A-Level Capital Podcast

Our guest this week is Merrill Anovick. Merrill is the President and COO of 25m Health, a health-tech venture studio founded in partnership with Lifepoint Health that backs startups aimed at enhancing the delivery of high-quality healthcare.

This episode dives deep into the venture studio model of investing + incubating. We cover:

... and much more!

Merrill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merrillanovick/

25m Health: https://www.25madison.com/health

To stay updated: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-level-capital/

Our guest this week is Morgan Cheatham. Morgan is a VP at Bessemer Venture Partners in the healthcare and life sciences group. He’s simultaneously pursuing medical training at Brown University … and in case that wasn’t enough, is active on Twitter (@morgancheatham) and Substack (@ Decoding Tech Bio). 

Morgan is an absolute wealth of knowledge on all things bio. We cover lots of ground, including AI applications in healthcare, techbio, value-based care, direct-to-clinician distribution models, and balancing investing with medical school. We hope you enjoy (and take notes)! 

Morgan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgancheatham/

Morgan on Twitter: @morgancheatham

Morgan on Substack: https://decodingbio.substack.com/

To stay updated: 

A-Level Capital LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-level-capital/

To reach out to the A-Level Capital Pod with feedback or suggestions, please email jemina@alevelcapital.com and anusha@alevelcapital.com

Our guest this week is Robin Shah, founder and CEO of Thyme Care. Robin has spent his entire professional career in digital health, working toward one primary goal: to improve the cancer patient care journey. Before founding Thyme Care, he was among the first employees and VP of Marketing at Flatiron Health (acquired by Roche), then joined the founding team at OneOncology ($200M in funding, backed by General Atlantic). Today, Thyme guides cancer patients through a complex healthcare system by providing personalized support, quality resources, and quick access to high-value care. They’ve raised $22M from firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Bessemer. 

Robin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-shah-8072bb35/

Thyme Care: https://www.thymecare.com/

To stay updated: 

A-Level Capital LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-level-capital/

To reach out to the A-Level Capital Pod with feedback or suggestions, please email jemina@alevelcapital.com and anusha@alevelcapital.com

Our guest this week is Dr. Hesam Motlagh. Hesam is an investment partner at Khosla Ventures, a VC firm that backs bold, innovative companies leveraging technology to solve today’s most pressing problems. Founded in 2004, their portfolio includes OpenAI, InstaCart, Affirm, and Impossible Foods. 

At KV, Hesam focuses on companies that translate basic science into products that impact and improve society. He is also Chief of Staff to the legendary Vinod Khosla, co-founder of Sun Microsystems and founding partner of KV. We speak with Hesam about his journey into investing from academia, the mission behind KV, and how they live up to their thesis of being bold, early, and impactful.

Hesam on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hesam-motlagh-1a379663/

Khosla Ventures: https://www.khoslaventures.com/

Resources: The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby); Vinod Khosla: 70-80% Of VCs Add Negative Value To Startups (TechCrunch), The Entrepreneurial Roller Coaster by Khosla Ventures (Khosla Ventures), A few Critical Climate Technology Breakthroughs Multiplied by “Instigators” is desperately needed (Vinod Khosla)

Stay updated:

A-Level Capital LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-level-capital/

To reach out to the A-Level Capital Pod with feedback or suggestions, please email jemina@alevelcapital.com and anusha@alevelcapital.com

Our guest this week is Michelle Stephens. Michelle is the co-founder of Oath Care, a maternal digital health company focused on the experience of fertility, pregnancy, and pediatrics. The company delivers on what mothers crave most: medical advice from experts who deeply know you, paired with anecdotal wisdom from fellow mothers who are there or have been there. At its core is a belief that health is fundamentally social.  

Oath is backed by investors including OMERS Ventures, XYZ Ventures, General Catalyst, and Eros Resmini, former CMO of Discord. In this episode, we speak about Oath Care's mission, Michelle's journey as a founder, and trends in maternal digital health. We also get lots of career advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, along with tips on how to find more meaning and purpose in your career.

Michelle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-stephens-oath-care/

Oath Care is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store

Oath Care website: oathcare.com

Stay updated:

A-Level Capital LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-level-capital/

To reach out to the A-Level Capital Pod with feedback or suggestions, please email jemina@alevelcapital.com and anusha@alevelcapital.com

Our guest this week is Yousuf Khan. Yousuf is a Partner at Ridge Ventures, a venture capital fund founded in 2007 that backs early-stage enterprise startups (portfolio companies including Fastly, Braze, and Discord). Before joining Ridge, Yousuf spent over a decade as an enterprise company CIO. He was one of the early advisors at Zoom, and has been leveraging his operating experience to support early-stage founders well before he began his career in investing.

Yousuf is intimately familiar with all things software. In this episode, we get his take on the state of early-stage enterprise investing today, his advice for founders building during a downturn, and why he’s still optimistic about venture capital in 2023 despite a turbulent market. We also get lots of career and life advice - what it takes to become a venture capitalist, why he loves his job, and words of wisdom for young people early in their careers.

Yousuf on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yousufakhan/

Ridge Ventures website: https://ridge.vc/

Stay updated:

A-Level Capital LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-level-capital/

To reach out to the A-Level Capital Pod with feedback or suggestions, please email jemina@alevelcapital.com and anusha@alevelcapital.com