What You Should Know:
– Cleveland Clinic and Khosla Ventures today announced a major strategic collaboration, uniting a globally respected international health system with one of Silicon Valley’s premier investors in technology.
– The partnership aims to reimagine healthcare delivery by providing a direct pipeline for testing, validating, and scaling bold new technologies in a real-world clinical environment.
A Direct Pathway for Emerging Technology
The collaboration combines the unique strengths of both organizations: Cleveland Clinic’s expertise in biomedical research, clinical care, and innovation, and Khosla Ventures’ venture expertise and network of entrepreneurs.
Under the agreement, Khosla Ventures portfolio companies gain a distinct advantage by working directly with Cleveland Clinic providers to showcase and test new technologies at all stages—from clinical validation to commercial adoption. This access is designed to accelerate the journey from bold, early-stage ideas to proven, scalable solutions.
Joint Incubation and Commercial Traction
The collaboration is already yielding commercial results, with Cleveland Clinic having entered into customer agreements and commercial relationships with Khosla-backed companies. They are also evaluating several others for potential commercial partnerships, investments, and co-development opportunities.
Looking to the future, the organizations plan to jointly incubate a new company. In this model, Khosla Ventures will lead technical development and recruiting, while Cleveland Clinic will provide the clinical environment necessary to test, refine, and scale the service.
“Together we aim to accelerate transformational innovation, foster groundbreaking technologies, and ultimately improve patient outcomes,” said Geoff Vince, PhD, Chief, Cleveland Clinic Innovations.
Strategic Focus Areas for Transformation
The partnership will prioritize areas where technology can have the most transformative impact on health and longevity:
- AI and Digital Health: Focusing on applying AI to automate workflows, improve diagnostics, personalize treatment, and extend access to care.
- Therapeutics and Diagnostics: Advancing next-generation solutions, especially in specialty areas like cardiology, oncology, neurology, and musculoskeletal care.
- Care Delivery Models: Developing new models, including comprehensive home-based services, multi-specialty primary care, and global second-opinion programs.
- Value-Based Models: Creating strategies tailored for Medicare, Medicaid, and dual-eligible populations.
The collaboration will be supported by Cleveland Clinic Innovations (CCI), the health system’s innovation arm, which brings deep experience in IP management, licensing, and startup incubation, having launched over 100 spin-off companies since 2000.
