From long wait times to prohibitive costs, there’s a lot about the healthcare industry that could use a makeover. Luckily, as Silicon Valley technology continues to create pathways to improvement globally, hospitals and healthcare centers are paying attention. As hospitals work to make their services more financially accessible and higher quality, the healthtech market is rapidly growing and only going to continue its upward trend. Technology from artificial intelligence to software fuel the research of new medicines and treatments, and healthcare professionals are discovering tools that allow them to utilize health data like never before.
Silicon Valley Healthcare Startups to Know
- Twin Health
- Butterfly Network
- Lark
- GRAIL
- Helix
- Inscopix
- HealthTap
- Headspace
From imagining video conferencing as an alternative to expensive hospital visits, to integrating smartphone touchscreen technology into the outdated hospital pager system, these 15 healthtech companies in Silicon Valley are imagining a world in which technology helps us all become happier and healthier.
Founded: 2018
Location: Mountain View, CA
What they do: Twin Health is utilizing advanced technology to help reverse the course of chronic diseases like diabetes. Combining AI, IoT, data science, advanced medical science and healthcare, Twin Health has created the Whole Body Digital Twin — a dynamic, digital representation of human metabolic function based on physical preferences, daily activities and health data. The Whole Body Digital Twin is used to provide people with personalized guidance on nutrition, sleep, activity and breathing to each member while making precise medication recommendations to physicians, creating a highly informed method of managing — and possibly reversing — chronic illnesses.
Founded: 2011
Location: San Francisco
What they do: Grand Rounds removes much of the stress from the healthcare decision making process for both companies and individuals, using a combination of automation and human capabilities for better assistance. The platform’s machine learning capabilities monitor healthcare bills, track medical history and equip patients with a list of questions to consult with doctors about, while customer care coordinators connect with users to locate the caretakers in an individual’s network that are best equipped to deliver the specific care they need.
Founded: 2011
Location: Palo Alto
What they do: Butterfly Network is the creator of the handheld ultrasound monitoring device Butterfly IQ, made possible due to innovative research that enabled the miniaturization of an entire ultrasound system’s power onto a single silicon chip. The company also provides point-of-care ultrasound operating software for use by forward-thinking medical professionals, as well as an ultrasound device intended specifically for veterinarian use, leading to a robust selection of modernistic healthcare solutions.
Founded: 2016
Location: Menlo Park
What they do: GRAIL aims to develop blood tests that help to detect cancer earlier than traditional medicine. The company is building intelligent models that quickly information about a tumor genome and turn it into actionable solutions to counteract the tumor. GRAIL is aiming to expand their blood tests to detect more cancers at earlier stages, so patients can have a 5-10x higher chance of survival.
Founded: 2015
Location: Redwood City
What they do: Tempus has amassed the world’s largest library of clinical and molecular data to help physicians make real-time decisions and to deliver more personalized care to people with cancer. The precision medicine company uses AI and data science to analyze trillions of data points to better understand optimal treatment options, as well as, to quicken the time it takes to research and develop potentially breakthrough therapies and drug treatments.
Founded: 2015
Location: San Mateo
What they do: Specializing in personal genomics, Helix seeks to help health research organizations integrate genomics into their development of care options with the hope of facilitating genetic discovery. Their genetic health systems empower researchers to discover genetic information that can lead to development of new, medically-necessary healthcare solutions. They also offer DNA discovery products that individuals can use to learn more about their personal and familial genes.
Founded: 2012
Location: San Mateo
What they do: Evidation Health approaches the process of health research by creating tools that can analyze passive health data on a day-to-day basis. By working with neuroscientists internationally, this company is able to map and image neural circuit dynamics and gather corresponding data in order to make new medical discoveries and treat resistant neurological conditions. Their team of over one hundred researchers include tech professionals previously from Google, Sleep Number, Microsoft and Sense Networks.
Founded: 2015
Location: Burlingame
What they do: Lyra Health is bridging the gap between mental health and technology by creating a membership experience that allows users to receive more personalized care at the right time. The platform provides resources for booking real-time appointments, either in-person or via live video, with digital self care resources available for daily practice and progress tracking, and measurement tools for better understanding of treatment and recovery progress.
Founded: 2011
Location: Mountain View
What they do: Lark connects health support providers and professionals with artificial intelligence to help improve patient health outcomes and assist patients in managing their personal health goals. Serving patients looking to manage diabetes, hypertension and general wellness, Lark provides tools to monitor heart rate and blood pressure as well as online counseling services and health advice from real healthcare professionals.
Founded: 2007
Location: Pleasanton
What they do: Veeva Systems works with companies in pharmaceuticals, biotech and general life sciences to develop cloud-based research and development solutions. The company provides clinical, regulatory, quality and commercial based solutions to organizations like Bayer, Ora, Merck and Vertex. Veeva Systems also provides consulting and training services so that their clients can get quicker returns on their investments and maintain long term success through their R&D.
Founded: 1997
Location: San Jose
What they do: Align Technology is a dental tech company that designs and manufactures Invisalign braces for misaligned teeth. Through a dental scanning and imaging technology called iTero, dental practitioners and orthodontists can map and visualize their patients tooth decay, wear and jaw movement. Since their founding date over twenty years ago, Align Technology has provided dental services to over 7.5 million patients.
Founded: 2012
Location: Pleasanton
What they do: From microfluidics to computational biology, 10x Genomics utilizes software capabilities to build DNA sequencing technology and improve patient health outcomes. Combining hardware, software and chemistry to analyze gene expression and cell profiles, their technologies are used to speed up diagnosis and treatment of cancer, immune deficiencies and neurological conditions.
Founded: 2010
Location: Palo Alto
What they do: Focused on neurological conditions and brain health, Inscopix is the developer behind technology that speeds up the development and increases the quality and effectiveness rates of neural therapy and medicine. Targeting conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s Disease, Inscopix tests their neurotechnologies in-house and closely partners with researchers to improve the approval rates of potentially therapeutic technologies.
Founded: 2010
Location: Palo Alto
What they do: Instead of focusing on medical research or provider workflow, HealthTap primarily focuses on improving patient experiences and outcomes with the help of augmented and artificial intelligence. Their patient-focused products include video consultations and AI powered symptom-based advice, while for employers HealthTap provides tools to simplify the process of discovering benefits and health management for their teams.
Founded: 2010
Location: Mountain View
What they do: With a singular focus on diabetes screening and management, Glooko is a web application that diabetic patients can use to more efficiently manage and sync their health data. Their data shows that Glooko users on average experience a decreased average BG, increased BG range and decreased hyperglycemia. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, the company has additional offices in Chicago and internationally in Sweden.
Founded: 2010
Location: Santa Monica
What they do: Rather than focusing on physical health, Headspace seeks to improve outcomes in mental and emotional healthcare by providing an application for users to manage anxiety, depression, and other conditions through guided meditations. Partnered with research institutions at Stanford and NYU, Headspace’s award winning platform relies on scientific evidence to provide meditation and stress management solutions to users in over 190 countries.
