row of colorful buildings... by Shutterstock/Ryan DeBerardinis