a16z Bio + Health

Employers and employees are both hitting breaking points with the cost and limitations of traditional group health insurance. We believe Thatch is building the infrastructure to solve this by unlocking the full potential of ICHRA—a powerful but underutilized policy that decouples health insurance from employment. Thatch’s platform allows employers to set a benefits budget while giving employees the freedom to choose the health plan that fits their doctors, prescriptions, and personal needs. Leftover funds can be used for copays, preventative care, and more. Powered by fintech innovation and designed by a team from companies like Stripe, Humana, and Rippling, Thatch is bringing simplicity, personalization, and affordability to a system that desperately needs it. Congratulations to Chris Ellis, Adam Stevenson, and the entire Thatch team for raising a Series B! None of the above should be taken as investment advice or an advertisement for investment services; please see https://lnkd.in/gjmYWkHi for more information.

“Episodic obesity care does not lead to long-lasting results and comprehensive, longitudinal care is essential for both patient safety, and better patient outcomes.” - Angela Fitch MD, FACP, MFOMA, Dipl. ABOM, co-founder and CMO, knownwell. Obesity care that supports patients over time—not just through one-off prescriptions—remains a critical unmet need in healthcare. knownwell is addressing this challenge with a unique model that blends virtual and in-person care, providing weight-inclusive, evidence-based clinical treatment options for patients. knownwell is now included as one of the independent care providers featured on @LillyDirect™, Eli Lilly and Company’s digital health platform, helping expand access to high-quality metabolic and primary care services for patients nationwide. None of the above should be taken as investment advice or an advertisement for investment services; please see https://lnkd.in/gjmYWkHi for more information.

What if pharmacies actually anticipated your needs, instead of reacting to problems? That’s what Elliot Cohen, cofounder of PillPack, set out to do. Instead of chasing prescriptions at the last minute, PillPack flipped the script: they started the refill process six weeks in advance, contacting doctors before patients ran out of meds. That proactive workflow—powered by custom-built software—enabled a level of care that felt radically seamless to consumers. Recently, Elliot joined Julie Yoo, a16z general partner, to discuss how they're building great consumer healthcare experiences. Listen on Raising Health: https://lnkd.in/gYe7qPmn

Julie Yoo, a16z general partner, recently joined Maia Lura Anderson of Healthcare Brew for a conversation on what she looks for in healthcare startups. TLDR: the founder. Julie says that at the seed stage, where data is limited, she looks for sharp, well-reasoned people who deeply understand why others have failed and what might go wrong this time. People like Malinka Walaliyadde, AKASA, Chris Severn and Adam Geitgey, Turquoise Health, Michael Ng and Nikhil Buduma, Ambience Healthcare, and Munjal Shah, Hippocratic AI - who are now building tools for healthcare revenue automation, price transparency, clinical documentation, and 24/7 patient engagement, respectively. Read the full interview: https://lnkd.in/gHUMW8-F None of the above should be taken as investment advice or an advertisement for investment services; please see https://lnkd.in/gjmYWkHi for more information.

40% of acute care visits for Medicaid beneficiaries are avoidable due to gaps in access to timely care — this is 3x the rate seen in patients with Medicare or commercial insurance coverage. As federal budget cuts loom, the need for innovative, cost-effective care models that generate real savings for our healthcare system while keeping patients healthier has never been more urgent. Recently, Waymark cofounders Rajaie Batniji MD DPhil, Sanjay Basu, and Afia Asamoah joined a16z general partner, Vineeta Agarwala, MD PhD, to share more about what Waymark is building. The founders shared how Waymark uses novel “rising risk” machine learning models to identify Medicaid patients who could benefit from timely, community-based interventions – these interventions have reduced avoidable ER and hospital visits by 23%, while also improving care quality by 11 percentage points (as measured by HEDIS metrics) and helping patients meet their own goals. Watch on Raising Health: https://lnkd.in/dBWyidrU and Read the NEJM Catalyst publication from Waymark: https://lnkd.in/dmiwvb6f

Can AI truly step into the deeply human realm of mental health care? The founders of Slingshot AI think so. Founded by Neil Parikh sling and Daniel Reid Cahn, the company is training AI models to understand the mind and scale access to therapy, addressing one of the most pressing issues in mental health: the shortage of therapists. In this episode, Neil and Daniel join Julie Yoo, General Partner at a16z, to explore how AI can reimagine mental health care. Listen on Raising Health: https://lnkd.in/dG5HJiPd None of the above should be taken as investment advice or an advertisement for investment services; please see https://lnkd.in/gjmYWkHi for more information.

Back-office bottlenecks can mean the difference between timely treatment and worsening health outcomes. AI-driven voice agents, like those built by Infinitus Systems, Inc., are changing this. By handling repetitive calls at scale, AI can speed up approvals, reduce human workload, and ensure patients don’t fall through the cracks. Recently, Co-founder and CEO of Infinitus Systems Inc, Ankit Jain, joined a16z general partner, Julie Yoo, to discuss how we can free up human staff for higher-value patient care. Listen on Raising Health: https://lnkd.in/gb_GtynB

Innovation to develop new medicines relies on a very long relay race between academia <> biotech startups <> pharma <> distributors, and ultimately patients. Vineeta Agarwala, MD PhD, a16z general partner, recently joined Angelica Peebles, CNBC, to discuss the deep connectivity and collaboration required across our industry to uncover new ways to treat disease. As she suggests, it’s the job of venture investors and policymakers alike to help more innovators run this relay race – and run it successfully to the end, so they can reach more patients. Listen to the full interview here 👉🏼 https://lnkd.in/g4fX2xnh

Delivering high-quality, coordinated cancer care remains a significant challenge in oncology. Humana’s new partnership with Thyme Care aims to overcome this by integrating 24/7 virtual care navigation, community-based support, and seamless provider coordination for Medicare Advantage members. Learn more about Humana and Thyme Care’s collaboration 👇🏼 None of the above should be taken as investment advice or an advertisement for investment services; please see https://lnkd.in/gjmYWkHi for more information.

Imagine being able to text a doctor anytime with even the smallest medical question and getting a response within minutes. That’s the vision of Muthu Alagappan, MD, founder and CEO of Counsel Health, who is democratizing access to expert medical advice through an AI-powered, asynchronous care model. In this episode, Muthu joins Julie Yoo, General Partner at a16z, to discuss how large language models (LLMs) are reshaping healthcare delivery. The duo discuss: 👉🏼 How dedicated, AI-augmented providers can reduce burnout and deliver faster, high-quality advice to patients. 👉🏼 Counsel’s tech - leveraging LLMs for chart review, triage, and patient-specific communication, allowing doctors to scale efficiently. 👉🏼 Plus how Counsel connects patients to the broader care ecosystem, streamlining referrals and navigating complex health benefits. Listen on Raising Health: https://lnkd.in/d4JX3CjD