The Tech Glow Up - Fabulous conversations with innovative minds.

The Math Behind Sustainable Health Startups: There’s No Mission Without A Margin - Warren Templeton

Every health tech founder wants to change the system. But Warren Templeton, Managing Director at Health2047 [https://health2047.com/], will tell you that without financial sustainability, the mission dies on the vine. "No mission without margin" isn't a compromise — it's a precondition. In a sector where impact is measured in lives and dollars at the same time, Warren argues that founders who can't do the math on their own business model are the ones who don't make it. Health2047 is a venture studio backed by the American Medical Association — and that structure matters. Warren and his team don't just write checks. They build business capability around pre-seed and seed founders, then deploy capital through whatever vehicle fits the situation, debt or equity.  The name 2047 is deliberate: the 200-year anniversary of the AMA's founding.  The portfolio spans chronic disease management, data liquidity, and physician productivity, with companies like Phenomix Health, Moneta, ScholarRx, and Zing Health. Warren also wants every Health2047 startup to openly document their data's biases and limitations — because training on non-representative data doesn't fix the problem, it compounds it. Key Moments: * [00:03:34] How Health2047 partners with founders — beyond the check * [00:06:05] The "no mission without margin" thesis and what it really means * [00:12:16] What healthcare transformation actually looks like (hint: it's not blowing things up) * [00:24:58] The open data future Warren wants to see — and why it's already starting * [00:26:37] The women's health investment gap and the Health of Women thesis Warren's framework for founders is deceptively simple: price times quantity. Healthcare has finite patient populations, limited physician counts, and real unit economics. Knowing your P×Q math tells you what kind of investor you need and whether your business model can actually survive. Subscribe to The Tech Glow Up for more conversations with the leaders driving healthcare forward. Watch the full conversation on YouTube → https://youtu.be/NYYc_a2k63w Join the Tech Glow Up newsletter on Substack → https://substack.com/@mxnathanc About Warren Templeton: Warren Templeton is a Managing Director at Health2047, the venture studio backed by the American Medical Association. In this role, Warren works with founders and entrepreneurs on product formation and refinement through to go-to-market execution. Warren brings strong analytical and deep technical skills, possessing significant capabilities in both enterprise and consumer-focused product development. Warren sits on the board of RecoverX, a Health2047 portfolio company.  Previously, Warren co-founded a marketing content creation platform, Zigna, and served as COO. He worked at Fitbit on growth strategies via M&A. Warren began his career building trading technology for Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, and Morgan Stanley, where he last held the title of VP. Warren holds a BSc in Computer Science and Management from the University of St. Andrews and an MBA from Darden School of Business at University of Virginia. A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself. At The Tech Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders. In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.  If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJ07BGiM_bIi-QQeL_qhdp15OPewIZ0JZBa9gv1JDHV35CCw/viewform].

Mental Wellness Is a Skill Everyone Can Train Before the Crisis Hits - Leah Blain Chimney Trail Healthj

We train our bodies. We track our steps, our sleep, our resting heart rate. But when it comes to mental wellness — the skills that help people regulate, process, and recover — most people never learn them until something breaks. The tools exist. Cognitive behavioral therapy has 50 years of evidence behind it. And those tools work just as well before a crisis as after. Almost nobody knows that. Leah Blain is a licensed clinical psychologist and Chief Clinical Officer at Chimney Trail Health [https://www.chimneytrailhealth.com/]. Her conviction is simple: get evidence-based mental wellness tools to people upstream — before a problem starts, not after it requires treatment. That means translating decades of validated CBT research into something accessible. Something that fits in a cargo pocket.  Chimney Trail's flagship offering is a workbook that looks like a fun magazine — small quizzes, thought records, digestible content, designed specifically to fit in a military uniform pocket. Sometimes meeting people where they are is the whole innovation. What we cover in this episode: * [00:00] Nathan and Leah introduce Chimney Trail Health and the primary prevention model * [04:36] How Chimney Trail builds ROI through outcomes, not just access — B2B and B2G engagement strategy * [05:59] The pocket workbook: why a physical, cargo-pocket-sized magazine beat a digital app for military users * [15:57] Mission as the decision yardstick: how Chimney Trail evaluates what to add and what to leave out * [24:38] Chimney Trail's recent glow up — a lethal means security curriculum and a large-scale Air Force pilot Leah also talks about the incentive problem in healthcare, why prevention is invisible when it works, and what it would look like to give mental wellness the same cultural weight as physical fitness.  Her ask for the field: stop treating mental health as a marker of brokenness and start treating it as a performance edge everyone already has and can train. Catch the full episode where you get your podcasts or watch on YouTube —https://youtu.be/vuNTy5lIR6I . Join the Tech Glow Up newsletter on Substack → https://substack.com/@mxnathanc About Leah Blain Dr. Leah Blain is a licensed clinical psychologist, a Beck Institute-certified cognitive behavioral psychotherapist, and Chief Clinical Officer for Chimney Trail Health. She spent the last decade building and running cutting edge behavioral health clinics; most recently at the University of Pennsylvania, where she launched a specialized cognitive behavioral therapy program for veterans and military family members. A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself. At The Tech Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders. In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.  If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJ07BGiM_bIi-QQeL_qhdp15OPewIZ0JZBa9gv1JDHV35CCw/viewform].

Meet The HealthTech Impact Award Winners & The Personal Stories That Sparked Their Innovations.

Meet the HealthTech Impact Award Winners. Five innovators with five real, personal inspirations that keep them focussed and building.  Ellyn Ito co-founded InnerStill [https://www.innerstillhealth.com/] after her 15-year-old son became suicidal during the pandemic. Every avenue they tried fell short. That search led to MindVybe — a patented wearable neuromodulation device using vagus nerve stimulation and acupressure point regulation for stress, poor sleep, brain fog, agitation, and lack of focus. No side effects, no overuse risk. MindVybe has 5,000 users in clinical studies, three state innovation grants, and is on the FDA 510k pathway. Claire Dixon is building LoOop [https://www.getlooop.com/] for the millions living with PCOS — polycystic ovary syndrome — a painful, chronically underfunded condition. LoOop is an abdominal patch combining electronic stimulation with a full care platform: knowledge base, personal journaling, and an AI chat assistant. Claire's philosophy: "There are two ways to win and only one way to fail — if you lose and you learn, that's still a win." Life happens for you, not to you. Dr. Chigozie Michael Nwalozie built Zarephath Health [https://zarephathhealth.com/] on one conviction: execution matters more than ideas. His team created non-invasive, urine-based diagnostic tests for HPV, STDs, and other markers — results in 10 minutes — scaling across 16 countries in Africa around three pillars: screening, accessible diagnosis, and treatment. His message is clear: HPV does not respect nationality, race, wealth, or title. This is a global problem. Alex Koshykov asked why telehealth fell back to pre-pandemic levels after COVID. The answer: patients can't describe symptoms in clinical terms, and doctors can't diagnose without information. YODD [https://yodd.health/] is a multimodal remote diagnostic device giving doctors real-time data — lung and heart sounds, ears, throat, oxygen saturation, pulse, EKG, blood pressure — during a telehealth call. Built for rural patients who travel two to three hours to reach a hospital. Tayaru Bayyana's father went through a stage four cancer journey. A problem solver by nature, she could not solve it. "That hit me really hard." SereniCare AI [http://serenicare.ai/] is a proactive decision platform for cancer patients and caregivers, built to turn existing data into timely guidance — designed so no one in that circle makes decisions in the dark. Validated through 50 to 70 interviews with clinicians and nurse practitioners. Timestamps: [00:00:00] Introduction — The HealthTech Impact Showdown [00:05:00] Ellyn Ito — InnerStill / MindVybe [00:20:00] Claire Dixon — Neuraura / LoOop [00:35:00] Dr. Chigozie Michael Nwalozie — Zarephath Health [00:50:00] Alex Koshykov — YODD [01:05:00] Tayaru Bayyana — SereniCare AI Five founders. Five moments where something happened and they chose to build. This episode is a celebration of that choice. Watch the full conversation on YouTube →https://youtu.be/4FeCDubNO-8 Join the Tech Glow Up newsletter on Substack → https://substack.com/@mxnathanc A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself. At The Tech Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders. In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.  If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJ07BGiM_bIi-QQeL_qhdp15OPewIZ0JZBa9gv1JDHV35CCw/viewform].

40 EV’s On A Cross Country Test Show How Real-World Research Beats The Lab Every Time - Katie Tucker

Most vehicle research happens in ideal conditions — short commutes, familiar routes, full battery. Katie Tucker wanted to know what happens when the conditions aren't ideal. As Global Customer Research and CX Insights Manager at General Motors, she led a study that sent 40 Blazer EVs and more than 80 drivers on cross-country road trips to find out what customers actually need when the stakes are high and the variables are real.  What they uncovered reshaped how the team thinks about EV onboarding, range anxiety, and the critical first 60 to 90 days of vehicle ownership. Katie's approach sits at the intersection of qualitative and quantitative research. Neither method alone tells the full story. Real-world behavior, customer emotion, and product data have to move together if you want insights that hold up when a product team is making decisions with a five-year roadmap on the line.  She's also watching closely how AI is changing what her team can do — and where human judgment still has to lead. Key moments in this conversation: * [00:03:54] How an architecture background led to a career in design thinking and CX research * [00:07:40] What the cross-country EV road trip study revealed that lab research never could * [00:09:25] Blending qualitative and quantitative data to surface actionable insights * [00:12:58] Why cross-functional collaboration is how good ideas survive long enough to ship * [00:21:31] How AI is changing the research workflow — and what it still can't replace Katie has spent her career moving between boutique consulting and large enterprise environments, and the throughline has always been the same: technology is only valuable if it serves the humans who use it.  That conviction shapes every study, every research question, and every recommendation she brings to a product team — and it's why her work has impact well beyond the research report itself. Watch the full conversation on YouTube → https://youtu.be/BSOwimnRiq4 Join the Tech Glow Up newsletter on Substack → https://substack.com/@mxnathanc About Katie Tucker Katie Tucker is a customer-obsessed product and CX leader at General Motors, where she designs customer-focused operating models that connect emerging technology, vehicle experiences, and portfolio decisions across functions.  Her career spans founding a boutique innovation consultancy, growing a business innovation practice at Daimler Trucks North America, and now shaping GM’s EV and software-defined vehicle journeys through CX governance, journey mapping, and AI-augmented insights.  With graduate degrees in both architecture and business, she works at the intersection of systems thinking and human-centered design, helping teams turn messy real-world signals into clear strategy and execution.  On The Tech Glow Up, Katie shares how resilience, thoughtful experimentation, and a deep focus on customer adoption can turn bold ideas into durable value for founders, product leaders, and the customers they serve. A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself. At The Tech Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders. In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.  If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJ07BGiM_bIi-QQeL_qhdp15OPewIZ0JZBa9gv1JDHV35CCw/viewform].

Just-In-Time Learning Means Doctor & Nurses Have Answers When It Matters Most - Dr. Stephanie Lahr

Most technology implementations in healthcare fail in the same place: the moment after go-live, when clinicians are supposed to just know how to use the system. Dr. Stephanie Lahr, Chief Medical Officer at uPerform [https://www.uperform.com/], spent years watching that happen from the inside — as a physician, as a CIO, as a CMIO — before deciding to fix it. uPerform is a just-in-time learning platform built for health systems. When a nurse forgets how to document a medication, when a physician can't remember how to write a specific order, when a revenue cycle team member needs to get a bill out the door — uPerform surfaces the answer directly inside the workflow, without breaking it. No separate training system.  No waiting for a trainer. Just the information you need, in the moment you need it, embedded in whatever EHR or ERP the organization already uses. And the next chapter: that same on-demand intelligence expanding beyond EHR how-to into the broader landscape of information clinicians need at their fingertips in real time. Stephanie's Glow Up for healthcare in 2026 isn't another technology announcement. It's a shift in focus: from building more systems to helping people actually use the ones they have. We don't have an innovation challenge. We have an overwhelm challenge. Every tech investment should be driving back toward joy, humanity, and presence in the care room — not away from it. Key Moments: * [00:02:14] What just-in-time learning actually means and who uPerform is built for * [00:06:09] From physician to CIO to vendor: how the doctor-informaticist path happened one decision at a time * [00:09:13] The 2026 Glow Up: we don't have an innovation problem, we have an overwhelm problem * [00:12:01] uPerform's next chapter: on-demand learning expanding beyond EHR training * [00:18:20] Responsible AI today: workflow tools are ready, predictive AI still needs cleaner data Recorded live from the Vive 2026 event. Catch the full conversation on YouTube → https://youtu.be/0gioHYjYJvQ Join the Tech Glow Up newsletter on Substack → https://substack.com/@mxnathanc About Stephanie Lahr Stephanie Lahr, MD, CHCIO is on a mission to bring joy back to medicine and reduce friction by improving the caregiver’s technology experience. She is an experienced informaticist, change agent and leader in the healthcare industry who has led the clinical aspects, data conversion strategy and the incorporation of multiple Community Connect sites.  Dr. Lahr served as the CMIO, and later CIO, of Monument Health where she was first introduced to uPerform as a client. Her passion, expertise and experience is an asset to uPerform as we work together to improve the clinician experience through enhanced health IT education. A "glow up" signifies a positive transformation, reflecting the journey of becoming a better, more successful version of oneself. At The Tech Glow Up, we humanize the startup and innovation landscape by focusing on the essential aspects of the entrepreneurial journey. Groundbreaking ideas are often ahead of their time, making resilience and perseverance vital for founders and product leaders. In our podcast, we engage with innovators to discuss their transformative ideas, the challenges they face, and how they create value for future success.  If you're a founder or product leader seeking your own glow up, or a seasoned entrepreneur with stories to share, we invite you to join our guest list via this link [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdJ07BGiM_bIi-QQeL_qhdp15OPewIZ0JZBa9gv1JDHV35CCw/viewform].