Lifers with Christina Farr

In this special episode of Lifers, Christina Farr sits down with Guillaume de Zwirek, CEO of Artera, and his board member Dan Goldsmith, Partner at Proofpoint Capital, to tackle one of the most fundamental questions in healthcare tech right now: what actually is AI, and how should companies operationalize it? They discuss why AI is neither traditional SaaS nor consulting services but something entirely new: bespoke solutions delivered at the speed and cost of software, and why the companies that fail to grasp this distinction are already quietly dying.—Artera is the leading agentic healthcare company offering AI solutions for patient communications, strengthening how providers connect with and care for their patients.—LINKS:Artera: https://artera.io/ Proofpoint Capital: https://www.proofpointcapital.com/ 

Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books —FOLLOW:Gui:https://www.linkedin.com/in/guidezwirek 

Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Lead in(00:42) Intro(01:43) What is AI today(03:55) Valuing AI businesses(07:46) Durability and moats(10:02) AI-first operating model(12:25) Builders and reorg(14:43) Investor and customer diligence(17:24) Healthcare stakes trust(20:17) From implementation to instant(24:49) Who thrives in AI era(26:29) AI-native work habits(26:52) Org memory at scale(27:55) Personal bots from data(29:19) Solutions not software(31:06) Healthcare barriers to AI(33:06) Making workflow personal(34:24) Agentic customization fast(36:55) Self-improving agent harness(39:42) EHR future and data(44:42) Human connection wins(47:02) Winners and losers(50:22) Leadership and conviction(52:00) Wrap

This week on Lifers, Christina Farr sits down with Chris Altchek, who went from investment banking to building Mic, a digital media company that reached 100 million readers, before co-founding Cadence, a health tech company now managing nearly 100,000 chronic disease patients per day. They dig into the hard lessons from media's platform-dependency collapse, what it really takes to build a sustainable business inside the US health system, and why Chris believes AI could make elite-level care accessible to far more Americans within a decade. Dive into the Granola notes from this episode: https://notes.granola.ai/t/02b3e52a-40ef-45e7-bc18-ac35b335e044-009c2hma

—Join Christina for an upcoming webinar:* ⁠5/19 - What will AI do for employer healthcare and benefits with Garner Health - https://streamyard.com/watch/sQfWpwRzMqWE * 5/21 - The case for building an AI native electronic health record system - https://streamyard.com/watch/RCVSNheSPePs * ⁠⁠6/3 - Privacy, AI & the future of HIPAA with the former founding director of ONC - https://streamyard.com/watch/bzW4sh8WAPyS * ⁠⁠6/23 - Not everyone can access the top 1% of physicians. Will AI change that? - https://streamyard.com/watch/qY9td6fhiXK3 

—SPONSOR: GranolaGranola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://granola.ai/lifers with code: LIFERSInterested in sponsoring the show? [email protected]—LINKS:Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books —FOLLOW:Chris:https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisaltchek https://x.com/caltchek 

Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Lead In(00:58) Intro(02:57) Early life and trading(05:22) Investor mindset lessons(09:22) Perseverance as founder(14:35) Mic Media lessons(18:53) Sponsor break(19:46) Cadence origin story(23:33) Business model and reimbursement(28:30) Data and remote monitoring(30:46) Winning health systems trust(35:16) CMS Access model strategy(39:25) Cutting inefficiency in care(42:31) Clinical AI that matters(45:27) Future of US healthcare(48:35) Wrap

In this episode of Lifers, Christina Farr sits down with Heather Fernandez, CEO of Solv and former Trulia executive, to dig into the question that has stumped healthcare for decades: why don't patients know what their doctor visit will cost? They discuss how Solv evolved from a marketplace for urgent care appointments into an AI-first operating system for on-demand healthcare,built on over 100 million real patient visits, and why AI is finally cracking the price transparency problem after more than a decade of trying. They also explore what it really means to "skip the landline" and rebuild workflows from scratch, how Solv's voice agent Maya is handling millions of after-hours calls no front desk team could staff, and more.—Thanks to Solv who facilitated this conversation. Solv is the AI-first operating system for on-demand healthcare, helping providers automate everything from patient access to insurance verification and payments.—LINKS: Solv: https://www.solvhealth.com/ 

Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books —FOLLOW:Heather:https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherfernandez https://x.com/heathermirj 

Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Lead In(00:58) Intro(02:24) Leveraging walking meetings to foster authentic collaboration (04:47) Heather's career from Capitol Hill to venture-backed PR(07:29) Deciding to join a room of misfits at Trulia (09:27) Managing family milestones alongside major tech exits (11:33) From real estate to a complex healthcare market (16:05) Projecting an Uber-like paradigm shift for medical pricing (19:23) Bottoms-up data ingestion to solve localized plan complexity (22:15) Transitioning Solv from consumer marketplace to AI-first OS (23:47) Mapping structural forces driving a sudden consumer health pull (25:21) Deploying automated voice agents to eliminate front-desk administrative drag (27:13) Forcing organizational transformation amidst high-profile tech layoffs (33:31) Applying a "skip the landline" mantra to legacy workflows (37:27) Navigating the three operational phases of AI adaptation (39:43) Reshaping the healthcare front door through tech investments(42:58) Challenging industry insiders who dismiss medical cost urgency (43:48) Calling for passionate tech outsiders to disrupt entrenched structures(45:37) Wrap

In this special episode of Lifers, Christina Farr sits down with Dr. Rian Kabir, a psychiatrist and medical AI expert, to discuss the mental health implications of Kalshi's $22 billion valuation. They explore whether prediction markets constitute gambling, the addictive risks of frictionless betting apps, and what Rian is seeing in his own clinical practice. A timely conversation on the societal costs of a rapidly growing industry.—Join Christina for an upcoming webinar:* ⁠5/19 - What will AI do for employer healthcare and benefits with Garner Health - https://streamyard.com/watch/sQfWpwRzMqWE * 5/21 - The case for building an AI native electronic health record system - https://streamyard.com/watch/RCVSNheSPePs * ⁠⁠6/3 - Privacy, AI & the future of HIPAA with the former founding director of ONC - https://streamyard.com/watch/bzW4sh8WAPyS * ⁠⁠6/23 - Not everyone can access the top 1% of physicians. Will AI change that? - https://streamyard.com/watch/qY9td6fhiXK3 —SPONSOR: GranolaGranola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://granola.ai/lifers with code: LIFERSInterested in sponsoring the show? [email protected]—LINKS: Chrissy’s Tweet: https://x.com/chrissyfarr/status/2053457349075976665?s=20

Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books —FOLLOW:Rian:https://x.com/RianKMD 

Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Intro(00:24) Kalshi valuation sparks debate(02:04) Why app gambling hits hard(04:55) Addiction risk factors explained(06:26) Kalshi vs sports betting apps(08:18) Clinical fallout and suicide risk(10:05) Sponsor: Granola(10:44) Age limits and young brains(13:02) Juul parallels and VC ethics(15:17) Regulation incentives and society(17:17) Wrap

In this episode of Lifers, Maven Clinic founder and CEO Kate Ryder joins host Christina Farr to discuss her journey building the first unicorn in the women's health category. Kate reflects on the "wartime" mentality of the early years, the challenges of scaling to a $500 million company, and the resilience needed to face investors who initially dismissed the space as a "niche" market. They explore the industry’s evolution, from overcoming Silicon Valley “trolls” to leading the transition of digital health from niche point solutions into massive, integrated platforms. Dive into the Granola notes from this episode: https://notes.granola.ai/t/d2c2adc9-b014-415e-91ab-75716d5784fd-008umkv4 —Join Christina for an upcoming webinar:* ⁠5/19 - What will AI do for employer healthcare and benefits with Garner Health - https://streamyard.com/watch/sQfWpwRzMqWE * 5/21 - The case for building an AI native electronic health record system - https://streamyard.com/watch/RCVSNheSPePs * ⁠⁠6/3 - Privacy, AI & the future of HIPAA with the former founding director of ONC - https://streamyard.com/watch/bzW4sh8WAPyS * ⁠⁠6/23 - Not everyone can access the top 1% of physicians. Will AI change that? - https://streamyard.com/watch/qY9td6fhiXK3—SPONSOR: GranolaGranola AI, The AI notepad for people in back-to-back meetings: https://granola.ai/lifers with code: LIFERSInterested in sponsoring the show? [email protected] 

—LINKS: Maven Clinic: https://www.mavenclinic.com/ Sachin Jain on Lifers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tvtakm7NMnI Sean Duffy and Stephanie Davis on Lifers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLRmtmcQjP4 

Chrissy Farr on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LiferswithChristinaFarr Chrissy Farr on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cfarr/ Subscribe to the Second Opinion Newsletter: https://secondopinion.media/ Chrissy’s Book: The Storyteller's Advantage: https://www.chrissyfarr.com/books 

—FOLLOW:Kate:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-ryder-87474933/ https://x.com/_KateRyder 

Chrissy:https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinafarr/ https://x.com/chrissyfarr —TIMESTAMPS:(00:00) Lead In(00:58) Intro(02:09) Founder energy and motivation(02:41) Which growth stage hurts(06:42) Hiring for the stage(10:19) Storytelling as a superpower(17:12) Sponsor: Granola(18:05) Selling change without fear(21:16) ROI and aligned incentives(23:57) What carve outs mean(26:33) Point solutions to platforms(29:23) Women VCs and fundraising bias(36:17) How personal to get(38:47) Consumer health comes back(42:09) Gen Z parenthood and misinformation(47:12) Wrap