Paolo Pio

Very interesting to get the chance to talk to Torsten Osthus, of OSTHUS GROUP and cofounder of ZONTAL about #labdigitalization #scientificdata #FAIRdata #datastandards and their potential for #AI #ArtificialIntelligence application in the #lifesciences

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We had the pleasure of speaking to the inimitable Gordon Sanghera, co-founder and CEO of Oxford Nanopore Technologies, valued at around $6.8bn in 2021. Gordon somewhat accidentally ended up as an entrepreneur, breaking the conventional VC wisdom around 'born founders'. The technology is wild - democratising access to genomic sequencing giving us a new understanding of living organisms. In the episode of Riding Unicorns, we cover: 00:00 Defining Entrepreneurship 00:55 Understanding Oxford Nanopore's Technology 06:10 Gordon's Journey to Founding Oxford Nanopore 12:09 Commercialization Challenges and Strategies 16:27 Building a Strong Founding Team 20:55 Navigating the Ups and Downs of Deep Tech 25:54 Innovative Applications of Nanopore Technology 28:57 Company Culture and Operational Insights 35:05 Attracting Talent in a Competitive Market 37:22 The IPO Experience and Future Outlook https://lnkd.in/eQZVSGeK

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https://lnkd.in/dAJMeYx3 Our portfolio company Seegnal initiates business in the UK. Seegnal is a smart and intuitive clinical decision support platform that empowers clinicians to quickly & effectively manage and resolve patient-specific Drug Related Problems (DRPs). Seegnal’s unique approach shows a reduction of up to 94% in Alert load, while achieving a 98% alert accuracy as a result of its patient-tailored alert algorithms and single screen graphic interface. Seegnals interfaces with the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) or any other relevant platform and incorporates the widest scope of relevant patient data into an intuitive, all-in-one, patented interface. Eyal Schneid Dr. Shiri Guy Alfandary, PharmD. Jack Steckel Oded Orgil 🎗️

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The game has changed in healthcare and digital health companies need to take note. Incumbents have more than doubled in size since the start of the pandemic so that means their expectations for acquisition have shifted. It's time to build more "steak" than "sizzle" and play the game differently than ever before. Thanks to my co-author Christina Farr for letting me jump onto Second Opinion Media to share some of our thoughts about how to re-write the playbook when it comes to scaling in #digitalhealth. More 👇 https://lnkd.in/gvu7siaB

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🌟 Capital for Cures: A New Platform for Healthcare Transformation 🌟 At the beginning of this year, Capital for Cures launched with a bold vision: to mobilize more capital for emerging healthcare companies and solutions. The mission is simple yet urgent—funding healthcare innovation shouldn’t rely solely on the pharmaceutical industry. By expanding our partner network, engaging with pension funds, insurance companies, and other investors, and securing foundational capital, we aim to cultivate the next wave of angel investors, foster collaboration, and provide innovators with the capital they need to thrive. How It Started The idea for Capital for Cures arose from a clear gap in the industry. Early-stage healthcare companies often struggle to secure critical funding, while traditional industry events fail to provide the intimate, action-driven forums needed for impactful collaboration. This inspired the creation of a platform dedicated to fostering meaningful connections among innovators, investors, and policymakers. Recent Milestones Earlier this month, our AI Roundtable in Basel brought together senior leaders from Swiss companies and big data providers involved in foundational AI models, highlighting the urgent need for companies to engage directly with regulators to shape practical AI policies. Additionally, the Capital for Cures event in Frankfurt reinforced the demand for forums like ours. Unlike large-scale conferences, these events showcased the power of action-oriented collaboration to unlock new opportunities. Our Vision for the Future We’re building a fully-fledged platform for transformation: Engaging New Investors: Attracting non-traditional investors, like pension funds and insurance companies, to unlock significant healthcare funding potential. Cultivating Angel Investors: Encouraging successful founders to reinvest in the ecosystem, fueling continuous innovation. Fostering Meaningful Connections: Bridging the gaps left by traditional conferences like Bio-Europe and JP Morgan. Next Steps We are raising $300k USD to scale our vision and mobilize more capital for healthcare innovation. Expanding our partner network is critical to supporting emerging companies and driving impactful change. Join Us Contribute to Our Advisory Board: Bring your expertise or recommend key leaders. Partner with Us: Offer financial or non-monetary support to help scale this transformative initiative. Participate in Upcoming Events: Join our next roundtable to shape the future of AI and healthcare. Together, we can build a brighter future for healthcare by empowering innovators, mobilizing investors, and influencing policies for meaningful change.

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As an early-stage investor and founder who has experienced the startup journey firsthand, I cannot stress enough the value of applying to Endless Frontier Labs (EFL). I have taken part in the program as a mentor for a few years now and enjoy it very much. Here’s why: 🚀 Non-Dilutive & Mentor-Driven: EFL is a non-dilutive program. That makes it a great value for the foudners but also ensures only the most promising startups advance. The fellow mentors are incredibly engaged, offering invaluable insights. 🌐 Diverse Stages of Development: Whether you're pre-MVP or up to Series B, EFL supports startups at various stages, providing tailored guidance and support. 📊 Structured Yet Flexible: The 9-month program blends virtual and in-person sprints with smart goals, fostering deep tech innovation efficiently. I’ve had the privilege of working with the EFL team and their organized, pay-it-forward mentality is inspiring. Under Deepak Hegde 's leadership, NYU Stern School of Business has created a framework with EFL that delivers immense value to founders, mentors, and students alike. 🔬 Specialized Tracks: EFL offers dedicated tracks in Deep Tech, Life Sciences, and Digital Health, ensuring tailored support and expertise in these high-impact fields. 🌍 Global Reach: EFL welcomes founders from outside the US, providing an exceptional platform for international startups to enter the US market. The program helps you build a high-caliber network of mentors and their connections, adapt your product-market fit for the US, and adjust your go-to-market strategy to align with the unique US channel-based structure. It is a very selective program with a low acceptance rate, but if you are an early-stage innovative company founder and are committed to making your startup the best version of what it can become, don’t miss this opportunity! Apply by July 31st, 2024. Looking forward to meeting the next wave of innovators I will be meeting in September as a part of EFL! 🌟 "In the end, we are our choices. Build yourself a great story." – Jeff Bezos #Startups #Innovation #Mentorship #EFL #NYUStern #DeepTech #DigitalHealth #DigitalTech #LifeSciences #FounderJourney #EuropeanStartups

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Awesome report from Rock Health (in the comments) about H124 digital health funding. 📈 Despite broader economic challenges, the digital health sector, including mental health, has shown resilience, raising $5.7B across 266 deals. There is a strong Series A pipeline, tapering off of unlabeled funding rounds and 3 public exits in Q2 2024 indicating a revival in the exit market and a return to more sustainable funding patterns​. Key insights about the mental health market: 🧠 Mental health continues to be the leading clinical indication in digital health funding, securing $682 million in H1 2024. This consistent top ranking highlights the ongoing investor interest and the market's recognition of the critical need for mental health solutions. 🤖 The focus on mental health is driven by a combination of increased awareness, the rising demand for accessible mental health services, and the integration of tech solutions...🙄 In fact, AI has become a significant factor in digital health investments, with 34% of the total sector funding going to AI-startups. This trend is also reflected in mental health, where AI is being utilised to enhance diagnosis, personalise treatment plans, and provide scalable, efficient care solutions. Let's go!

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In case you missed it, last week the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) released a draft consensus framework for responsible health AI. Developed with input from over 100 contributors representing a diverse network of healthcare stakeholders, this guide proposes actionable evaluation criteria throughout the AI lifecycle—from identifying use cases to deployment and monitoring. Key examples outlined in the guide include: • Predictive EHR Risk Use Case (Pediatric Asthma Exacerbation) • Imaging Diagnostic Use Case (Mammography) • Generative AI Use Case (EHR Query and Extraction) • Claims-Based Outpatient Use Case (Care Management) • Clinical Ops & Administration Use Case (Prior Authorization with Medical Coding) • Genomics Use Case (Precision Oncology with Genomic Markers) The draft framework is open for public review and comment for the next sixty days. Please use this form to submit feedback: https://lnkd.in/eYughFYC Kudos to the CHAI team led by CEO & President, Dr. Brian Anderson, MD, on this milestone. Eric Horvitz Jennifer Goldsack John Halamka, M.D., M.S. Michael Pencina Micky Tripathi Nigam Shah Suchi Saria Troy Tazbaz #healthcare #ai #artificialintelligence #generativeai https://lnkd.in/e7VRv6fD

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In vitro diagnostics for early cancer detection has often been a graveyard for investors. Investors are attracted by the undoubtedly huge market potential. If a company can develop a diagnostic test that is implemented as a population level screening tool, this is the definition of a venture scale opportunity. However, multiple factors are at play that make the journey far from easy. You need a highly sensitive and specific test that allows you to minimise false positives and false negatives. This is because the burden of over diagnosis and over treatment against a change in overall mortality rates is a finely tuned balancing act. You'd also want to ensure that the screening tool was applicable to multi-cancer detection, going further than just a rule-out test, by predicting the origin site of a particular cancer. As a pre-seed/seed investor what we are often looking for is deep scientific domain expertise, coupled with credibility to achieve a proof-of-concept data point and/or prototypes. Our latest investment at Empirical Ventures into Xgenera and the dynamic duo Dr Andy Shapanis and Prof Paul Skipp might just be the right starting point for approaching this opportunity. Their multi cancer early detection test (MCED) called miONCO was developed from analysing relative expression profiles of microRNAs in 20,000 patient samples. Xgenera’s two step test would detect cancer using a computational algorithm to identify microRNA profiles extracted from patient blood samples, and can predict the site of origin of the cancer. As a screening test this could improve patient lives significantly. I believe Xgenera has the right technology, at the right time, based around recent advances in computational speed and power, post-COVID knowledge moats related to qPCR scale-up and novel biomarkers such as microRNAs to capitalise on this potential. Read more about it below. I can't wait to join the board to support the team as they navigate the 0 to 1 phase of this journey. CAPITAL AT RISK. FOR PROFESSIONAL INVESTORS ONLY. https://lnkd.in/dNpuSERg

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Im looking forward to giving a talk at the 34th MedTech Investing event in London on July 2-3. The talk is entitled "The Ultimate Alpha Generation Strategy: Mastering Early-Stage Tech and Healthcare Investments" I am hoping to see many of you there. #startup #venturecapital #VC #EBAN #emergingmanagers #angelinvesting #familyoffice #thefamilyofficeclub #tech #privateequity #innovation #entrepreneurs #founders #entrepreneurship #Monaco 

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It's been 100 years since Hans Berger made the first EEG recording of the brain, but we still don't fully understand what those brainwaves are telling us. That's why I was so excited to talk with Dimitris Fotis Sakellariou and Kris Pahuja, the co-founders of Piramidal (YC W24), a Y Combinator company building an AI model to unlock the secrets of brainwaves. Dimitris, a neuroscientist with a PhD, and Kris, a tech executive, have a unique story. They've combined their expertise to turn their groundbreaking idea into a thriving startup. On this episode of Lobster Talks - Y Combinator Secrets, we talked about Piramidal's journey, including: - The challenges of building a groundbreaking AI model for brainwaves. - The importance of data access and the ethical considerations surrounding this sensitive technology. - How Y Combinator has accelerated their growth. - Their ambitious vision for the future of brainwave AI, including expanding beyond EEG to create personalized AI solutions. Listen to the full episode to learn about Piramidal's mission and their vision for a future where AI can unlock the secrets of the human brain: Listen to the full episode now: https://lnkd.in/eaJuUZ-Q #ycombinator #venturecapital #investing #startup #growth #neuroscience #ai #artificialintelligence #brainwaves #lobstercapital #piramidal

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#DeepTech: Europe’s next big leap? At the Falling Walls Science Summit last week, I joined Michael Brigl, Bernd Scheifele and Peter Soelkner for a CEO Table focusing on ‘From Science Breakthroughs to Market Success‘. The discussion was centered on bridging the gap between groundbreaking scientific discoveries and their translation into marketable applications—a key challenge for Germany as an innovation hub. Our conversation touched on many key insights from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Consulting Group’s report "From Lab to Leader: Unlocking Europe’s €8 trillion Deep Tech Opportunity," highlighting Europe’s potential to become a global leader in this space. For me, some key takeaways were: 1. A cultural shift is necessary (amongst others, we really need the next generations to see founding a business as a "normal" career option), 2. "Spin-offs" should be included as a true third pillar for universities and institutes next to Research and Teaching, and 3. We need far more ecosystem linkages and cooperation between all relevant stakeholders. Find out more about the future of Deep Tech in BCG’s latest report: https://lnkd.in/d3MvVpwD #FallingWalls #ScienceSummit24 #Innovation 

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💊 Did you know? Most illness-related causes of death are preventable. Multimodal discovery & development (including #AI) has already led to major advancements in #healthcare & #longevity, according to my (former) Singularity colleague Peter Diamandis, who has doubled down on this domain. In the 2030s (which I’ve dubbed the #ThrillingThirties), we’ll have lots of #abundance - of life, health, energy, connection, products & services. Which areas are you most excited about, and contributing to? 👇 #innovation #entrepreneurship #investing

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Top 10 Funding and Acquisition News 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 1. Qure.ai AI, a company that uses artificial intelligence in healthcare, has raised $65 million (INR 543 crore) in a Series D funding round. This round was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and 360 ONE Asset Management. Other investors, including Merck Group Global Health Innovation Fund, Kae Capital, and existing investors like Novo Holdings, HealthQuad, and TEAMFund, also participated. 2. Nurix AI, a company that offers advanced AI services, has secured $27.5 million in funding. This round of funding was co-led by General Catalyst and Accel, with additional support from *Meraki Labs. 3. Atlys, a platform that helps with visa processing, has announced raising $20 million in its Series B funding round. This round was co-led by Peak XV Partners (formerly known as Sequoia Capital India) and Elevation Capital. So far, the company has raised a total of $40 million. 4. Pepsales, a startup that provides Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions, has secured $1.1 million (around INR 9.1 crore) in pre-seed funding. The round was led by Chiratae Ventures and included participation from several domestic and international founders and angel investors. 5. M2P Fintech, a company that provides digital banking infrastructure, has raised about $102 million (INR 850 crore) in its Series D funding round. The round was led by Helios Investment Partners, a private equity firm focused on Africa. 6. CoRover AI, the company behind BharatGPT, announced on Tuesday that it has received $4 million (about INR 33 crore) in Series A funding. The funding was led by Venture Catalysts++ | India's 1st Multi-Stage VC 7. ORIGHT, a dairy tech startup, has raised $1 million (around INR 8.3 crore) in seed funding. This round was led by Aeravti Ventures, along with other micro venture capitalists (VCs). 8. tuco® Intelligent, a brand focused on kids' personal care products, has raised $2 million in seed funding. The funding was led by Fireside Ventures and Whiteboard Capital. 9. Nurix AI, a startup that builds AI solutions for companies, has raised $27.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Accel and General Catalyst. 10. jhana, a legal-tech startup that creates AI-powered legal assistants, has raised $1.6 million in seed funding. This round was led by Girish Mathrubootham (founder of Freshworks) and Manav Garg (founder of Eka Software Solutions), through their investment fund, Together Fund. WhatsApp Group Join Link:🤝 https://bit.ly/group10x 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗨𝗽 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 Looking For Equity/Debt Funding, Business Growth, PR and Marketing ? 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗨𝘀 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹: 𝗵𝗶@𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝟭𝟬𝘅.𝗶𝗻 #BusinessNews #India #Startups #Funding #Acquisitions #Investments #Ecommerce #Technology #GamingRegulations #ElectricVehicles #IPO #AI #Finance #MarketUpdates #CorporateNews #DigitalPayments #Innovation #VentureCapital #News10x #Smart10x

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The top three ecosystems maintained their same positions from 2020, with Silicon Valley remaining at the top, followed by New York City and London, which are tied for second. This is according to the just-released ranking of cities by Startup Genome in its annual Global Startup Ecosystem Report (https://lnkd.in/g727835s). Tel Aviv moved up one spot in the rankings and tied Los Angeles in the number 4 position. Interestingly enough, Miami jumped 7 spots to the 16th position, while the two leading Chinese cities, Beijing (8th) and Shanghai (11th), both slid. #startups #techrankings #israeltech #startupnation #techstartups #VC

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Insightful look into bioplatform strategy, and what it takes to raise a Series A from my partner, Omri Amirav-Drory: https://lnkd.in/dFv7GbF6

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Can AI trained on Lies ever know Truth? Much has been written about AI doing this and that and everything in between. From Job losses and human obsolescence prediction on one side to miraculous cures for cancer, solution to poverty and global warming on the other; the drum beat of the March of AI is both dizzy and terrifying to dilettante (self acknowledged ) like myself. However, there is a simple problem that seems to have been overlooked. The advance of AI has been preceded by an explosion in unedited, un-curated and unverified content. Political discourse, news, entertainment and even the field of INVESTING are rife with half truths at best and outright lies at worst all being peddled in a digital soup of content binging. Even scientific papers are having their moment of crisis in terms of "reproducing the same results" (https://lnkd.in/dwcAtRWA) To conclude, lest this turns into a harangue, I believe that the promise of AI would be considerably diluted with the race to profits sacrificing truth in the race to have it all. Going out on a limb, smaller scale AI models with better control of input data; would prove to be much better tools for business and societal transformation. "too many lies whats the truth will I ever know can I ever separate the two - Louise Witwit

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Healthcare AI is at a tipping point https://bit.ly/3XVmk0B

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This analysis explores how Point of Care Testing (POCT) digital health technologies impact emergency care. It highlights how AI-powered remote monitoring can significantly improve operational efficiency in healthcare and enhance patient outcomes. Read more: [Nature](https://lnkd.in/gYb4hjXX)

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