Introducing The JSF First Quarter 2024 Cohort!
We couldn’t be more excited to officially present the JSF Q1 2024 Cohort. The depth of innovation seen within these new startup companies is nothing short of incredible, and the caliber of this set of entrepreneurs is as good as it gets. We look forward to partnering with each of these companies on our quest to ‘Make Something Better in Healthcare’
The 8 companies in our Q1 2024 Cohort include:
Please refer below for summary descriptions of each company:
Founders: Flora Bui, David Botequim, Tony Vu, Thinh Pham
Acie is an early-stage health-tech startup building the world’s first AI-powered skin-sensing device for everyday use. Like “Apple Health for Skincare,” Acie’s solution includes a smart, all-in-one skincare device connected to a mobile app, powered by advanced AI and bio-sensors. Acie’s breakthrough is based on U.S.-patented technology that combines built-in cosmetics capsules and skin sensors into one single applicator, so that users can care for their skin anywhere (even in bed) and monitor their skin health daily. Acie’s founding team has exceptional background: one Postdoc in Biotech, two PhDs in AI & one CES Innovation award winner. Acie’s advisory board includes U.S.-certified dermatologists and former executives from Big Tech (Apple/Samsung/Amazon.)
Flora Bui – Founder & CEO: Co-inventor of Acie & Earable – the world’s first smart headphones for sleep tracking (backed by Peter Thiel, Smilegate Investment & 500 Startups). Former CEO of the SEA’s leading edtech platform serving millions of learners.
David Botequim – Co-founder & Chief Medical Officer: Postdoctoral scientist & PhD in biotech, specialized in biosensors & skin diseases for over 15 years.
Tony Vu – Co-founder & CTO: Inventor of 03 US deep-tech patents & CES Innovation Award winner, 15 years in robotics & IoT devices.
Thinh Pham – Co-founder & CMO: 10+ year as a Growth hacker with significant achievements in launching products & revenue scaleup. Previously handled marketing campaigns for Estée Lauder and big beauty brands.
Founder: Lauren Elliot
Candlelit Care™ blends continuous virtual and in-person perinatal mental health screening, coaching, psychoeducation, referrals, guided education and brief care coordination in partnership with doctors, employers and MCOs to provide culturally-affirming care to Black women and families on their terms.
Lauren is a native of New York City, mom of two living in Charlotte, NC and Founder, CEO of Candlelit Care. After a traumatic birth of her eldest son, she was left with undiagnosed anxiety and felt the pain of all sides of a global maternal mental health crisis. After experiencing therapy, she sought to create access to reimagined therapeutics that center Black Joy, are affordable and effective for parents.
Founders: Natalie Shew, Steffany Benton
EmployWell helps nurses work smarter, not harder. EmployWell’s solution, Provider Ally, maps nurse workflows for specialty clinics and mitigates administrative bottlenecks using AI and NLP for better satisfaction and productivity.
Natalie is a 3x business founder and operator, who has brought in over $20M in funding and partnerships in startup, manufacturing, and higher ed. As EmployWell’s CEO, she leads the vision, strategy, and profitability of the company. Natalie founded EmployWell after going through IVF and wanting a more efficient healthcare experience for patients and providers.
Steffany, a nurse practitioner, brings 15+ years of combined experience in clinical operations, medical affairs, and health-tech commercialization. As COO, she steers EmployWell’s operational excellence and innovation. Steffany cofounded EmployWell, inspired by her personal insights of the complexities of healthcare and the benefits of technology for nurses and patients alike.
Founders: Kirsten Hund Blair, Tom Amato
Lambent Data’s OurREACH™ collaborative, HIPAA-compliant platform and app equips healthcare and social service providers and empowers families they serve, to improve outcomes in health and Social Drivers of Health (SDoHs), support parenting, save staff time, and reduce healthcare costs. OurREACH™ goes far beyond current patient portals – by including milestones/goals, integrated resources, granular data analytics, and AI elements to address SDoHs and foster empowerment “between visits” among providers and families. Yet OurREACH™ still connects seamlessly with workflows and EHRs/CRMs, and can stand alone. Importantly, it bolsters and facilitates the trusted relationships that are key in improving outcomes.
Co-founder and CEO Kirsten Hund Blair, MBA and MPA, has been an executive leader at national and local social service organizations, engaging with practitioners and with families, and building impactful programs. During her career, Kirsten has led teams of over 90 people, as well as smaller teams. She has also consulted for a range of businesses and social service organizations, including at McKinsey & Co. and in independent practice.
Co-founder and Board Chair Tom Amato, MBA, has been CFO for technology-based companies for much of his career, including for publicly-traded and private companies. Tom has also devoted his leadership to hospital and other non-profit boards. He served as Board Chair of an innovative behavioral health system which then merged into a leading hospital network; he continued in various board and advisory roles at the hospital network as it continued integrating behavioral health with other healthcare.
Kirsten and Tom work closely with President and COO Kevin McClarren, who is an engineer with experience leading a home healthcare organization, as well as with other colleagues to advance Lambent Data’s work, impact and growth.
Founder: Jim Lightsey
Mariposa Technologies, Inc designs technology and tools to make life better at every stage. Its consumer-driven mobile and web solution orchestrates and integrates the network of services and support that help seniors age in place safely and comfortably.
Jim is a Wharton Palmer Scholar with extensive experience scaling successful technology and health-related start-ups, including founding the early behavioral health pioneer emindhealth, Inc. and more recently collectively raising over $150M in venture financing as an executive with multiple leading SaaS technology companies.
Founders: Jaime Intile, Kevin Williams
Ravel Health is a virtual, integrative nationwide clinic specializing in chronic Lyme disease and its co-infections. Ravel Health’s goal is to provide affordable, on-demand care from vetted Lyme-literate physicians, all from the comfort of home.
Jaime Intile – Chronic Lyme patient with decades of experience in marketing & leadership development and a proven track record for building highly successful teams.
Kevin Williams – Chronic Lyme patient, successful software development firm founder & tech entrepreneur who’s completed hundreds of digital projects, with tens of thousands of collective users.
Founder: Thor Clark
Revedy reduces provider and admin burnout and improves financial outcomes, by fixing medical coding and other manual healthcare processes. Revedy is on a mission to help doctors spend less time on the computer.
Thor Clark has built and delivered successful, enterprise-scale products for many of the largest healthcare systems in the US. He has had multiple successful exits as a CTO and technical founder, and more than 20 years of experience building high growth teams and products in enterprise SaaS, in healthcare and other domains.
Founder: Aaron Silverberg
TALO is helping to fix and modernize the world of oral health. Their self-brushing toothbrush automatically brushes the way dentists want, empowering people to take charge of their oral health. Talo is inspired by using tech to improve people’s health and lives.
Aaron Silverberg is a serial inventor and entrepreneur with a passion for improving people’s lives through tech. Prior to Talo, Aaron was responsible for opening and scaling new markets across the country at a Y Combinator backed startup. Aaron has served as an advisor to startups at Hackers & Founders.
