In May, Enspektos, an innovation consultancy, will be holding a unique all-Web digital health conference, digihealth pulse Virtual 2014 (DHPV 2014). During the event, more than 25 innovators, entrepreneurs, futurists and others will share their wisdom about digital health’s present and future.
Unity Stoakes, co-founder and President of StartUp Health, a global startup platform accelerating innovation in health and wellness, is one of those participating in the conference. StartUp Health is on a mission to inspire, educate and help 1,000 health startups to re-imagine and transform healthcare by 2020.
Prior to DHPV 2014, a number of speakers have agreed to answer the following question: What’s the one piece of digital health advice people can’t afford to ignore? The following is Stoakes’s take on this question.
“The core of my advice is this: focus on batteries-included people.
We’re truly living in amazing times. Around the world, physicians, developers, innovators, entrepreneurs, patients and others are enthusiastically working together and separately to transform healthcare. They’re building new tools, investing in promising startups, engaging in rapid experimentation and working day and night to improve health.
As co-founder of Startup Health, I’ve have the privilege of seeing some of this activity first-hand. Last week, we announced that 16 new companies have joined the StartUp Health Academy, and firms in our portfolio have collectively raised $130 million. But, the story of these Healthcare Transformers is about much more than the numbers. It’s all about the people from around the world who have come together to drive innovation in the health sector.
You see, experience has taught me, and my partners at StartUp Health, that innovation starts from within. There will always be plenty of naysayers, who are afraid of change, unwilling to take risks and believe that better is impossible. These people are not inherently bad, they are simply wedded to the status quo.
There’s another class of individuals, though. We call them batteries-included people because they are not only willing to take risks, but view the future as full of possibilities rather than obstacles. As a long-time entrepreneur, I’ve come to realize that batteries-included people are essential to innovation and progress. In fact, when entrepreneurs in the StartUp Health family ask me who they should bring on as partners, seek as potential clients and more, we ask them to evaluate people according to whether they are are “batteries-included” or “batteries-not included.”
I think this is good advice for anyone involved in digital health, whether you are seeking to build the next billion-dollar company, working to transform the way care is delivered in your hospital, or a patient coping with a major illness. Batteries-included people will always be there to support you, propel you, and motivate you to live well and achieve more.
I’ll leave you with this question: Are you a batteries-included person?”
We’d also love to hear from you. Share your thoughts on the one piece of digital health advice people can’t afford to ignore by commenting on this post. Then, tweet the following between April 17 and 23: “Here’s my take on the one piece of digital health advice people can’t afford to ignore [insert link to this post] #DHPV2014.” Enspektos will randomly select two people who comment and tweet their response to receive free tickets to DHPV 2014 after the contest ends on April 23. Please be sure to use the hashtag #DHPV2014 so that Enspektos can track your responses.
Disclosure: HIT Consultant is a featured media partner of digihealth pulse Virtual 2014
