Healthcare Startups: 10 Companies on the Forefront of Modern Medicine

Healthcare startups are popping up everywhere, and for good reason.

The medical industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors of the economy, and between the global pandemic and a population whose average age is steadily growing higher, the demand for healthcare professionals is doing anything but slowing down. As groundbreaking science continues to change our knowledge of the human body on a day to day basis, new career opportunities in healthcare are appearing every day. 

It shouldn’t be a surprise then that the medical field is host to a number of startups and small businesses that are attempting to change or disrupt the current industry. If you or your teens interested in a career medicine, it’s likely that they could end up working for one of these healthcare startups out of college. Or perhaps they'll start your own company that will change the face of medicine as we know it. Either way, here’s 10 exciting and inspiring startups on the forefront of healthcare right now! 

This article originally appeared in TeenLife's 2022 Guide to Your Future in Healthcare, available to download now for free!

10 Healthcare Startups on the Forefront of Modern Medicine

1. Verge Genomics

Founded in 2015 by Alice Zhang and Jason Chen, this San Francisco-based startup topped Health Care Weekly’s 2022 “Startups to Watch” list for a reason - they’re saving lives and saving money at the same time. By using complex computer algorithms to determine which experimental drugs have the best chance of succeeding, Verge Genomics aims to reduce the incredible amount of time, money and resources that are wasted every year testing pharmaceuticals that simply do not work. 

2. Tempus

This Chicago-based startup was founded in 2015 and has nearly 2,000 employees worldwide. By attempting to build the world’s largest library of molecular and clinical data, Tempus is trying to personalize cancer research. Using cutting-edge data-harnessing technology, the startup hopes to help current patients by leveraging the treatment data of those who came before them. 

3. Neo-Light

Neo-Light was founded in 2014 in Scottsdale, Arizona and aims to create “baby-centered” products that help treat infants with life-threatening conditions. Their first product, the Skylife Phototherapy system, helped to provide care to babies with neonatal jaundice using a high-intensity blue-light emitter. 

4. Kyruus

This Boston-based startup was founded more than a decade ago and offers a number of data management solutions to a wide range of healthcare institutions, including hospitals, medical groups and health plan providers. Their various products are primarily focussed on helping patients intuitively and easily connect with providers that will provide them the care they need. 

5. Basil Leaf Technologies

This startup has created a diagnostic tool that can accurately measure a patient’s vitals and body chemistry from the comfort of their own home. Not too dissimilar from a diagnostic tool seen on Star Trek many years ago, the Basil Leaf Technologies’s DxtER can diagnose more than 30 different health conditions with pinpoint accuracy. The product is currently undergoing FDA approval and is expected to cost less than $200 upon release. 

6. Collective Health

This startup, founded in 2013 near San Francisco, uses cloud based computing platforms to streamline HR needs for self-insured employees. Merging claim adjudication, administrative functions and financial operations into one easy platform, Collective Health is helping companies across the world reduce waste, control cash flow and report financials more accurately. 

7. Higi

Using more than 11,000 wheelchair accessible locations in grocery stores and pharmacies across the world, Higi users can accurately and efficiently measure their vital signs without ever having to step foot inside a doctor’s office. This startup, founded in 2012, is perfect for any patient that is looking to create healthy habits and track their vital signs closely. 

8. iRhythm Technologies

This 18-year-old San Fracnsico startup has created non-invasive, cost-effective diagnostic monitoring solutions for cardiac arrhythmias. After iRhythm’s Zio Patch is placed on a patient by a doctor, patients can simply press on the patch whenever they feel an irregularity in their heart. This immediately logs the incident and sends the information to a physician where a quick and accurate diagnosis can then be made.  

9. Nicotrax

Founded in Raleigh North Carolina in 2015, Nicotrax helps to create personalized, date-driven plans that help users stop smoking. Nicotrax’s app works in tandem with a smart cigarette case that attaches to your cell phone. From there, the program monitors all smoking behaviors — including where, when and how often you smoke — before generating reports about a patient’s usage and offering suggestions on how to decrease and eventually stop one’s habit. 

10. Headspace

Used by individuals and companies around the globe, Headspace is one of the leading meditation apps in the world. This startup, founded in 2010 near Santa Monica, California, has a user base of over 20 million and features hundreds of guided meditations geared towards achieving specific goals like easing anxiety and helping with insomnia. 

Healthcare Startups: Conclusion

This is just a very, very small sampling of the many different kinds of incredible healthcare startups that are out there changing the world right now. We encourage you to explore any of the companies on this list further and to seek out opportunities at other similar healthcare companies that interest you. For more on how to have a successful career in medicine, check out the TeenLife's Guide to Your Future in Healthcare, available for download now!