In this episode of the Shift AI Podcast, Boaz Ashkenazy sits down with Rohan D'Souza, co-founder of Avante, who is tackling one of America's most complex challenges: the $1.7 trillion employer-sponsored healthcare system. With his unique background as a former competitive swimmer from India and extensive experience in healthcare technology, Rohan brings a fresh perspective to an industry plagued by opacity and inefficiency.

Rohan shares how Avante is leveraging AI to democratize healthcare information, making complex insurance plans understandable for employees while helping employers control costs that are rising 8-14% annually. From his early days working with electronic medical records during the 2008 financial crisis to building a nine-person team that supports hundreds of conversations with AI-powered solutions, Rohan illustrates how productivity and creativity converge in the future of work. This conversation offers valuable insights for anyone interested in healthcare innovation, AI implementation in regulated industries, and the entrepreneurial journey of building solutions for massive, entrenched systems.

Chapters:

[01:57] From India to America - The Swimming Journey

[03:57] Early Career in Healthcare Technology During the Financial Crisis

[05:14] Introducing Avante - The $1.7 Trillion Opportunity

[09:10] The Employee Experience Problem

[14:05] AI Agents and Personalized Healthcare Recommendations

[18:25] Privacy Challenges in Healthcare AI

[23:35] Building the Founders Club and Early Customers

[28:07] The Future of Work - Productivity and Creativity

Connect with Rohan D’Souza

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohanpdsouza/

Website: https://avante.ai/

Connect with Boaz Ashkenazy

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boazashkenazy

X:https://x.com/boazashkenazy

Email: [email protected]

The Shift AI Podcast is syndicated by GeekWire, and we are grateful to have the show sponsored by Augmented AI Labs.  Our theme music was created by Dave Angel

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