3 Founders on the Real Cost of Health Access | Live @ Civic Health Forum

At the Civic Health Forum, StartUp Health Managing Director Logan Plaster sat down with three founders building access-first solutions in health innovation: Elina Onitskansky of Ilant Health, Rafael Lopez of Diagnostikare, and Terry Huang, PhD, MPH, of Firefly Innovations.

The conversation moves from patient stories to business models to a closing lightning round of hot takes, covering:

• How Ilant Health treats high-acuity obesity as a cluster of interconnected conditions, not just excess weight

• How Diagnostikare uses WhatsApp as a front door to reach Mexico's uninsured population, especially blue-collar workers who can't afford to miss a day of work for care

• How Firefly Innovations bridges academic public health and private-sector founders through a public-goods, no-equity model

• Why unmanaged AI could widen health inequity if it isn't designed for lower-income populations

• Why not every health startup needs to be venture-backable, and what that means for the future of health funding

This episode is part of StartUp Health's Civic Health Forum series, co-hosted with Fedcap and Digital Health Hub Foundation. Note: Audio quality may vary due to live recording.

StartUp Health community members had a seat in the room for this conversation. Join today to attend virtual and in-person events like this live, bring your own thoughts to the stage, and get access to full recordings of sessions if you miss them.
🚀 Join today: startuphealth.com