SA国际传媒

The wrapped up on Jan. 14, but not before a very interesting session on what鈥檚 happening in digital health, particularly around new trends, COVID-19, companies going public and investments.

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The well-known consumer electronics show, which was virtual this year, features company showcases, keynote speakers from top global consumer companies, and a plethora of webinars on topics including the latest products to make your home smarter and what鈥檚 happening in the fintech, e-commerce and digital health industries.

, lead of the digital and technology group at , led a panel of venture capitalists speaking at the pre-taped 鈥淒igital Health: Business Growth and Opportunities鈥� session that included:

• , CEO at ;
• , founder and managing partner at ; and
• , principal at .

, global head of digital health at , kicked off the session with a look at the digital health landscape. He reported that investment in the space reached $14 billion-plus in 2020, with record-breaking capital being invested in some key areas of telehealth, mental/behavior and fitness/wellness.

With physicians more comfortable in using telehealth, M&A and IPO activity expected to continue, and venture capital not letting up, Fishburn said that 鈥渄igital health is finally mainstream.鈥�

On new trends

翱鈥橩别别蹿别: 鈥淭he consumerization of health and the need for a better experience. Post-COVID has emphasized that in simplifying the experience and making it consumer-first.鈥�

Thomas: 鈥淵es, consumerization right now is an interesting space. The risk of going into the hospital is high today, and people are afraid. As a result, I see a lot of direct-to-consumer and at-home products. Another piece is the affordability of health care, and I am starting to see a model of breaking down components so that individual products are affordable.鈥�

Evans: 鈥淲e put an emphasis on the 鈥榩lumbing鈥� of health care, the B2B models that have a huge potential to introduce efficiency and effectiveness, and not at the expense of experience.鈥�

COVID as a sustainable business opportunity

Thomas: 鈥淐OVID created some really long-lasting changes in everything. I actually don鈥檛 mind. A number of companies I did last year were being supported by the tailwinds of COVID. I am going to continue to invest in those companies. I鈥檓 not going back to the office at least for another nine months and even then, I want everyone to have the yellow dot that shows you got the vaccine. There are a lot of folks who have survived this moment and have life-changing impact.鈥�

On investment surprises

Evans: 鈥淲hat surprised me was the pace at which the capital markets and rallying of public markets returned to normal at the beginning of the pandemic. Also, the pace at which investors came back, and the degree to which the venture industry and entrepreneurs knew how to deal with a crisis.鈥�

Thomas: 鈥淚 was also surprised by how much more VCs were interested in health care. People were reaching out to people they had not before. I鈥檝e been able to get more access to different people, and that the decision to invest in health care is more important.鈥�

翱鈥橩别别蹿别: 鈥淚t鈥檚 not like everything got hard in COVID. Those problems that were siloed in nature existed before. Entrepreneurs have come in and are thinking outside the health care system, breaking down the walls and creating better customer experiences.鈥�

Similarly to the prediction about the consumerization of health care, sources I spoke to earlier in the month shared the same forecast as startups help us rethink health care.

SA国际传媒 data also showed that investors poured record amounts of investment into digital health startups in 2020: $14.2 billion globally and $9.2 billion domestically.

Meanwhile, the global pandemic increased the public鈥檚 awareness and understanding of how interconnected the world is, a view that will mature in 2021,, a general partner at, which invests in health care companies, told me.

For another CES highlight, catch my synopsis of the Jan. 12 session called 鈥�The Rise of FinTechs 鈥� Has Consumer Financial Behavior Changed Forever?鈥� which included conversations with, head of financial access at, and, head of payments partnership at.

Feature screenshot was taken during the session
Illustration: