Portfolio News

Silence is golden: This sales team measures success by how much they *don’t* talk

SHYFT Analytics is a software-as-a-service company dedicated to helping salespeople thrive in bio and life science industries. It provides ongoing training and education for clients and blends industry and company-specific data with demographics to deliver market insights to inform client decisions around drug launches, healthcare services, and more. Part of its secret to success, and its charm, is that the sales team refuses to talk their clients’ ears off! Unlike many in the pharma sales industry, members of the SHYFT team take a listen-first approach. In...

Circulating Tumor Cell, Cell Free DNA and Exosome/Microvesicle Cancer Diagnostics

A new report from Healthcare Market Research Reports has been published that explores the market potential related to diagnostic, monitoring, and screening test opportunities for circulating tumor cell, cell-free DNA, and exosome/microvesicle cancer diagnostics by lung, breast, colorectal, prostate, and other cancers. The report projections are for the years 2017-2020. The report posits that a revolution in cancer diagnostics is occurring, specifically referring to the use of in vitro blood testing to identify cancer DNA. McKesson Ventures portfolio company GRAIL is highlighted for its single blood test...

Avizia Advocates for Telehealth Awareness

Though telehealth isn’t widely utilized by consumers, those who do use it like the service. Telehealth provider Avizia has been looking into the issue after the publication of a 2017 report called "Closing the Telehealth Gap,” developed with insight from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. In their own research, Avizia found that 55 percent of persons who chose to use telehealth services reported faster care, 43 percent said it reduced out of pocket costs, and 25 percent said they gained better access to care specialists. These are positive numbers, but...

A Healthcare Entrepreneur’s Wish List for Amazon, JP Morgan & Berkshire Hathaway

JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon, Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos have announced that they’ll be creating a new business to solve the US’s healthcare crisis. Healthcare Entrepreneur and Accolade CEO Rajeev Singh is excited about the development, but also wants to make sure these industry giants do it the right way. Singh points to four different elements that could change healthcare as we know it for the better. First, he believes we need to create a free data network to spur innovation....

New CEO succeeds founder at one of KC’s fastest growing companies

Doug Ghertner is replacing Don Peterson as the new CEO of Infusion Express. Peterson is enthusiastic about Ghertner’s appointment, saying, “We’re lucky we found him” and that Ghertner fills “a void in my experience and know-how in industry that I couldn’t have filled on my own.” This is high praise coming from the man who founded the company and oversaw an aggressive growth streak toward three new Kansas City-area locations and several more in Chicago, San Francisco and Pennsylvania, as well as top rankings in Kansas...