Special Topics
For digital health startups, it’s increasingly a B2B world—and innovators are acutely feeling the challenges of enterprise sales. Selling to payers, providers, biopharma companies, and others is a tough game across the board. Sales cycles are long, requiring patience and a knack for relationship building. Finding the right buyer in a big organization can be disorienting. And crafting the pitch is tricky when talking to a complex, multi-faceted enterprise customer.
With the sixth Rock Health Summit just around the corner, we wanted to take the time to tell you a little bit about this year’s Innovation Tours—a curated, inside look into some of the most noteworthy companies in healthcare. Before the Summit’s regularly scheduled programming kicks off, VIP pass holders will be welcomed into the offices of two cutting edge companies for private tours and lunch with team members. Whether you’re planning to attend the Rock Health Summit or not, we’re excited to share what you can expect to see and hear from these trailblazers.
We noted in our midyear funding report that we’d be keeping a close eye on the FDA’s plan to set more definitive regulatory guidelines for digital health in the coming months. It turns out we didn’t have to wait too long—on July 27th, the FDA announced the Digital Health Innovation Action Plan, which includes the launch of the much-talked about Software Precertification Pilot Program (PreCert).
Podcast Ep. 6: Last week we briefed you on the record shattering funding streak of the first half of 2017. Then we sat down with two other investors, Bessemer Venture Partners' Steve Kraus and Kaiser Permanente Ventures' Liz Rockett to bring you a deeper look into the most exciting opportunities in digital health, what recent tech giant moves mean for the industry, and more.
As the digital health sector matures, investors are putting more money into more deals. In the first half of 2017, $3.5B was invested in 188 digital health companies, setting a record for number of companies funded and total amount invested.
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Rock Health supports thought leadership by conducting research and analysis of the landscape for women's leadership in healthcare. As part of our annual report, we are looking to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities women encounter when pursuing career and personal goals.
Podcast Ep. 5: Gender parity in digital health remains a huge issue. It’s not due to lack of attention. Only 9% of companies funded in 2016 had a woman CEO—down from the already dismal 11% in 2015. How are women entrepreneurs navigating this environment and what gaps and opportunities do they see in women’s health? We spoke with two of them to find out.
The maturation of the digital health ecosystem has resulted in a notable shift in the minimum threshold of evidence companies must meet to survive and thrive. At this point, showing utilization of a product is simply table stakes—not a business plan, and no longer enough to attract funding. What investors really want to see comes down to the answers to three questions: have you changed behavior? Have you produced an outcome that matters? And do you have customers who are willing to pay for your product?
Podcast Ep 4: What are players from around and outside healthcare doing to make this universal experience more understandable, clear—and even enjoyable? Two CEOs share their take on how transparency in healthcare is taking shape and what it really means for patients and stakeholders.