Tal Wenderow

AI is transforming how we understand health—especially the signals our hearts give us. Today, we can analyze more than a million heartbeats over days, providing clinicians with deeper insights into heart health. But what if we could go even further?   I spoke with Amy Feldman at Forbes about how AI-powered monitoring is expanding into sleep apnea, COPD, CKD, and diabetes. The potential to reshape chronic disease detection, diagnosis, and management is enormous—and we’re just getting started.   Exciting times ahead. Thanks for the great discussion, Amy Feldman!   Read more in Forbes: https://lnkd.in/gkT-kHGq   #AI #MedTech #DigitalHealth #FutureOfHealthcare #Innovation

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We need to fix the $5 trillion American healthcare system, and I believe AI is our best shot. That’s why a big chunk of SignalFire’s recent $1B+ fundraise will go to health and pharmatech. Some of the ideas our team has been working on... - Solving the healthcare labor shortage: 2/3s of healthcare workers are burned out. We need faster credentialing, smarter workflow tools, and outpatient monitoring so people don’t end up in the ER - Using AI to bring medicines to market faster: As generative biology 10Xs drug invention, we need tech to keep clinical trials and regulatory filings from becoming the bottleneck - Hybrid home care for aging populations: $265B is spend is shifting to in-home care. We need tech to train a new fleet of caregivers and automate medical supplies logistics so they can focus on patients. Thank you to Heather Landi at Fierce Healthcare for featuring SignalFire’s investments in this critical space (link in the comments), our health investment team Yuanling Yuan, Sooah Cho, Sahir Raoof, Tony Pezzullo, and the many SignalFire portfolio companies in this space for trusting us to support their mission: Grow Therapy, Color, Ro, CodaMetrix, Qualified Health, Centaur Labs, Health Gorilla, Verse, Wellth, PayZen, Recora, all.health, Bicycle Health, Form Health,Health Note, Osso VR, Praia Health, Freshpaint, Auxilius, Ovation Healthcare, OrthoFX, Moxie, and many more coming out of stealth soon!

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I'm thrilled to announce our #investment in #Baltimore's own CoapTech, a #medicaldevice company that enables novel minimally invasive #surgicalprocedures in hollow organs through point-of-care #ultrasound. The #FDA cleared PUMA-G System is the first and only device enabling #bedside ultrasound-based placement of #gastronomy feeding tubes. And in case you missed the news, two weeks ago the company announced a second FDA clearance for its #pediatric device, which dramatically reduces radiation, sedation, and procedure times. If you're outside the medical profession, you might be asking: So why should we get excited about this? Well, Howard Carolan, Steven Tropello, and their team built this company to solve the very real problem of ballooning length of stay costs and throughput in #criticalcare settings. Peer-reviewed research from Jackson Memorial Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in the country, found a $34,000 per-patient hospital cost reduction associated with use of the PUMA-G. Think about that: $34,000 per patient. This is driven by 10 to 14 day reductions in ICU length of stay. When Howard Carolan showed me their data readouts, I almost couldn't believe the numbers - I have never seen a #medicaldevice #company that can claim such significant improvements to throughput. When I was getting started in #healthcare investing, I would sit in rooms with healthcare CMOs and CFOs and listen as they evaluated solutions that had the potential to reduce LOS by 0.5 to 0.75 days, because the savings can be so significant. The #upside of the CoapTech platform is extraordinary and has the potential to fundamentally improve healthcare outcomes for the millions of patients who have feeding tubes placed each year, as well as dramatically lower the #costofcare for #hospitals. We're privileged to partner with Good Growth Capital, Abell Foundation Inc, Ecphora Capital, NuFund Venture Group, and TEDCO. We're excited to work with the CoapTech team as they drive the #venture forward in support of #patients and #healthcare systems nationally. https://lnkd.in/eBBstsgW

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Tulavi Therapeutics Appoints Raymond W. Cohen as Vice Chairman of its Board of Directors   Veteran medtech executive brings proven track record of scaling innovative medical device companies and successful exits Los Gatos, CA, June 18, 2025 -- Tulavi Therapeutics, Inc. (“Tulavi”), a medical device company transforming peripheral nerve surgery with its Adaptive Hydrogel Technology, today announced the appointment of Raymond W. Cohen to serve as Vice Chairman of its Board of Directors. "We are thrilled to welcome Ray to our Board of Directors at this pivotal moment in Tulavi's growth trajectory," said Josh Vose MD, CEO of Tulavi Therapeutics. "Ray brings to our board an exceptional track record of building and scaling innovative medical device companies, combined with his deep understanding of hydrogels, neurology, and device markets. His expertise will be instrumental as we advance the Adaptive Hydrogel Technology and expand access to essential peripheral nerve surgery." Mr. Cohen served as the chief executive officer and member of the board of directors of Nasdaq-listed Axonics, Inc., a medical device company he co-founded in 2013 and took public in late October 2018. Axonics ranked No. 1 on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ and the Financial Times ranking of the fastest-growing companies in the Americas in 2021 and 2022. Cohen retired from Axonics following its acquisition by Boston Scientific Corporation (BSX). Following the sale of Axonics, Cohen was named Chairman of the Board of SoniVie, Ltd, a privately held, Israel-based developer of a renal denervation system to treat hypertension, where he was instrumental in its March 2025 sale to BSX. In addition, Cohen serves on the Board of Directors of Spectrum Vascular, a privately held PE-backed company and Kestra Medical Technologies, a wearable defibrillator product company, where Ray supported its oversubscribed IPO in early 2025. "Tulavi Therapeutics is addressing a significant unmet need in peripheral nerve surgery with its groundbreaking in situ forming hydrogel technology," said Mr. Cohen. "I look forward to contributing to the Board and supporting this talented team to help scale the company's commercial operations and bring this life-changing technology to surgeons and patients who need it most."   About Tulavi Therapeutics Tulavi Therapeutics, based in Los Gatos, CA, is a privately held medical device company with a mission to transform peripheral nerve surgery through innovative biomaterial solutions. The company's proprietary in situ forming hydrogel technology represents a breakthrough approach to nerve repair and protection, addressing critical unmet needs in peripheral nerve surgical procedures. Tulavi is committed to advancing patient outcomes and improving the standard of care for surgeons treating peripheral nerve conditions. For more information on Tulavi, please visit www.tulavi.com

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The ratio between what you can accomplish as a techbio startup and the funding available is the largest I've ever seen. The tools are absurdly better (models + automation), the ambition is off the charts (evolved from narrow indications to population-wide impacts), and millions are paying for drugs out of pocket.

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I had a conversation with Karl Schmieder, MS MFA on how #radicalcollaboration is needed to bring a bio-manufacturing industry to life. We talked about: Why invention alone isn’t enough: Discovery is no longer the bottleneck—industrial scaling, regulation, and consumer adoption are. The new role of orchestrators: The most valuable companies will be those that coordinate across supply chains, regulators, and corporates, turning fragmented players into functioning ecosystems. What this means for founders and investors: The future winners in biotech may not be those with the most novel science, but those who master the art of integration. https://lnkd.in/g4bshddA Kylie Porter Michele Stansfield David Weiner David Kestenbaum Mark Warner Sam Perkins Ian O'Hara Arturo Elizondo James Petrie Jim Fader Paul Riley Ed Husic MP Robyn Denholm Guy Reypert Chris Liu Rob Brown Emerald Scofield Dirk van der Kley

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Opus Genetics is at the forefront of developing gene therapies for pediatric blindness, as our recent data published in Molecular Therapy highlights. Yesterday, in a podcast featuring Marty Makary M.D., M.P.H. at the FDA, the focus on therapies for treating pediatric blindness was specifically emphasized. The increasing attention given to these challenging diseases is truly appreciated, underscoring the potential of gene therapies to enhance these kids' lives. https://lnkd.in/excz_iiG

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Everyone in pharma is racing to launch generative AI tools, even the FDA. However, some things in life take time to flourish… 📈⚕️ As journalist Natalia Mesa outlines in her recent take for BioSpace the FDA’s recent rollout of Elsa, a large language model designed to help with clinical protocol reviews and scientific evaluations, raised some red flags ⚠️. According to Mesa’s reporting, FDA insiders described the implementation as rushed, lacking proper oversight, and prone to incorrect or partially accurate outputs. Some said Elsa wasn’t ready. Others questioned how decisions made with its help could hold up under legal or scientific scrutiny. I don’t know for sure, won’t speculate on FDA’s moves. But I can say one thing clearly: it took a decade for Insilico Medicine, to get to the most advanced and well-validated AI platform in the industry, PharmaAI. Steadily building, testing, and validating…it takes time to grow organically 🌿. For those curious, here is a brief historic note: 🧬 2014 – Founded to bring AI into aging and medicine. 📄 2016–2019 – Published foundational work; GENTRL, their early generative model, created viable molecules in under a month. 🧪 2020–2021 – Launched PharmaAI, combining tools for target discovery (PandaOmics), molecule generation (Chemistry42), and trial prediction (InClinico). 💊 2022 – AI-designed anti-fibrotic drug ISM001-055 entered Phase I trials. 📈 2023–2025 – That same drug, now named Rentosertib, reached Phase II trials—with results published in Nature Medicine in June 2025 confirming safety and initial efficacy in patients. 🚀 Over just a span of several years, PharmaAI platform enabled discovery and design of more than 30 preclinical and clinical drug candidates, and multiple new targets (see image). The lesson here is this: Insilico didn’t skip steps. It published results and AI platform mechanics relentlessly, validated with its own pipeline and client’s projects, and iterated, it took time and patience. Their tools evolved from basic algorithms to a trusted enterprise platform used by major pharma players across the globe… I think Alex Zhavoronkov and Alex Aliper could one day write a book about this roller coaster ride! Meanwhile, I feel like the FDA’s experiment with Elsa shows what happens when there is a push for a quick win in a complex area like medical AI, something Mesa’s reporting hints to… I hope they figure things out fast, the FDA is one of the most important organizations in the world, IMO. We all need them to be doing great, because the health and lives of many-many people depend on that 🙏🩺 Image credit: Insilico Medicine

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