The Healthcare AI Roadmap You Actually Need Presented by Nordic

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Featured Story   ‘The Moat is No Longer Technological’: How Digital Health Fundraising Changed in H1 The skinny Digital health startups raised $7.4 billion during the first half of the year, up from $6.4 billion during the first half of 2025, according to data released this week by Rock Health. Bigger bets There were 244 deals in the first half of 2026, matching the total of 245 for the first half of last year, but capital is flowing into fewer, larger bets. Megadeals — meaning those worth $100 million or more — accounted for 45% of all funding in the first half of this year. That concentration means roughly 8% of deals absorbed nearly half the money invested in the sector. The median deal size also rose to $14 million, the highest since 2022 — another sign that investors are writing bigger checks to fewer companies rather than spreading their bets thin. Mental health & weight loss remain hot Mental health retained its title as the most funded clinical category for the seventh year running, but weight management is creeping in. The category ranked second, propelled by the continued GLP-1 boom and platforms like eMed, Nourish and Midi Health expanding into that space. Of all the mental health and weight loss startups that raised money during the first half of the year, nearly two-third sell directly to consumers, compared to just 29% of digital health companies overall, Rock Health’s report noted. Tech is no longer the play Investors are increasingly asking not who has AI, but who has something AI alone can't replicate. They’re more focused on founder expertise, platform ownership, hands-on implementation support and strategic partnerships as sources of competitive advantage. Mary Minno, co-founder of healthcare venture platform Treehub, noted that there’s been a “fundamental shift” in what it takes to build a strong healthcare business. “Founders previously had to overcome a significant hurdle to build a product — design, engineer, deploy and maintain software. But AI changed that. Now you can design, engineer, deploy and maintain software using words instead. So the moat is no longer technological, but instead it is the learned secrets that those in the industry have about their domain,” she explained. — By Katie Adams Sponsored   The Healthcare AI Roadmap You Actually Need Presented by Nordic Everyone is excited about the potential of AI in healthcare. But let’s be honest: there’s a massive gulf between a successful pilot project and a full-scale, daily-use implementation.  If your organization is trying to bridge that gap, you aren't alone—and you don't have to wing it. This report, delivers the reality check (and the roadmap) healthcare leaders need right now. Based on a comprehensive AI readiness survey, the report digs into why some implementations soar while others stall. Download the guide today. Top Stories   Neko Health Secures $700M to Support US Expansion The news Neko Health, a health tech company, announced Wednesday that it raised $700 million in Series C funding, which it will use to support its expansion into the U.S. The company The Swedish-based company’s flagship product is the Neko Health Scan, a health assessment that analyzes skin health, pre-diabetes risk and blood abnormalities. It also assesses risk factors linked to metabolic syndrome, stroke and heart attack. Patients go into a Neko Health clinic for a 60-minute visit to receive this scan, and patients have a consultation with a medical professional to discuss the results and next steps. The funding Neko’s Series C round was co-led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and O.G. Venture Partners, with participation from Atomico, General Catalyst, Lakestar, Liberty City Ventures, Positive Sum and BDT & MSD. It comes after a $260 million Series B round in January 2025. "Over the past eighteen months, Neko Health has demonstrated remarkable innovation and growth, attacking one of the largest markets in the world with breakthrough technology, proven consumer demand, and a clear path to global scale,” said Bejul Somaia, global partner of Lightspeed Venture Partners, in a statement. “We believe this is one of the most important healthcare companies of our generation, and we're proud to deepen our partnership as they continue to reimagine prevention." — By Marissa Plescia A Biotech’s First Approval Is First in a New Class of Cancer Meds The decision Celcuity secured FDA approval for Revtorpyk as a treatment for advanced cases of HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer, the most common type of breast cancer. The regulatory decision specifically covers such cancers that do not harbor a mutation called PIK3CA. The drug must also be used in combination with standard of care breast cancer therapies. The drug Revtorpyk targets the PAM pathway, which is associated with many types of cancer but has been difficult to hit with a drug. The Celcuity drug is a is small molecule developed for dosing as an intravenous infusion. It broadly inhibits the targets in this pathway, which could offer an advantage over drugs that address individual proteins in PAM. Celcuity expects to launch Revtorpyk, its first commercial product, late in the third quarter of this year. Why this matters Celcuity estimates that Revtorpyk has a $10 billion market opportunity in the first- and second-line settings for advanced breast cancer. But that’s not all. PAM’s association with other solid tumors makes the drug’s opportunity much bigger. Clinical trials are ongoing in prostate cancer. Celcuity is also exploring potential application of the drug in ovarian cancer and other types of solid tumors. —By Frank Vinluan Healthcare Must Protect Innovation, Not Just Patient Data A shift The recent cyberattack on Novo Nordisk has become much more than another healthcare data breach. What began as unauthorized access appears to have evolved into a case study in how cybercriminals are changing their targets. Rather than focusing solely on patient records or operational disruption, the attackers allegedly stole clinical trial data, proprietary drug research, artificial intelligence models, and intellectual property before leaking portions of the information after a reported $25 million ransom demand was refused. If those claims hold up, the incident represents a shift in what healthcare organizations must defend and in the assets attackers find most lucrative. More than just financial data Healthcare cybersecurity is no longer just about protecting electronic health records. It is increasingly about protecting the research, algorithms, clinical data, and intellectual property that drive the next generation of medicine. Clinical trial data, proprietary molecule libraries, AI training datasets, genomic research, manufacturing processes, regulatory documentation, and drug discovery pipelines represent years of scientific investment and billions of dollars in research and development. Unlike stolen financial information, these assets cannot simply be reissued or replaced. Preserving scientific innovation Healthcare organizations should approach AI and cybersecurity as business governance issues rather than isolated technology projects. Every organization should understand where sensitive research resides, who can access it, which AI tools are approved, what information may be entered into those systems, and how third-party vendors secure the data they receive. Executive leadership should also recognize that intellectual property deserves the same level of protection as clinical systems. Drug discovery programs, research collaborations, AI models, and proprietary scientific data are strategic business assets that require dedicated security controls throughout their lifecycle — By MedCity Influencer Matt Kimpel   Video   Video: What did UHC CEO say in unprecedented meeting with reporters? Debunked: UnitedHealthcare invited reporters and influencers to their Minnesota HQ. Why? Hear the exchange between MedCity editor and the UnitedHealthcare CEO.

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