Latest / StartUp Health NOW Podcast / Inside the Health Moonshot Impact Board: A Conversation with Microsoft & the ADA on Global Health Innovation

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Inside the Health Moonshot Impact Board: A Conversation with Microsoft & the ADA on Global Health Innovation · StartUp Health NOW Podcast

• 0:00
  Welcome to Startup Health Now, the podcast where we celebrate the entrepreneurs and the innovators who are transforming health. I'm your host, Logan Plaster.
• 0:07
  [upbeat music] My guests on the show today are two members of the Startup Health Impact Board, Kimi Grewal and Chuck Henderson.
• 0:14
  A huge part of our mission at Startup Health involves gathering a cross-disciplinary team of folks who are gonna challenge one another and collaborate.
• 0:22
  They're gonna connect the dots around the great health challenges of our time. I wanted to use this episode to introduce you to two of these fine people.
• 0:30
  Let's start with Kimi Grewal, who is the General Manager for Customer Engagement and Co-innovation at Microsoft.
• 0:36
  Which is a fancy way of saying, um, I work with customers across industries on, like, what business problems they're trying to solve and how can we use technology in service of those business problems, so.
• 0:47
  Startup Health supports hundreds of healthcare startups, most of whom are at the earliest stages of development. A small team of amazing people who are just crazy enough to think they can change the world.
• 0:58
  It's great having Kimi Grewal on the Impact board offering feedback because she brings that scale-up perspective from her work at Microsoft.
• 1:06
  Question is, how can you build an infrastructure for your startup that will work with a global customer base, one that will remain secure in the face of evolving cyber threats?
• 1:15
  How can you incorporate the latest developments in AI without having to build it yourself? We'll cover this and more in my interview with Kimi, and hear how Microsoft is thinking about how it works with startups.
• 1:26
  We're realizing that, like, the future is, like, these small digital native 10-person, 20-person companies are going to be the next set of enterprise companies. I interviewed Kimi at the Lake Nona Impact Forum.
• 1:37
  After hearing from her and her work as a co-innovation leader at Microsoft, we'll hear from Chuck Henderson, the CEO of the American Diabetes Association.
• 1:45
  Chuck joined Startup Health's Impact Board last year and has already expanded our vision for how we will tackle metabolic disorders. First, here's Kimi Grewal from Microsoft.
• 1:56
  [upbeat music] What kinds of business problems get you the most excited? I think the ones that are most related to Microsoft's mission.
• 2:05
  So the mission is about, uh, empowering every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. And so to me, it's like the problems that are really gonna impact society at large.
• 2:15
  Like, so to me, healthcare is, like, naturally the area I get most excited about. But I would say also, um, in the area of climate and sustainability. Okay. And are those two areas you get to invest a lot of time?
• 2:27
  Are there- I do. I mean, I, I think there's- There are companies working I, I think, I mean, climate and ESG is on every company's radar.
• 2:34
  Um, everyone's trying to figure out Scope 3, and people have figured out Scope 1 and, um, 2 so far, so that's super interesting.
• 2:40
  And also the potential for AI and what AI can do beyond reporting in that space is super interesting. Okay, okay. What, uh, stage of company do you work with?
• 2:51
  Um, so typically large enterprise companies, so like Fortune 500, Forbes 100. But actually, um, a lot more with digital native companies that are much smaller in size.
• 3:00
  So historically, Microsoft's been, you know, and is known for dominating enterprise, but I think we're realizing that, like, the future is, like, these small digital native 10-person, 20-person companies are going to be the next set of enterprise companies.
• 3:14
  So there's a big, big, uh, shift to those companies as well, and making sure our tech is affordable, um, and accessible to that, um, tranche of customers as well. Got it. Uh, you mentioned healthcare.
• 3:26
  Is there any, uh, other challenges within healthcare that you're, you're excited to see entrepreneurs tackling right now?
• 3:33
  I think I am most excited about, like, uh, like, drug development and what it, like, what, um, I think AI can portend in drug development and this, like, how much faster we can get a drug to market.
• 3:45
  Like, I think we saw what we're able to do in, for COVID and, like, vaccines, and I just think, like, it shouldn't take, um, a pandemic to make those things happen, and I think we have the tech there now to help, like, fast-track that process.
• 4:00
  I think the, the, like, it's super interesting and helpful to reduce administrative burden for clinicians and nurses, but I feel like that's, like, the surface of the potential- Mm-hmm...
• 4:09
  of the current technology for impact in health. Yeah. It's interesting that that's where we're at.
• 4:14
  Um, and yet that alone, just giving a, a doctor back some time, giving them the chance to, like, look a patient in the eye- Yeah... does have such foundational impact.
• 4:25
  And yet you're right, it, it is just scratching the surface on how- Yeah... technology can improve health. Um, any big projects in 2024 that you're particularly excited about?
• 4:34
  I think the, the thing that's really interesting is I, I love forums like this where we talk about, like, the art of the possible, and with the, the tech that's here today, I think what we don't always understand is, like, where, where folks are is so far from where, um, we'd like want to be.
• 4:52
  So what I mean by that in technology-wise is, like, cloud has been a thing forever, like, for a decade now, right?
• 4:57
  And, um, it was interesting, not an imperative, until COVID, and then it became an imperative, and then every company was like, "Digital transformation is no longer a buzzword.
• 5:07
  We've, we've gotta be able to do this to keep our lights on." And I think now it's, like, the same with AI. It's like folks are super interested, and everyone's like, "How do I pilot, uh, various, uh, use cases with AI?"
• 5:20
  But actually, if you haven't gotten on the cloud, you haven't gotten your data in order- Mm...
• 5:23
  and you haven't cleansed it, you haven't, like, triangulated with other data sources, there's not much you can do, even though the tech is there, like with these LLMs, et cetera.
• 5:31
  And I think there's that big, um, bridge to, um, traverse, and what I'm super excited about is, like, now there's an imperative 'cause people don't wanna be left behind, and they do see, like, if we don't do this now, we're gonna, we're gonna be the Kodak, right?
• 5:46
  We're not gonna be the, the, the company of the future. Yeah.
• 5:51
  So that's what's super exciting for me, is, like, I, I really think we're gonna see a fundamental shift in investments in business like we haven't seen before.
• 5:58
  Part of the reason why we're having this conversation is that you're on Startup Health's Impact Board, and we talk so much about the role of collaboration.
• 6:05
  So I'm curious, A, how you have seen that play out within Startup Health, kinda your commentary on that- Yeah...
• 6:12
  and just the role that you see that in your work, just the importance of collaboration as, as people start to share data.Yeah. I mean, I don't think any problem can be solved alone.
• 6:23
  Like, I genuinely, no matter how big the organization is, if you're gonna lessen the barrier to entry to, um, innovate in a new field, like, that can't be one, like, just industry.
• 6:34
  It has to be industry, it has to be government, it has to be, um, nonprofits, NGOs, et cetera, because the perspective and the ecosystem is actually what I think creates the, the ember, if you will, if you follow the, the last, uh, talk, to, like, m- make, drive that forward.
• 6:50
  So to me, like, in StartUp Health, like, that's one of the super, I'd say, um, attractive pieces is the community aspect.
• 6:58
  And I think, like, all these entrepreneurs learning from one another and that, the, the fact that that's like a central to the model is what makes it differentiated and unique and, like, I think super value added.
• 7:10
  I think the same with Microsoft. You'll see, like, the Microsoft of 20 years ago, like, you couldn't have a iPhone, right? Really. And, and now it's super open. Mm.
• 7:20
  I mean, we are the biggest, um, company of, like, open source projects in the world, right- That's great... with the acquisition of GitHub. Um, we, it's, it's...
• 7:28
  Like, everything you hear about what Satya says, it's about an open ecosystem because we know the next idea could come from the digital native that's a small company. It might not come from the big enterprise company.
• 7:38
  And so I think- Yeah...
• 7:39
  like, it's really a ethos, and I, I'm glad that, like, more and more, um, companies are realizing that, like, within their four walls, they'll only solve so much, and extending that is actually how you're gonna solve some of the biggest problems of our time.
• 7:53
  Love it. Love it. Um, in your work, do you work with a lot of executive teams of, of, you know, healthcare companies or these executives? I'm kinda curious just because we reach a lot of founders with our content.
• 8:07
  Um, what some of the characteristics, whether they're sort of the tangibles or the intangibles, that you look for in a team that you feel like is gonna be successful long term?
• 8:16
  I think there's, I would say, uh, three things. So I think one is, like, everyone is a leader in a team.
• 8:24
  Um, and I think when you see a team where everyone, you know, the, the leader sits at the front of the table and everybody else sits around them, like, that's usually not a high functioning [laughs] team. Okay.
• 8:32
  Um, because I think, like, there has to be kind of a equal playing ground, and everyone's idea is worthy of airtime, right? Mm.
• 8:40
  Um, you may not agree, and I think as a leader, at the end of the day, you have to make a decision, but you need to h- create an environment where those things can come to surface. Mm.
• 8:47
  Um, so that's one thing I think I always see when I look at executives. Great executives, they surround themselves with really smart people, and they let those people talk, and they listen more.
• 8:56
  Um- Any thoughts logistically on how you create that environment? 'Cause, um, you might have a CEO who says, "Yeah, I want that.
• 9:02
  I want that," and then the meetings just don't sort of shake out that way, especially in a virtual environment. Yeah. I think it's observation. So, like, you can only address what you observe. Mm.
• 9:13
  And I think sometimes people are not curious enough, enough to observe.
• 9:16
  Like, if you actually observe, like, there's three people that ha- that generally don't speak or that they always put notes in the chat, but they don't use their voice. Yeah.
• 9:24
  Um, seek that out, and I think sometimes th- that might be a personality thing, um, so you might wanna approach that person on the side if they're not comfortable.
• 9:32
  But I think, like, a lot of people just don't even make, take the time to make that observation. Yeah.
• 9:37
  And so if you don't actually observe, if you're not looking for that and you don't have that curiosity, you're never gonna get the best of the ideas from the people that you have around you. Very nice. Very nice.
• 9:46
  Um, anything you're looking forward to in terms of working with StartUp Health? I know we just launched our Alzheimer's moonshot. We're looking at some other moonshot initiatives.
• 9:55
  Uh, what gets you excited about some of that work? I mean, our last board meeting was phenomenal, I think.
• 10:01
  I loved the fact that we were thinking about, like, what's the next moonshot, and the fact that there was such, um, opposing views. Mm-hmm. But, you know, I think presented really respectfully.
• 10:13
  Um, but, like, I, I love that le- kind of discourse. Um, and it's like everyone- Iron sharpening iron. Yeah, exactly. And it's everyone trying to get to, like, the next best thing, and, like, you don't want groupthink.
• 10:24
  And I think that was, like... It was a great example of, like, really different perspectives.
• 10:28
  I don't think any wrong answers ne- 'cause at the end of the day, it's, I think, the, uh, leadership team to figure out, like, what is next. Yeah. And I love how Steve put, like, this is just what's next.
• 10:36
  There's gonna be a next, next, next, right? Yeah. So it's more about sequencing of these things.
• 10:40
  Um, but I really like that, and I, I think what excites me is, like, all of these are really hard problems, so it's like, where do you start?
• 10:48
  Like, and this is a question I posed in the meeting is, like, what are you trying to address? Um, right? And I think that should determine what's next. Is it impact at scale?
• 10:57
  'Cause that will lead you to a different answer. Yeah. Or is it, um, impact for a few, but no one else is looking at this, so if you don't solve it, it won't get solved, and it's number 100 on everyone's list? Yeah.
• 11:06
  Um, and for that community, it would make such a big difference. You know, I think... So it's, it's, I think it's, it's really fine-tuned. Like, that's what gets me super excited about.
• 11:14
  Like, I'm, can't wait for the next board meeting- Good... 'cause I love that kind of engagement. I'd, I'd love to hear that.
• 11:18
  It feels like there needs to be a, a blend on that board and elsewhere of the folks who have that massive vision, that 20-year vision- Yeah... and folks that say, "Here's how we're gonna...
• 11:28
  This is what we need to do this month, this quarter, this year to get there." Yeah. And kind of bring those people together as well. Yeah. Like, I love that it was, like, autism or longevity. Like, so different. Yeah.
• 11:38
  Um, right? And I think, like, both interesting. Uh, my, my position was the autism one, just because I'm like, I feel like longevity is a nice to have. Yeah.
• 11:46
  Um, where- whereas, like, autism is something here and now that we should address, and it's, it's becoming even more prevalent.
• 11:52
  That being said, I don't think it's, like, in my best interest, longevity, um, in [laughs] my personal best interest, right? So it's super interesting conversation.
• 12:00
  And it's interesting that even pursuing the question helps us understand it better. So to- Yeah... to try to figure out, well, what should we prioritize in itself is this really powerful thought experiment, right? Yeah.
• 12:13
  What is the, you know, most potent thing that we're addressing, that we're facing right now? Uh, w- where can we do the most good? Yeah. Like, that's a great question to be asking.
• 12:21
  Yeah.And I, and I will say, uh, what got me super interested more, most recently is I came across a company, I was telling Steve about it yesterday, which, which looks at biomarkers in voice- Mm.
• 12:31
  -to detect early stage depression, anxiety, but also Alzheimer's. Okay. And neurodegenerative diseases. And I was like, "What a great link to the Alzheimer's, uh, moonshot." Um, and you know, I, I was...
• 12:42
  I just, um, like, I love that, like, it's a company I would never have came across, and I probably wouldn't have paid as much attention if it wasn't for my work in StartUp Health to this specific company, and I'm like, I- connecting the dots between my work world and StartUp Health is, uh, it's a highlight.
• 12:58
  [laughs] Very nice. Well, Kimi, thanks for taking time with me. Of course. Awesome that you are on the board, and we can keep checking in.
• 13:02
  And, uh, I love you bringing your passion from your work at Microsoft to, uh, to StartUp Health. Thanks. Thanks for the questions.
• 13:09
  [gentle music] That was Kimi Grewal, General Manager for Co-innovation and Customer Engagement at Microsoft, and a member of StartUp Health's Impact Board.
• 13:20
  Next, we'll hear from Chuck Henderson, the CEO of the American Diabetes Association. Chuck joined StartUp Health's Impact Board last year and has changed how we think about tackling metabolic syndromes.
• 13:31
  Just a note on how we're thinking about tackling metabolic disorders and syndromes. Last year, we launched a type one diabetes moonshot with support from the Helmsley Charitable Trust.
• 13:40
  Since then, we've been able to organize and support a collaborative community of T1D innovators. It has been absolutely amazing seeing these 30 companies go from siloed and struggling to unified and strengthened.
• 13:54
  This year we launched an Alzheimer's moonshot with support from Gates Ventures and the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation.
• 14:00
  Our mission is to build on this momentum and create new health moonshot communities that organize innovators around the greatest health challenges of our time, and not just early stage startups, but a range of companies from every stage with the mindset to collaborate and commit long term.
• 14:16
  Having thought leaders like Chuck Henderson from the ADA on our Impact Board helps to both expand and clarify that vision.
• 14:23
  He's already doing such great work through the ADA, but there are clear, exciting opportunities to lean into innovation together.
• 14:29
  My conversation with Chuck, which took place at the Lake Nona Impact Forum, was wide-ranging and gives a sense of his motivations and priorities, both as CEO of the ADA and as a StartUp Health Impact Board member.
• 14:41
  Let's get into it. [upbeat music] I've always been a dreamer. I've always thought that I had the ability to do some great things in life, right? But you never really understand, like, what the exact path is to get there.
• 14:55
  But as long as you think big and you dream big, it- We- were there people in your life, were there people that instilled that in you? Yeah. I mean, I, I would say, um, uh, my mom and dad.
• 15:06
  I would say, um, you know, I used to have a lot of conversations with my mom because we were, you know, extremely, extremely close. And she taught nursing, you know, for 42 years. Wow.
• 15:16
  And so, you know, a lot of the, a lot of the food is medicine. Yeah. You know, she was talking about that stuff when I was a little kid, right? You know, like going to the health food stores, right?
• 15:26
  Taking your supplements, right? And so, um, you know, and I always wanted to be a business person, right? Yeah.
• 15:32
  And my mom being an educator, "Chuck, go to school, get your degree, get your master's in education, and be a, and be in education like me and your dad." Yeah, yeah.
• 15:40
  I was like, "Oh, no, that, that, that's great, but that's not exactly what I want to do." And she was like, "You know, Chuck, you can do anything you want to as long as you put your mind to it."
• 15:49
  And I've, I always had that, that constant reinforcement that- Mm. -"Chuck, you can do anything you want to as long as you put your mind to it." Yeah. Now you've had, you've had a varied career.
• 15:59
  You've worked in business, uh, even in advertising. Yeah. You've worked in media. How does it feel knowing that about your mother to now be helping so many people through the American Diabetes Association?
• 16:09
  Does it feel good to be in healthcare? Man, absolutely, though. I mean, I, I, I would say, you know, I think I found my purpose at 52 years old, right?
• 16:18
  I would, I would say that, you know, and not that [laughs] my life overall hasn't been an overall success. I mean, obviously you have ups and downs and, and you go through adversity, you know.
• 16:28
  But I have just a different feeling in my body about leading such a great organization like the American Diet- Diabetes Association, because very few times in life can you impact, like, so many lives, right? Mm.
• 16:39
  In a positive way.
• 16:40
  And so, you know, I know we have, you know, a lot of work ahead of us in terms of, uh, you know, bending the curve on diabetes and getting the education and awareness and the tools to allow people, uh, to, to, uh, thrive, man, but I just have a good feeling.
• 16:53
  Like, every day I wake up, I feel like I have a purpose. Are there, uh, specific initiatives that the ADA is, is working on now that you're a part of that you're particularly excited about? Yeah.
• 17:03
  I would say, um, you know, double downing on, on health equity and disparities. I would say also, uh, double downing on, uh, on obesity, right?
• 17:12
  You know, when you think about the whole metabolic body, you know, a lot of people that are obese, you know, have diabetes and so, you know, we really need to get the word out, you know, um, um, about obesity, how you stop obesity, how you treat obesity, and just really get all these wonderful therapies, um, out there.
• 17:30
  Because, you know, what I love about, you know, also focusing on, on obesity is that, you know, if you can help, you know, people that are obese or overweight, you know, uh, be able to lose weight, you know, then that gives them a sense of confidence to be able to go outside and exercise or, like, do things that they may not be able to do, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, due to being, you know, overweight or having trouble managing weight.
• 17:55
  So yeah. Uh, how do you feel like where, uh, the industry is shifting in terms of the introduction of, like, GLP-1- Yeah. -drugs?
• 18:03
  Uh, you know, I, I, I see, I see an inflection point happening in a number of the companies that we work with that do specialty care because a- an influx of folks want these drugs- Yeah.
• 18:14
  -and they need to have physician oversight. Um, I'm sure that's part of the ADA conversation right now. I mean, these drugs, again, are wonderful, wonderful drugs.
• 18:24
  And so, you know, I remember our, our last conversation, it's the drugs and. Yeah. Yeah. Right?
• 18:28
  So it's not just the drugs, right, but the drugs allow you, you know, to, uh, be able to thrive and live better, you know, give you better energy, allow you to work out, allow you to exercise, because at the end of the day, it's just not about the drugs.
• 18:41
  Mm. It's about how you attack the whole body.Is it possible that the drugs can become a distraction for the kinda lifestyle changes that are more foundational? Right.
• 18:51
  R-y-yeah, I would say yes, and but it's about the education, right? I, I personally believe that there are no shortcuts to good health, right? You know, y-you know, you are what you eat, right?
• 19:03
  It's, it's about what can I eat? It's wh- it's, it's about the food, the foods that you're putting in-into to your body with a combination of great diet- Mm. -and exercise, right?
• 19:14
  But I do think, you know, uh, because we live in this microwave society, right? Like, we think this is this magic pill, you know, that's gonna all of a sudden make us be the healthiest.
• 19:23
  Well, yeah, that's just one, one piece of it, right? But you gotta attack the whole body, right? Mm. So yes, yes, the great new therapies help, but you also have to do your part as well. Mm. So yeah.
• 19:35
  How long have you been with the ADA now? So now, so January the sixth of twenty twenty-four, uh, it made four years. Four years. Yeah. Okay. Anything really surprise you over that four years?
• 19:46
  I mean, you ca- you came into this as a relatively new industry. Right. Yeah. Uh, y- a kinda a bit of a clean slate, you know. Yeah. You have your, your, your mission set before you.
• 19:55
  Uh, a-anything really kinda take you by surprise? So I would say what really took me by surprise is, you know, coming from the for-profit, right? It's all about quarterly earnings, shareholder value. Yeah. Yeah.
• 20:06
  You know, it's, it's, it's, it's fairly black and white, right? You know, you either make your numbers or you're not, right?
• 20:12
  And so I think coming into the ADA, what, what really surprised me because, you know, I was brand new to the, to the nonprofit landscape was just the level of passion- Mm.
• 20:21
  -you know, and empathy that people have for, you know, whether it be chronic diseases or just, you know, different things that like people deal with in life.
• 20:29
  And so, you know, we have a lot of great, a lot of really, really passionate people, um, about the cause, right? Yeah.
• 20:35
  I mean, you know, just the love of what they do, you know, and, you know, you're putting yourself, you know, um, not necessarily first, you're putting other people first- Mm. -versus putting yourself first.
• 20:49
  And like you've dedicated your life to really do good, right? And it's just not about you. You know, it is about millions and millions of other people, allowing them to also live their best lives.
• 21:01
  You mentioned before feeling like you found a purpose. Yeah. But not just your purpose, but a purpose for a team, a purpose for a people- Yeah. -that can be your community. Y-yeah.
• 21:09
  You know, and I would say, you know, you know, coming from a team environment, playing collegiate basketball, you know, and, and, and a little bit of pro, you know, I love leading, I love inspiring, you know, and I love, you know, uplifting, right?
• 21:22
  You know, and I love empowering teams. You know, it truly takes a team.
• 21:27
  And so when I think about our staff, when I think about our employees, when I think about our board members, when I think about our great volunteers, when I think about the researchers, when I think about the scientists, when I think about the physicians, when I think about, you know, all the people in the community- It's one big team.
• 21:41
  Right. It is one big team, right? Okay. I mean, it is millions of people, you know, that, um, um, attribute to a lot of- Yeah. -the overall success that we've had, um, at the ADA.
• 21:52
  A lot of fantastic leaders come out of, out of sports- Yeah. -whether it's in the commercial or nonprofit. Yeah.
• 21:57
  Uh, any specific lessons that you feel like you pulled from being a, a, a pro basketball player into being in the boardroom? Yeah. I would say that, you know, it's okay to fail, right?
• 22:08
  You know, I mean, I've missed a lot of shots. I've made a lot of shots, but I've missed more shots- Yeah. -than I've made, right?
• 22:14
  And, and, and, and so I think, you know, coming from a team environment, you know, you aren't gonna win every game, right? You know, you're, you're probably gonna lose more games than you win overall, you know?
• 22:25
  And so you learn how to deal with pressure. You learn how to deal with issues, right? You learn how to be calm under pressure because, you know, people, people see you, right?
• 22:34
  And so, you know, how you carry yourself, how you show up, I mean, that really, really means a lot. And so people react to that, good or bad. Mm.
• 22:43
  And so I think that, you know, I'm able to, uh, bring a lot of those lessons, uh, just from, you know, early childhood, you know, just always been around team sports. Nice. Nice.
• 22:55
  Let's talk a little bit about StartUp Health- Yeah. -and, and the mission. Uh, we've been kind of a broken record about collaboration and creating collaborative communities- Yeah. Yeah.
• 23:03
  -whether it's around Type One diabetes or our new Alzheimer's Moonshot, uh, or the other work, um, that we do. And so you're relatively new to the Impact board- Yeah.
• 23:13
  -but you've gotten to, to witness some of that, uh, uh, in action.
• 23:17
  And I'm curious, uh, what your some of your observations have been and just kinda what role you feel like entrepreneurial collaboration play in moving the ball forward on health. Yeah.
• 23:28
  First of all, you know, I'm, I'm very, very excited, you know, to, uh, be, uh, on the advisory board, uh, for the T1D, uh, Moonshot. And I'll tell you, you know, I'm, I'm an avid learner, right?
• 23:38
  And so, you know, I don't know everything. Uh, I try and read a lot. I try to ab-absorb a lot. So, you know, one of the things selfishly for me, uh, being on the advisory board is just the learning, right?
• 23:50
  I mean, just, you know, seeing the depth and breadth of the people that are on the board from just various, uh, industries. From, you know, Ambassador Shabazz, right?
• 24:00
  From, you know, other folks, you know, that are, you know, that are used to, you know, investing or starting, you know, a, a, a transformational disruptive companies.
• 24:09
  You know, and then you have some, some people from the nonprofit sector. You know, uh, you have one of our board members that, you know, works, works for Microsoft. That, that's a GM.
• 24:18
  So you have this conversions, this convergence of just really, really smart and, and, and bright people. But I think the commonality there is that they all wanna do good, um, in the world.
• 24:30
  And, and so from a community standpoint, you know, that's what I love about...
• 24:34
  You know, um, I feel like I'm part of StartUp Health community 'cause that's what it's really, you know, all about, like bringing people together.
• 24:42
  Some of the, some of the folks in y'all's community may not take your advice right away, but being in the community of twenty, of twenty-five, of thirty-five five people, you have, you know, you know, you know, those, those people that have been through these experience, been through the startups, been through the investments, been through the, you know, uh, uh, uh, through the, through the best use cases and technology and how you run a business and, you know, all of them are like really focused on the same thing.
• 25:10
  And so what I love about being a part of this is just the communityAspect. And so again, when you had asked me that question earlier about being a part of a team, I view this community as one- One more team...
• 25:22
  big team, right? One more team. And, and it's, and it's, uh, you know... And they, and they're all marching, you know, to the same end, is that they all wanna be successful.
• 25:32
  And if they're all successful, then it means that, you know, we have a shot at, at, at one of these, you know, 14 moonshot cures, right? And so it may not happen in our lifetimes- Mm...
• 25:44
  but there's a path there to actually, um, impact in a positive way. Yeah. Yeah. W- as lead- as the leader of the ADA- Mm... what's your philosophy towards sort of encouraging entrepreneurship?
• 25:56
  Obviously, you collaborate with probably the government, you, uh, corporations. There's a lot of ways that you can- Yeah... uh, raise the tide, but, you know, entrepreneurs is kinda our focus.
• 26:06
  I'm curious what your, what the ADA's focus is for entrepreneurs- Yep... and potentially if your work with StartUp Health has shifted that in any way or brought it to light. Absolutely.
• 26:16
  You know, it, that- that's a, that's a great question. You know, and as I think about, you know, kinda this, this new iteration of, of what we're trying to do from an ADA standpoint and being known as innovators, right?
• 26:26
  So when you think about- It's huge... you know, our early founders, Cecil Stryker, you know, insulin, um, and all that. And so, you know, we've, we've actually come a long way.
• 26:37
  But I think in order to accelerate the impact, you know, we need to really adopt some of the things that StartUp Health is doing. And that's, you know, really, like, bringing...
• 26:47
  We've actually, over the 83 years, we've, we've, and we've, like, given out 953 million in grants to-towards research- Okay... to, like, different fellows, right?
• 26:57
  And so how do we either bring some of those folks back into the fold or, you know, how do we start really investing in some of those folks, you know, in a big way, like forming, like, a real community, right? Yeah.
• 27:09
  Of, like, thought leaders, right?
• 27:10
  Because, you know, I would guarantee you that all of those folks, you know, in the last five or six years that we've invested in, they've probably never had a conversation with each other. Mm. Right? Yeah.
• 27:20
  And they're all focused. These are all diabetes- Yeah... related grants, right? So it's just like, you know, getting me, you, Steve, and Barry in a room, right?
• 27:29
  And then, like, like, how do we solve, you know, whatever we need to solve, right? So how do we bring those people together to work together versus, versus as individuals? So, yeah.
• 27:42
  I, I've been on those collaborative calls- Yeah... and it is amazing. Yeah. We-- I've t- I've, I've been on a call where 10, 15 folks who are working on Alzheimer's innovation- Yeah... for instance, get together. Yep.
• 27:53
  They realize that they're not alone. Yeah. They realize that there's somebody else- Yeah... uh, who is so passionate- Yeah... about the same thing. They have the connections that they need. Yeah.
• 28:01
  And honestly, within 10 minutes, the, the walls start coming down. Mm. And it is so powerful. Sometimes the most powerful things seem so- Yeah... turn out to be so simple. Yeah. Uh, connecting with one another- Yeah...
• 28:13
  uh, communicating clearly with one another. Yeah. Yeah. And all of a sudden, I mean, exponential things can happen. Yeah.
• 28:19
  You know, and I would say, you know, one of the, you know, and I, I don't wanna u-use this term loosely, but I, I would say one of the existential threats, right, to, you know, whether we, you know, succeed long term or not at the ADA is that, you know, what I found is, you know, coming into this, um, you know, segment of healthcare nonprofit, that there are a lot of disparate diabetes organizations.
• 28:43
  Yeah. Right? You know, and not to... You know, I'm, I'm not gonna get into naming all the names 'cause there's, there's a lot of them. Mm-hmm. Right? And, you know, most of us are 5013Cs. Mm-hmm.
• 28:52
  We've gotta raise money to deploy the right resources in the community.
• 28:57
  But it has to be, you know, uh, you know, there needs to be some type of challenge or a convening of all of us in the same room and say, "Okay, guys." Yeah. Right? How can we all work together, right?
• 29:10
  Understanding we have our own P&Ls, we have our own boards, we have our things like that, right? And, and- Your own fundraising campaigns. Right.
• 29:16
  And, and, and so when you talk about, you know, like that StartUp Health, you know, that's shifted my mindset, right?
• 29:22
  Because yeah, I listen and I know of all the disparate orgs, but we have to find a way that we can come together to work together, right? Yeah. Yeah.
• 29:32
  And because we're all, we're all angling for the same dollars or the same resources from the same folks.
• 29:39
  And so in my humble opinion, we're actually taking away from the millions and millions of people that are being diagnosed with diabetes- Yeah. Yeah... on a daily basis because, you know, we have separate, uh,
• 29:52
  kinda have separate missions. Yeah. Right? Versus coming together and figuring out how we can all work together, so. Very interesting. I mean, do you see that happening?
• 30:02
  You, you just said that it was sort of a new desire of yours. Yeah. Are there inroads? So, uh, yes and. Okay. So, you know, I would say, you know, I, I, I think I need to make time- Yeah...
• 30:13
  and, and really be more intentional and, um, you know, maybe, you know, I need to take the baton- Hmm... you know, and just maybe- Be a connector... be a connector and just, like, just really go out and visit- Yeah...
• 30:25
  you know, you know, all of them, right? Yeah. You know, some of them are international and some of them are global, but, but there are a lot, right? Mm. And so, you know,
• 30:34
  I, I know I'm a highly relational person and it's not something that I wanna do on Zoom, right? Right. Yeah. And so, you know, how do, you know, how do you find the time to actually make yourself vulnerable- Yeah...
• 30:44
  right? Because- Build, build relationships.
• 30:45
  Yeah, because selfishly I, I know that, you know, you know, uh, that, that the ADA and, you know, JDRF are probably the largest, right, when it comes to, you know, you know, diabetes related, right?
• 30:57
  But then there's a subset, you know, of some smaller organizations out there, right? That, you know, we could either learn from them- Yeah... or they could learn from us.
• 31:06
  And so again, it, it goes back to your question about StartUp Health and, like, how has that kinda really changed the way I think. And I say this all the time, it takes a village. Yeah.
• 31:16
  But it really does take a village because, you know, no individual person, even Jeff Bezos, needs help. Yeah. Right?
• 31:23
  He, he, he needs a village of people to support because, yeah, he's very blessed, he's very fortunate that he has the resources to do, you know, anything, right?
• 31:33
  But at the end of the day, you know, he doesn't know everything, right? Yeah. So he needs to bring certain people together to actually execute on that ultimate vision, so.
• 31:41
  You know, we, yeah, we call our big health missions health moonshots. Yeah. We, we often talk about the fact that the original moonshot took 250,000 people- Yeah... I think 20,000 organizations- Yeah... to come together.
• 31:52
  It was not a single person, individual, organization. Um, w-Any big, uh, hopes and dreams for 2024 as it pertains to the ADA? Yeah. And perhaps your involvement with StartUp Health? Yeah.
• 32:05
  So, um, you know, I'll tackle the ADA first. You know, we have, we, we must continue to double down on health equity- Mm... and health disparities.
• 32:14
  Um, you know, uh, we are gonna tackle, um, you know, the, um, the obesity issues that, that exist, uh, you know, with our great partners and the, and the great new, new, new therapies out there.
• 32:26
  You know, um, we need to, uh, uh, as they talked about in the last session, you know, it is about the basic science, right? And, and we need to stay, stay true, um, to the basic science.
• 32:38
  And then so I, I think those three areas, and then a fourth area, I would say innovation. Mm.
• 32:44
  You know, I would say that, you know, we need to, uh, you know, uh, uh, make investments in disruptive, uh, uh, diabetes tech- tech- technology, uh, related organizations because, you know, that will not only accelerate our growth, but it will also accelerate growth on behalf of people living with diabetes.
• 33:04
  And so, and, and, and then secondly, you know, to your question, uh, around, you know, how StartUp Health plays a part, you know, uh, uh, Steve McCryne and I are really still, you know, um, you know, we are really talking about, you know, how do we, we build a more intimate relationship- Mm...
• 33:22
  you know, uh, with the ADA and StartUp Health, and I really think it's, you know, trying to figure out, you know, how we, you know, how we come together and then integrate, um, that community model. Yeah. You know? Yeah.
• 33:35
  And, and, and, and you guys have been at this since 2011. Mm-hmm. So, you know, it would probably make sense- Yeah...
• 33:41
  you know, to, uh, to continue to, you know, really try and figure out how the ADA and StartUp Health can, like, really build something special.
• 33:50
  Uh, I really liked something you said earlier that m- made me think about this, this idea of having smart investments. Uh, i- investments that aren't, I guess people use the term dumb money. Yeah.
• 33:59
  Uh, that, that's, that's the funding plus the support- Yeah... plus the community, plus the, the connections to the right people. Yeah. Uh, so it really does what you want it to do. Yeah.
• 34:09
  'Cause funding alone isn't gonna do it. Right. Yeah. Right. Uh, Chuck, thank you for taking the time with me.
• 34:14
  And, uh, it's, it's exciting to see you take your experience into the ADA, and then from the ADA to our, our board and beyond. So thanks for taking time with me.
• 34:23
  No, thank you, Logan, and it's, uh, always a pleasure to, uh- And thank you for your time. [upbeat music] All right. You take care. Thanks for listening to StartUp Health NOW.
• 34:33
  We'll be back again with another episode next week. [upbeat music]