ReBootHealth 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
build AI/ML companies in any sector, but it’s clear that despite the challenges, he remains keen on building something massive in this industry!  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
October 5th, 2023.

 

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

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

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

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

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.

Please write a review on Apple Podcast.

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

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!