ReBootHealth

In episode 25 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Cory Janssen. Cory is unique compared to previous guests with a background in finance as the founder of Investopedia and now operating AltaML. I’ve spoken to Cory on several occasions and really enjoy how he uses his business and founder experience to create a lens of AI/ML in healthcare. Today’s conversation focused on several high-level concepts including the challenges of building AI startups, regulations, Canada’s role in the future of AI/ML In healthcare, and the importance of data with maybe an overemphasis by some organizations on its value. To be clear, Cory brings a fresh perspective on what it takes to

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Episode recorded on

11:21—Are we in an AI hype cycle?

17:34—Understanding the venture studio model in healthcare innovation.

26:49—What are the inputs and challenges to building a successful AI startup?

40:09—Why don’t we emphasize AI in the operations of healthcare?

47:20—The power of LLMs, technology stacks, and data to power healthcare.

53:35—Data, healthcare organizations, and competitive moats in AI and healthcare.

1:01:28—Open vs closed systems, regulation, and the future of healthcare innovation.

In episode 24 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Frank Rudzicz. There’s been so much ‘hype’ around the use of artificial intelligence/machine learning in life sciences that I wanted to get a solid footing for where we are and what’s possible. Now this is a big topic and one show cannot do it justice, but as they say, you have to start somewhere. Frank and I started out with his own journey, moved to some high-level definitions in LLMs, discussed Winterlight Labs, and challenges for founders, and then moved on to elements Canada might need to accelerate AI/ML in healthcare and finally possibilities for where ML might be deployed. On this show, we only touched on AI in surgery, which I think could be a fascinating topic all on its own, so hopefully, we’ll get Frank back (…if he wasn’t too traumatized by my show!). As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

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Episode recorded on July 19th, 2023.

07:20—Early signals for NLP and level setting.

18:03—The spark for Winterlight Labs.

25:40—Challenges for AI founders entering healthcare.

35:50—Moving Canadian AI forward in healthcare.

43:30—Adapting to LLMs and its quirks.

50:48—Where will value accrue most with AI?

54:48---Grading our work on the CIFAR roadmap.

1:00:46---AI in surgery.

In episode 23 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Mith Jones. Mitch was referred to me by a previous guest of the show and as a Canadian in the US life sciences ecosystem, I was curious to get a bit more on his perspective. I’ll admit this show won’t be for everyone, but during our pre-show chat, I came to quickly appreciate the depth of knowledge and skill that Mitch brings to the therapeutics arena. I couldn’t help but think if we just had a “few more Mitch(es) north of the border” we would be able to make some real strides in closing the talent gap. Mitch was also one of the few guests that highlighted and corrected my show notes (thanks Mitch!!) …the first one to dig in and a sure sign of the ‘real deal’ if there ever was one. We touched on many topics including the influence of culture on venture creation, critical components of developing clinical programs, the long duration of life sciences innovation, and future technologies to watch. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

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Episode recorded on April 11, 2023.

07:15—Building a life science venture two decades ago.

19:44—Culture and opportunity matter for big ideas.

26:50—Foundational elements for successful ventures.

29:40—A role for AI in life sciences.

33:20—Critical pieces for the development of a clinical program.

40:00—Patience required: The long duration of innovation.

48:03—Future technologies to watch.

In episode 22 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Zain Kassam. Zain was a co-founder and former CMO of Finch Therapeutics, a publicly listed, therapeutic microbiome company in Boston. I’ve known Zain for a little over a year now and he’s probably the closest I’ll ever get to a ‘Kendall Square cluster founder’. I wanted to explore Zain’s thoughts from his unique lens of building ventures and how to do it better in Canada. I certainly could have spent a lot more time with Zain but we did manage to tackle a number of topics including the need to solve a problem, building teams to move life sciences forward, the importance of storytelling when raising capital, cultural challenges to innovation in Canada and where we might want to focus our efforts and ways to move forward. This is a great pod with clear articulate thinking and lots of food for thought for innovators, policymakers, and most of all builders of life science ventures. A great way to start out the show for 2023. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

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Episode recorded on March 10, 2023.

08:20—Moving from academics to venture building.

14:12—Building the right venture team.

22:50—Choosing the right ‘science’.

26:00—Storytelling for capital raises.

34:40—Overcoming operator and cultural challenges.

46:07—Re-re-visiting IP and commercialization.

56:01—Start at the beginning for cultural change.

1:04:00—Where should Canada focus in life sciences?

In episode 21of ReBootHealth, I speak with Sanjana Basu, Investor at Radical Ventures. In her time at Radical, Sanjana has focused on AI/ML innovation across multiple sectors including health. We all know that this is a hot area and see its eventual value in healthcare, so I wanted to get a sense of where we are in this journey, especially as the capital markets take a breather.  With that as background, we talked about Canada’s continued role in AI/ML in healthcare, the foundational underpinnings of the sector, what investors in the space look for in ventures, managing the market reset, and future opportunities in the space.  As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

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Episode recorded on September 28, 2022.

07:37—Canada’s opportunities and challenges for AI/ML in healthcare.

12:50—A path to move ahead in AI/ML and healthcare.

19:50—The waves of AI/ML in health.

27:30—Level setting between media ‘hype’ and reality.

31:00—Investors and the need for second-level thinking.

43:30—Preparing your venture for a successful capital raise reset.

56:40—Assessing the risks of AI/ML health ventures.

1:01:35—Future opportunities in the space.

Building a Learning Health System for Canadians

Adoption Imperative Part I: Digital Health’s Inflection Point

In episode 20 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Anne Woods, Managing Director of Life Sciences and Healthcare, Silicon Valley Bank Canada. Anne is also a Board member at Life Sciences Ontario and has a bird’s eye view of the life sciences ecosystem across the country as well as our neighbours down south (…think chowder). We talk about how she meandered into the industry having an open mind, the role of SVB for ventures, the four pillars of life sciences, regional variation in innovation and her three top picks for our life sciences technology. Anne proves that you don’t have to be only at the bench or bedside to make an impact in this industry!! Just keep yourself open to the prospects and you might just find yourself in the life sciences industry. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

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Episode recorded on August ###, 2022.

07:45—The role of Silicon Valley Bank Canada for ventures.

14:20—Measuring ourselves against big brother in life sciences (yes, again).

25:54—Exploring the “T” word…talent.

33:00—Touching on infrastructure and IP.

47:00—Focusing on funding for ventures.

50:00—Upping our game in Ontario.

60:00—Anne’s future picks for Canadian life sciences.

Here’s a link to SVB reports on healthcare for some great data!

In episode 19 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Dr. Karen Cross, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon and co-founder of Mimosa Diagnostics. I was keen to chat with Karen on several fronts and get her thoughts on transitioning between academic medicine and entrepreneurship, balancing various roles, perspectives on clinician founders, strategies for addressing diversity challenges in medicine and ventures, moving from Toronto to the east coast to continue work, and so much more. I didn’t get to know Karen while she was in Toronto (my loss) but glad I connected with her through the show. If you’re even remotely thinking of a move from academics to entrepreneurship, you should listen to Karen’s learnings! As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

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Episode recorded on July 5, 2022.

07:16—Merging academics and entrepreneurship.

16:50—Embracing the difference in ‘entrepreneurial’ health providers for change.

24:49—The challenges of transition.

30:30—How to be a clinician and a founder.

37:40—Perspectives on clinician founders and adoption.

46:25—DEI, lessons learned and moving forward.

1:00:30—Collaboration for success.

In episode 18 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Crystal Phillips, Health Lead of Thin Air Labs. This pod was a bit different from my normal format. Crystal kindly agreed to have a meandering chat on a few topics that I wanted to dive deeper into. She was willing to talk about her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and how it impacted her Olympic speed skating hopes, her journey into the healthcare world, launching Branch Out Foundation for research in neurological sciences, her foray into the world of venture capital and her thoughts and future perspective on the role of data in healthcare. Thanks, Crystal, for being a great role model for others in the face of adversity and a prime example of the diversity that we have and need in health innovation, and finally, for being willing to experiment with a new interviewing style with me!  If you want to connect with Crystal, I’ve provided some links in the show notes. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

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Episode recorded on May 12, 2022.

07:34—Deploying data in diagnosis and treatment.

12:11—Be the CEO of your own health.

19:32—Moving from challenges to solutions.

26:45—Getting the entrepreneurial itch.

31:20—Thin Air Labs' future thesis on medicine.

37:22—Alberta’s power in health innovation.

Organizations mentioned in the podcast:

Thin Air Labs

Branch Out Neurological Foundation

In episode 17 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Frank Baylis and Kris Shah, co-founders of Baylis Medical Technologies. These two founders are clearly operating experts—no hype, no exaggeration--just hyper-focused on executing their way to a great business. The most interesting aspect of this show was chatting to two co-founders who started and ‘finished’ running a business successfully. We jump through several topics including pivoting medical ventures, the benefits of bootstrapping, the changing landscape for medical device ventures and thoughts on what Canada needs to work on to help ventures do better on the national and global stage. If you’re just starting out as a founder, I’m sure you’ll be able to appreciate the operational expertise of these two guests. Certainly, proved to me that we have amazing founders and operators in this country if we just give them a chance. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

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For other episodes or to learn more you can visit us at ReBootHealth or follow us on Twitter: @Reboothealth1

Episode recorded on April 12, 2022.

08:06—The importance of learning business versus technology.

13:28—Leveraging the learning mindset to pivot.

23:34—Bootstrapping to success.

29:00—Canada’s impediment to medical device innovation.

35:54—Changing landscape for medical devices.

43:50—The uphill battle for medical device ventures.

52:40—The beginning of a medical device renaissance.

In episode 16 of ReBootHealth, I speak with Dr. Pieter Cullis, professor at UBC and co-founder of Acuitas Therapeutics. This was a masterclass in personalized medicine. Pieter has a wealth of knowledge but I spent the entire episode reviewing his 2015 book, Personalized Medicine. We start with his impetus for writing the book and move into areas that in 2015 were nascent but are now in full view. I asked him to comment not only on our progress but also on the potential obstacles and then the two areas that remain unexplored—neuroscience and aging. This was a special treat for me to be able to sit down with one of Canada’s most eminent scientists and peer into the future…he is truly an example Clarke’s first law. If you’re at all interested in personalized medicine and need a primer, I urge you to give this a quick read. As always, I hope you find the episode valuable.

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Episode recorded on February 11, 2022.

06:56—Starting the personalized medicine journey.

14:34—Shifting from population to individual health.

18:49—What tools will change biotechnology?

31:25—Potential obstacles (and solutions) to moving forward.

40:58—The final frontier--neuroscience.

46:58—Aging and chronic disease.

50:50—Reflecting on the speed of progress.

The Personalized Medicine Revolution: How Diagnosing and Treating Disease Are About to Change Forever