The platform wars wage on
The world over, all eyes are focused on the momentous announcements from Pfizer and Moderna that their COVID-19 vaccines have shown early signs of success. The race continues to validate the results, distribute the vaccines, and restore some semblance of normalcy.
Meanwhile, the digital health platform wars wage on, and the number and scope of these platforms is expected to keep growing. The platforms currently taking shape will create staying power—to varying degrees—by excelling across three fundamental pillars: technology backbone, consumer experience, and clinical expertise. As the platform wars continue, the billion dollar question remains: which business models will win? Here’s how we’re thinking about each of the current plays.
Headlines
FDA Releases Final Guidance On Clinical Trial Diversity
Greater representation aims to minimize health disparities Becker’s Hospital Review | (Tweet)
COVID-19 Surge Of Depression, Anxiety Being Treated By Robots
Survey of workers finds 80% open to having a robot as a therapist or counselor CNBC | (Tweet)
Founders Of Color Face More Difficulties Accessing VC In Digital Health
Our study shows Black women most likely to bootstrap; white men least likely Fierce Healthcare | (Tweet)
Amazon Alexa Care Hub Update Helps In Caring For Family Members
Amazon moves into $30B “aging in place” market CNBC | (Tweet)
Machine Learning to Predict Mortality of COVID-19 Patients
New models assess COVID patients’ risk of adverse clinical events JMIR | (Tweet)
Recent Funding
- $100M goes to Carbon Health to grow national presence of its pop-up clinics
- $65M raised by Eko to launch an at-home cardiopulmonary monitoring program
- Buoy Health lands $37.5M to build their AI-powered healthcare navigation system
- Solv Health snags $27M to expand its national scheduling network of healthcare providers
- Springtide, a clinic for children with developmental delays, receives $18.1M
- COTA gets $10M from Varian for data-driven cancer care