Vanguards of Healthcare by Bloomberg Intelligence

Episodes

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  Akido Bets AI Can Break Healthcare’s Scarcity Problem 05.11.2026 45m

  “In five years in healthcare, every single person in America will have the same kind of quality of healthcare that Jeff Bezos has.” Akido Labs co-founder and CEO Prashant Samant joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer to explain why AI could turn concierge medicine from a luxury into a mass-market model. Samant traces Akido’s evolution from a health-data platform into a full-stack care-delivery system serving roughly 1 million patients, and details how Scope AI is designed to expand clinician capacity without removing physicians from the loop. The conversation explores Akido’s street-medicine work, value-based care, plans to enter 50 markets and why Samant believes the era of waiting months for a specialist could soon look obsolete.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Happy Health Develops a Wearable that Can Drive Healthcare Decision Making 29.10.2026 50m

  “We wanted to be kind of the catalyst of collision between these two worlds, bringing wearable devices with all of their simplicity and the delightfulness of the experience with medical devices, with their accuracy and their ability to actually drive better health outcomes,” Happy Health co-founder and CEO Dustin Freckleton says of the Happy Ring. In this Vanguards of Healthcare episode, Freckleton sits down with BI analyst Matt Henriksson for an in-depth interview about the Happy Ring and how the company miniaturized multiple sensor technologies into a ring that combines a consumer-friendly form factor with healthcare decision-making capabilities. The discussion also covers the company’s expansion path following its recent FDA approvals and Series A financing, as well as lessons learned from past experiences as it seeks to keep the process simple while developing the Happy Ring.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Field Medical Develops New PFA Tech to Treat More Patients 22.10.2026 54m

  “We don’t have any purpose-built technologies for the treatment of VT (ventricular tachycardia), and when I had a chance to look at what Field was building and the opportunity here to build out a new space and a new sector, it was very exciting to me,” Field Medical CEO Mark Turco explains regarding new areas for pulsed field ablation (PFA) innovation. In this episode of the Vanguards of Healthcare podcast, Turco and Field Medical Founder Steven Mickelsen sit down with Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Matt Henriksson for an in-depth interview about the potential benefits of the company’s next-generation PFA technology and how it’s designed to address the more demanding areas of cardiac arrhythmias, starting with VT. They dive further into the commercial strategy for its VERITAS VT and FIELD-PULSE pivotal studies, after promising first-in-human trial results.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Tandem Diabetes’ Pump Portfolio Has Rubber Hitting the Floor 15.10.2026 43m

  “If you look at the tubeless market, you know, we're seeing growth rates in excess of 25% annually,” Tandem Diabetes CEO John Sheridan explains to Bloomberg Intelligence about the growth opportunities in insulin pumps. In this episode of Vanguards of Health Care, Sheridan sits down with BI analyst Matt Henriksson for an in-depth interview about Tandem’s pending launch of Mobi Tubless, an insulin pump designed to wear on the body for discretion and the AI-powered Control-IQ Plus algorithm for simplicity. The conversation also touches on the company’s pay-as-you-go business model and future product development, including the next generation Mobi pumps utilizing Sigi technology from its AMF acquisition and a new closed loop algorithm.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Cityblock Health Reimagines Care for Those Left Behind 08.10.2026 49m

  “It’s not about the technology itself, it’s about the form factor,” says Dr. Toyin Ajayi, co-founder and CEO of Cityblock Health. She joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer to explain how the company is redesigning care for complex Medicaid and Medicare populations around medical, behavioral and social needs. Ajayi details Cityblock’s value-based model, which rewards better outcomes and lower costs, and explains how AI is increasingly shaping care. One surprising finding: seniors and Medicaid members are willing to engage with technology when it comes through familiar channels like voice and text. The conversation also explores Cityblock’s use of real-world data to guide next-best actions and its ambition to expand nationally.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Natera’s Billion-Dollar R&D Bet on the Future of Cancer Testing 01.10.2026 50m

  “Clinical data is the key to being successful in diagnostics,” Steve Chapman, CEO of Natera, tells Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer as he explains how an early bet on evidence helped turn a small genetic-testing company into a broad diagnostics platform. Chapman traces Signatera from a side project into a leading minimal residual disease (MRD) test and details Natera’s nearly $1 billion R&D investment to push into genome-based testing, early cancer detection and new indications. The conversation also explores the next layer of value from Natera’s platform — millions of longitudinal data points, AI-enhanced test results and patient experiences, more efficient biopharma trials and the potential to use neoantigen prediction algorithms to support personalized cancer vaccines.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Resmed’s Expanding Within Sleep Health 24.09.2026 52m

  “I almost think of, you know, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and these other areas as verticals. Sleep is a horizontal and it can impact all of the above,” Resmed CEO Mick Farrell explains to Bloomberg Intelligence. In this Vanguards of Healthcare episode, Farrell sits down with BI analyst Matt Henriksson to discuss how Resmed became the market leader in sleep apnea treatment and how it’s investing in assets like Noctrix Health to expand its sleep-health presence into restless legs syndrome. Farrell also goes into detail about his career path and the skills it takes to transition from being an expert in one role to managing an entire team of experts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Datavant is Building the Data Layer AI Needs in Healthcare 17.09.2026 49m

  “Only about 7% of healthcare data is available to the frontier models,” says Kyle Armbrester, CEO of Datavant. He joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer to discuss why healthcare’s AI opportunity starts with solving its fragmented-data problem. Armbrester explains Datavant’s role connecting providers, payers, life sciences, legal and insurance customers; why scale and tokenization are critical to linking data securely; and how the company is moving beyond records and dashboards toward AI-powered finished products. He also reflects on lessons from Athenahealth, Signify Health and CVS, Datavant’s acquisition strategy and the company’s ambitions as it considers a potential public-market future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  FocalTherics Incorporates Therapeutic Ultrasound Across an Expanding List of Pathologies 03.09.2026 48m

  “HIFU (high intensity focal ultrasound) is very valuable as a therapeutic treatment, but histotripsy may have some added value. We can develop a platform that can do HIFU or histotripsy or combine the two on a single platform,” Focaltherics explains to Bloomberg Intelligence. In this Vanguards of Healthcare episode, CEO Ryan Rhodes and CFO Ken Mobeck sit down with BI analyst Matt Henriksson for an in-depth interview to talk about how the Focal One robot uses high-intensity focused ultrasound, or HIFU, to ablate prostate cancer without needing an incision or removing the whole prostate. We also dive into how the team plans to expand into other cancerous and benign diseases, including benign prostate hyperplasia and endometriosis, and develop histotripsy — a focused-ultrasound technique that mechanically destroys targeted tissue — capabilities into the platform.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Stryker Recipe For Market Leading Growth Starts With Its Culture and Learnings 27.08.2026 55m

  “Whenever you look at these adjacencies…these are areas that we think plays to Stryker’s strengths, we have some innate know-how or some ability to be able to think to win with our commercial offense and the way we’re organized”, CEO Kevin Lobo and COO Spencer Stiles explain to Bloomberg Intelligence. In this Vanguards of Health Care podcast episode, Lobo and Stiles sit down with BI analyst Matt Henriksson for an in-depth interview on Stryker’s robust M&A track record, and key steps to successfully integrate all kinds of acquisitions as part of the long-term strategy for above market growth. One of the key factors is Stryker’s corporate culture, which combines the insight and learnings built from over 60 deals as well as an appetite for risk and pure grit to achieve what other peers have not been able to duplicate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Think Surgical Miniaturizes it Robot to Broaden Its Use in Knees 20.08.2026 38m

  “Our approach is to miniaturize the robot, make it more economical and make it more seamless in terms of how it integrates into the operating room environment,” Think Surgical’s CEO Stuart Simpson tells Bloomberg Intelligence. In this Vanguards of Healthcare episode, Simpson sits down with BI analyst Matt Henriksson to discuss how the company developed the TMini robot based on understanding what the surgeon was trying to achieve and working backward. This resulted in a handheld robot that provides optionality over the large form factors of other robotic systems while giving surgeons the choice of knee implant. Both features are well suited for the shift of knee replacement procedures to the ambulatory surgical setting. We also dive into the planned launch of Think Surgical’s TMini 2.0 in the first quarter of 2027.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Novartis Puts Biology Before Modality in Its Next R&D Chapter 18.08.2026 58m

  “We don't want to follow the crowd, we want to steer our own path into what we think are the most exciting opportunities for patients.” says Fiona Marshall, President of Biomedical Research at Novartis, joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Sam Fazeli to explain the biology-first, modality-second philosophy shaping R&D. Marshall details how Novartis is building radioligand therapy beyond Pluvicto into a broad portfolio across tumor types, while treating delivery as the bottleneck for expanding siRNA beyond the liver. The discussion also explores neuroscience as a growth bet built on earlier diagnosis and intervention, plus why AI productivity depends on embedding data scientists across the organization and training models on Novartis's proprietary data.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Innovaccer’s Bet on the Data Layer Powering Autonomous Healthcare 13.08.2026 50m

  “Your doctor has more outdated technology than your Uber driver does,” Abhinav Shashank, co-founder and CEO of Innovaccer, tells Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer in this episode of the Vanguards of Healthcare podcast. Shashank explains why fixing healthcare’s fragmented data infrastructure is the foundation for the industry’s AI future and why long-term value will accrue to companies that own the data layer rather than the user interface. He also traces Innovaccer’s evolution from a data startup into a platform spanning 80 million patient lives, and argues that “autonomous healthcare” could strip hundreds of billions of dollars of administrative waste. The conversation explores the economics of AI, the danger of poorly designed automation, how acquisitions are filling gaps and Innovaccer’s ambition to reach $1 billion of annual recurring revenue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Vektor Medical Applies AI to ECGs to Expand Arrhythmia Treatment Pathway 06.08.2026 45m

  “We started using AI to enhance algorithms and software to better be able to understand the data that’s in each patient’s ECG. And our goal with that was to bring forward personalized medicine in arrhythmia therapy and improve patient outcomes,” Vektor Medical CEO Rob Krummen says while discussing vMap. In this episode of the Vanguards of Healthcare podcast, Krummen sits down with Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Matt Henriksson to discuss the expansion of the vMap system, which uses standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) readings to help physicians treat arrhythmia cases, including atrial fibrillation. He also covers the company’s strategy to democratize electrophysiology and get patients to ablation treatment as early as possible.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  ProKidney Aims to Stave Off Dialysis 30.07.2026 33m

  “Our focus is really on patients who’ve lost a lot of kidney function, 70 to 75% or even 80% of their kidney function,” says Bruce Culleton, CEO of ProKidney. “They’re on the path to needing a transplant. Despite all the advances in treating patients with newer products over the last few years, patients continue to progress. Our goal is to intervene directly before dialysis and keep patients off dialysis for as long as possible.” In this Vanguards of Healthcare podcast episode, Culleton sits down with Bloomberg Intelligence senior analyst Ann-Hunter van Kirk for an in-depth discussion about how the company’s cell therapy could help delay dialysis and slow the progression of kidney disease.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Why HC9 Believes Operators Make Better Venture Investors 23.07.2026 1h

  “We are not a passive capital partner.” Richard Lungen of HC9 Ventures, joins fellow co-founder and general partner Charlie Falcone to explain why their venture firm is built around operators, not financiers. The pair sit down with Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer for a wide-ranging discussion of the firm’s operator-led approach to venture investing. They explain how relationships with hundreds of healthcare executives provide unique insight into where the industry is heading, why they spend as much time creating commercial traction as writing checks and how AI is reshaping everything from administrative workflows to clinical decision support. The conversation also examines the venture environment, healthcare’s biggest structural challenges and how their own cancer journeys have strengthened their mission to back companies capable of meaningfully improving patient care while generating strong investment returns.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  SR One Highlights Biotech's Latest Comeback Cycle 16.07.2026 59m

  “I think this is an incredible time to be investing in biotech.” Dr. Simeon George, founder and CEO of SR One, joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Sam Fazeli to explain why biotech’s next cycle will be global, selective and unforgiving. George traces SR One’s evolution from one of pharma’s oldest corporate venture arms to an independent firm with more than $2 billion raised. The conversation explores why AI’s real test is cutting development time and attrition, not just discovering targets, while also laying out SR One’s view on oncology crowding, neuro’s blood-brain-barrier challenge, China’s accelerating role in drug innovation and the importance of building companies around medicines that can truly change standard of care.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Carrum Health Is Rewiring Specialty Care Around Value 09.07.2026 52m

  “You show me the incentive and I’ll show you the behavior,” says Sach Jain, founder and CEO of Carrum Health. Jain joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer to explain why misaligned incentives sit at the heart of specialty care’s cost problem. Jain details how Carrum built a value-based marketplace around curated centers of excellence, surgeon-level quality data, bundled payments and provider risk, giving employers more predictable costs while offering patients a guided care path with fewer surprise bills. He also discusses specialty care’s $2.5 trillion annual spending, Carrum’s reach across almost 7 million lives, its expanding health-plan partnerships and why AI can either intensify the fee-for-service arms race or help providers prevent complications when incentives are aligned.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Butterfly Leads the Drive on Semiconductor to Make the Most Out of Ultrasound 02.07.2026 43m

  “It’s not just gonna be about image quality. It’s gonna be about image quality and interpretation”, Butterfly Network’s CEO Joe DeVivo explains to Bloomberg Intelligence. In this Vanguards of Healthcare podcast episode, DeVivo sits down with BI analyst Matt Henriksson for an in-depth interview to talk about Ultrasound-on-Chip imaging module and the potential of using semiconductor chips to streamline ultrasound as point-of-care option that allows immediate scans and diagnostics. They also discuss the development of Butterfly’s Apollo, a machine designed to be 20x more powerful than its current iQ3 that will create images closer to how the anatomy looks and power its recently announced partnership with Midjourney for a full-body tomographic-imaging machine that utilizes Butterfly’s Ultrasound-on-Chip imaging modules.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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  Citizen Health’s Plan to Put an AI Advocate in Every Patient’s Pocket 25.06.2026 50m

  “The number one thing that results in a better outcome for someone who is sick is actually, ‘Do you have an advocate on your side?’” says Farid Vij, co-founder and CEO of Citizen Health. Vij joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer to explain how Citizen Health is building an AI-powered advocate for patients with rare and complex diseases. He discusses the company’s mission to aggregate longitudinal health data, support caregivers, accelerate research and create a future where personalized guidance replaces one-size-fits-all medicine.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.