Born from Experience: How The Care Hack Is Fixing the Caregiver Crisis

In this episode of the StartUp Health NOW podcast, Unity Stoakes sits down with Mitul Desai, co-founder of The Care Hack, a member of StartUp Health’s Caregiving Moonshot Community. Desai opens up about the decades-long journey that began when his younger brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and his family became full-time caregivers – with no support, no training, and no roadmap. Drawing from this lived experience, Mitul partnered with psychiatrist Dr. Eli Shalenberg to launch The Care Hack, a platform purpose-built for cognitive caregivers – those supporting loved ones with long-term brain and mental health conditions. Together, they’re on a mission to bring caregivers into the center of the healthcare system, not just as recipients of support, but as key contributors to better outcomes and lower costs. You’ll hear why Mitul left a successful career in law, policy, and tech to pursue this mission, how The Care Hack is partnering with providers and payers to scale what already works, and what it means to create infrastructure for the “second healthcare system” that families already power every day. Listen to learn why The Care Hack isn’t just another health app – it’s a movement grounded in empathy, evidence, and a belief that caregivers can change everything when given the right tools. Want to meet founders like Mitul in person? Join us at Apollo House at JPM Healthcare Week in January. Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot PRO Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit. » Learn more and apply today. Want more content like this? Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

StartUp Health community member Aarabi Balasubramanian, CEO & Founder of EmTech Care Labs, joins StartUp Health co-founder Unity Stoakes to share the deeply personal story that inspired Care-Wallet™, her virtual care management platform for families navigating Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. In this conversation, Aarabi discusses: How her mother’s long diagnostic journey revealed the realities of caregiving across countries and health systems Why families face so much fragmentation when managing dementia care at home How Care-Wallet blends AI support with human care managers to guide families step by step What she is learning as a solo founder building in a complex healthcare ecosystem How the StartUp Health community gives her support, shared experience, and a network of fellow founders pushing forward similar missions This is a must listen for anyone building in aging, caregiving, or brain health – or for anyone supporting a loved one through a complex care journey.   Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot PRO Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit. » Learn more and apply today. Want more content like this? Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

When a patient is diagnosed with a chronic condition, the real journey begins at home – not in the doctor’s office. In this episode, StartUp Health community member Nandan Rao, CEO & Founder of Starlight, shares how his company is filling one of the biggest gaps in modern healthcare: what happens after the visit. Learn: • Why follow-up care is broken—and how Starlight is fixing it • How behavioral science and human coaches can outperform even the best tech• What it takes to integrate with providers, payers, and patients alike• Why Starlight’s care model is scaling across 12+ states• The surprising role AI plays in making care more human This is chronic care, reengineered for real life. P.S. If you’re tracking CMS’s new ACCESS model, don’t miss this. Starlight’s care delivery model is already up and running – and hitting the exact goals ACCESS was designed to promote. Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot PRO Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit. » Learn more and apply today. Want more content like this? Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

In this episode of the StartUp Health NOW podcast, Unity Stoakes sits down with StartUp Health community member Andrew Lu, CEO & Co-founder of Cognimark, to explore how AI is reshaping dementia care from the ground up. How a personal family journey inspired Lu to build Cognimark The power of integrating AI directly into physician workflows What early pilots reveal about detecting dementia sooner Why collaboration through the StartUp Health Alzheimer’s Moonshot matters Listen in to hear how Cognimark is transforming the patient and physician experience—making proactive brain health part of every primary care visit. Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot PRO Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit. » Learn more and apply today. Want more content like this? Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

StartUp Health community member Victor Penev, CEO & Founder of Edamam, joins Unity Stoakes to talk about how AI is accelerating the Food as Medicine revolution. Penev shares how Edamam’s mission to organize the world’s food knowledge is leading to a new generation of personalized nutrition tools, including a virtual nutritionist designed to help billions eat better and live longer. Listen for insights on AI innovation, new reimbursement models for nutrition, and why optimism – grounded in data – drives Edamam’s next chapter. Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot PRO Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit. » Learn more and apply today. Want more content like this? Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

Transcarent CEO and 7wire Ventures co-founding Partner Glen Tullman joins StartUp Health co-founder Unity Stoakes for a candid conversation on what it takes to lead, invest, and build during one of healthcare’s most volatile and opportunity-rich moments. Tullman shares why time is the most strategic asset a founder has, why simplicity always wins, and why commitment — not an exit strategy — drives enduring impact. This 30-minute highlight captures only part of the full Fireside Chat with StartUp Health community members, who joined live to ask their own questions and engage directly with Tullman. Join the StartUp Health community to access these full, interactive conversations with today’s top healthcare leaders and investors. Do you want to participate in live conversations with industry luminaries? When you join the StartUp Health Network – a new private community for investors, buyers, and industry leaders to connect year-round with top health entrepreneurs – you are invited to a full calendar of interactive Fireside Chats with the most influential leaders shaping health innovation. Come with questions, learn what is working right now, and connect with industry icons. » Learn more and join today. Want more content like this? Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.  

StartUp Health community member Katharine Barnard-Kelly, PhD, CEO & Co-founder of Spotlight-AQ, joins StartUp Health co-founder Unity Stoakes to share how her team is transforming diabetes care by giving providers a window into their patients’ real lives. In this inspiring conversation, Dr. Barnard-Kelly explains how Spotlight-AQ’s AI-driven clinical tool helps providers deliver holistic, biopsychosocial care that improves outcomes for patients, reduces burnout for clinicians, and saves costs for health systems. In this episode: How Spotlight-AQ uses AI to match each patient’s real-world experience with optimal routine care The simple, three-minute questionnaire that helps providers focus on what matters most Why holistic care is critical for managing chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity Lessons from Dr. Barnard-Kelly’s journey from health psychology to health tech entrepreneurship How Spotlight-AQ achieved FDA qualification for a person-reported outcome measure in diabetes What’s next after earning second place in the 2025 Breakthrough T1D Israel Innovation Challenge Why being part of the StartUp Health community has been so valuable for connection and collaboration Tune in to hear how Dr. Katharine Barnard-Kelly is building a bridge between science and clinical practice – and making biopsychosocial care the new standard for precision medicine. Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot PRO Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit. » Learn more and apply today. Want more content like this? Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

Perseverance. Proof. A Decade in the Making. Scaling Health Coaching with Heart and Intelligence. In this Health Moonshot Update, StartUp Health community members Aubrey Sawyer and Michelle Alencar, PhD, join Unity Stoakes to share the story behind CoachLinq powered by InHealth, the first certified AI health coach and delivery platform. They reflect on ten years of grit, lessons learned about partnership and perseverance, and why engagement – not access alone – is the missing link in healthcare transformation. Listen to how they’re scaling evidence-based coaching from human connection to intelligent automation, and why StartUp Health’s long-term model of support helped them reach this inflection point. Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot PRO Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit. » Learn more and apply today. Want more content like this? Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

One-third of maternal deaths are linked to malnutrition or lack of nutrition care. StartUp Health community member Emily Sylvester, MS, RD, is determined to change that. As CEO & Founder of Mother of Fact, Emily is building a future where every pregnant person has access to continuous, reimbursable nutrition care – embedded into women’s health workflows and culturally tailored to each family’s needs. In this conversation with StartUp Health Co-founder Unity Stoakes, Emily shares:• Why maternal care must shift upstream• How Mother of Fact delivers a 2–3x ROI for clinics• New data showing major reductions in complications• Her founder journey after witnessing a preventable tragedy• The role of equity in the future of maternal health Listen to learn how wildly different nutrition care can improve outcomes for moms – and help health systems thrive. Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot PRO Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit. » Learn more and apply today. Want more content like this? Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.

This week on the StartUp Health NOW podcast, we sit down with Sam Scott, PhD, CEO & Co-founder of Enhance-d, a Switzerland-based company transforming how people with diabetes approach exercise. Sam shares how his experience working with professional athletes living with Type 1 diabetes inspired a digital coaching platform that integrates CGM and wearable data to personalize workouts and improve glucose control. He also talks about the company’s new clinical pilots with Dexcom, its growing global community of users, and the next generation of AI-powered coaching tools. Listen in to learn how Enhance-d is helping people with diabetes turn movement into medicine – and why collaboration across sports tech, med tech, and clinical care will shape the future of active diabetes management. Are you ready to tell YOUR story? Members of our Health Moonshot Communities are leading startups with breakthrough technology-driven solutions for the world’s biggest health challenges. Exposure in StartUp Health Media to our global audience of investors and partners – including our podcast, newsletters, magazine, and YouTube channel – is a benefit of our Health Moonshot PRO Membership. To schedule a call and see if you qualify to join and increase brand awareness through our multi-media storytelling efforts, submit our three-minute application. If you’re mission-driven, collaborative, and ready to contribute as much as you gain, you might be the perfect fit. » Learn more and apply today. Want more content like this? Sign up for StartUp Health Insider™ to get funding insights, news, and special updates delivered to your inbox.