Why Most Digital Health Startups Will Fail

Why Most Digital Health Startups Will Fail

Author: by FemmeHealth Alliance September 11, 2025 Duration: 30:18

Half the headlines in healthcare are hype. But what if we stopped chasing the next shiny thing and started fixing the fundamentals?

In this episode of Blindspot Capital, I sit down with Sergei Polevikov, mathematician, investor, and co-host of the podcast Digital Health Inside Out, to talk about what’s broken in digital health from copycat AI startups to gender bias in funding and where we should be paying attention instead.

In This Episode We Cover:

🟣 Why most digital health startups are chasing performance signals that don’t matter🟣 The VC paradox: how underperforming funds still raise while women founders get ignored🟣 The rise of “AI tourists” in healthcare and why most won’t survive🟣 What investors are missing in autoimmune, menopause, and cardiovascular health🟣 How women-led companies often outperform and still get passed over🟣 What needs to change in how capital flows are structured🟣 Why Sergei and Alex launched Digital Health Inside Out and what he's learning from clinicians, not conferences.

Join 10,000+ readers of the FemmeHealth newsletter on Substack.

----------------------------------------------------

🎙️ Sergei and Alex’s podcast: Digital Health Inside Out📬

Sergei’s Substack: AI Health Uncut

----------------------------------------------------

Why You Should Listen:

If you’re a founder, investor, or operator navigating digital health, this is the truth-telling conversation you won’t hear on stage. No fluff. Just data, capital dynamics, and the patterns no one’s naming.

📌 Watch full episode on YouTube



Get full access to The Billion Dollar Blindspot at blog.billiondollarblindspot.com/subscribe

There's a vast, often overlooked frontier in business and innovation, and Blindspot Capital is mapping its terrain. This podcast digs into the ideas, trends, and tangible investment potential shaping the future of women's health, a sector that has historically been underfunded and underserved. Each episode moves beyond surface-level discussions to examine the systemic gaps and the consequential opportunities they create. You'll hear from founders, investors, researchers, and thinkers who are actively building and funding solutions in this space, sharing their on-the-ground experiences and hard-won insights. The conversations are grounded in the reality of entrepreneurship and market dynamics, exploring not just the "why" but the "how"-how new technologies are being applied, how businesses are scaling, and how capital can be deployed to generate both impact and returns. Tune in for a clear-eyed look at an area ripe for transformation, where understanding the blind spot isn't just about awareness, but about seeing a path forward for savvy builders and backers alike. This isn't a niche side conversation; it's a central dialogue about the next wave of growth in healthcare and technology, delivered through a podcast dedicated to substantive, forward-thinking analysis.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 18

Blindspot Capital
Podcast Episodes
Blind Spot Capital is Here! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14
Blind Spot Capital Podcast TrailerWelcome to Blind Spot Capital, the podcast where health innovation meets investment insight. Every year, investors bet billions on the future of health but most still miss one of the big…
Episode #5: Transforming PostPartum Care with AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:08
In this conversation, Maryann and Astrid Gyllenkrok, CEO and Co-Founder of LEIA Health discuss the challenges of parenthood, particularly focusing on the postpartum experience and the need for better support systems for…
Episode #4: Breaking Barriers in Drug Delivery for Women [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:14
In this episode of FemmeHealth Founders, Maryann speaks with Dr. Lara Zibners, co-founder of Calla Lily Clinical Care, about the inadequacies in current drug delivery methods for women's health. Lara shares her personal…
Episode #3 - The Story Behind OvulaRing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:25
In this episode of Notes to Selfe, we dive into the fascinating world of women's health innovation with Sebastian Alexander, founder and CEO of VivoSensMedical. We explore the journey of OvulaRing, a groundbreaking techn…
Femme Health Founders Episode #1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:43
Hormones rule our lives—from puberty to menopause, they influence everything from our mood to our health. But why do some women experience severe side effects while others don’t?In this episode of the FemmeHealth Founder…