We asked top investors at firms like A16z and NEA to name healthcare’s most promising startups.
Most of their picks are using AI, automating in critical areas like healthcare hiring and payments.
Meet the 18 healthcare startups investors have been watching in 2025.
Healthcare investors are chomping at the bit to fund hot startups tackling administrative burdens, workforce shortages, and high medical costs with new technologies.
We asked 10 investors from VC firms, private equity shops, and family offices to identify the most promising healthcare startups of 2025.
Top backers from firms like Kleiner Perkins, Andreessen Horowitz, and Oak HC/FT were asked to make two picks each: one healthcare startup from their portfolio, and one they have no financial interest in.
Nearly every startup nominated is utilizing AI in their products, from automating hospital back-end tasks to assisting patients with questions about their payments. Healthcare AI startups have dominated digital health VC funding so far this year, capturing nearly $4 billion of the $6.4 billion raised across the industry in the first half of 2025, according to Rock Health.
Here’s the full list of the most promising healthcare startups of 2025, according to investors.
Nominated by: Julie Yoo, Andreessen Horowitz (an investor)
Total funding: $250 million, according to the company
What it does: Akasa aims to automate hospital revenue cycle management using AI.
Why it’s promising: Healthcare RCM has been a red-hot market for VC and private equity investment this year. Akasa sells its tech to top hospitals, including Cleveland Clinic, Duke, and Johns Hopkins; Yoo said Akasa has won these customers because the company solves problems other healthcare RCM companies haven’t cracked, using AI to interpret medical records for more accurate insurance reimbursement.
A16z led Akasa’s seed and Series A rounds. The startup last raised $125 million in Series C funding in 2022, led by Coatue Management.
Nominated by: Austin Walters, SpringTide Ventures (not an investor)
Total funding: $141 million, according to the company
What it does: Cadence helps patients manage chronic conditions with remote monitoring tech and telehealth.
Why it’s promising: Cadence now serves over 70,000 patients across 20 health systems, including Hackensack Meridian and Providence. The company told Business Insider that it has seen 100% year-over-year revenue growth in 2025 and is on track to surpass $100 million in annual recurring revenue by 2026.
“They have done a great job of successfully selling into health systems to aid with remote patient care and monitoring of the elderly,” Walters said. “While they raised a lot of money in the ZIRP days, they have managed cash well since then, and are a solid player in the landscape.”
Nominated by: Allison Baum Gates, SemperVirens (an investor)
Total funding: $14 million, according to the company
What it does: Carefam offers an AI-powered hiring platform that connects nurses and other clinicians with open roles, while assisting them with related tasks such as resume review and interview preparation.
Why it’s promising: Healthcare faces an ever-worsening workforce shortage, Gates noted. Carefam creates a “best of both worlds” scenario for AI’s role in healthcare, she said — using AI to more quickly match people to the right clinical roles that AI can’t replace.
The company said it’s live across hundreds of healthcare facilities, with more than 30,000 clinicians active on the platform.
Nominated by: Vig Chandramouli, Oak HC/FT (no financial relationship)
Total funding: $100 million, according to the company
What it does: Chai builds AI models that predict molecular structures and design new antibodies to accelerate drug development.
Why it’s promising: Chai has been off to the races since its 2024 founding. The startup raised a $70 million Series A round in August, led by Menlo Ventures. Thrive Capital, OpenAI, and Dimension led its $30 million seed round the year prior.
Chandramouli pointed to Chai’s “exceptional” technical team, comprising a mix of top AI bio researchers and alumni from tech companies such as OpenAI, Meta, and Stripe.
“They’ve shown quickly and effectively how they can solve problems that previously took many years and millions of dollars,” he said.
Nominated by: Irem Rami, Norwest (no financial relationship)
Total funding: $50.4 million
What it does: Clasp connects health systems with aspiring clinicians, often while they’re still in training, to provide student loan repayment programs tied to post-graduation employment.
Why it’s promising: Clasp wants to tackle healthcare’s workforce shortage and the student debt crisis at the same time with programs that the company likens to ROTC, but for medicine instead of the military.
Clasp said it’s reached $100 million in student loan commitments across top healthcare systems, including Boston Children’s Hospital and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The company was also named to Business Insider’s 2025 list of startups to bet your career on in February.
“By better connecting students with opportunities, Clasp is helping providers build sustainable workforces in a highly competitive environment,” Rami said.
Nominated by: Irem Rami, Norwest (an investor)
Total funding: $24 million, according to the company
What it does: Courier Health sells a customer relationship management platform to biopharma companies to help them coordinate and support patients, especially those on specialty drugs.
Why it’s promising: Courier Health links fragmented patient and provider data to help drugmakers understand patient journeys and improve medication access and adherence. In 2025, the company said it quadrupled its client base and more than doubled its headcount.
“Courier Health is transforming the way pharma engages with patients by providing visibility across the entire patient journey. Their platform ensures the right patients are connected with the right therapies at the right time, ultimately improving access, adherence, and outcomes,” Rami said.
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