The “Digital Front Door” is a new integrated digital experience that empowers people to take an active role in managing their health. It is based on the use of personalized mobile and web platforms, many of them created by start-ups. Spurred by COVID-19, established healthcare systems have forged relationships with these start-ups, opening the door to enhanced care.
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Venture Debt is a growing option for start-ups to access growth capital, while maintaining founder equity. The terms of Venture Debt include fixed repayment with interest secured by company assets, with a mild equity twist. This is a welcome trend, although piggy-backing on the prior infusion and support of Venture Capital.
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Uber, Lyft and DoorDash have successfully obtained the CA vote to retain their workers as independent contractors, but they conceded to providing some “employee” benefits to obtain this milestone vote. This may be the beginning of a new model for independent contractor talent hiring in the growing gig ecosystem.
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The SEC recently voted to expand its mission to help small business fundraise in private markets by increasing the threshold crowdfunding amount to $5M and the amounts that the non-accredited can invest. This new access is expected to boost entrepreneurship, now ever more present in our new normal of COVID-19.
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A recent bankruptcy court decision has found the debt of an affiliate that is ineligible to file for Subchapter V to be included in the $7.5M threshold for eligibility (and post-CARES Act, a $2.7M threshold). In this case, the affiliate was a single asset real estate entity. This decision appears counterintuitive. Stay tuned for an appeal?
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A recent study shows that crowdfunding psychology requires a unique fundraising strategy. An abundance of early donations is viewed as originating from friends and family who have not scrutinized the deal, while the opposite is inferred from a lean start. Balancing this perception from day 1 is key to a successful campaign.
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banks to treat customers differently. While many states prohibit bank discrimination, the disparity necessitates a federal fix.
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On a consumer plug today, I am excited by the “right to repair” trend that has surfaced in a proposed bill to block manufacturer imposed limits on medical device repair. While advocates worry about the environment, an important fall-out is consumer inability to take ownership of product maintenance. Of course safety is key, and I look forward to contributions by regulators and thought leaders in mHealth and other fields.
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Wearing my digital health professor hat, I am sharing this article about the legal, social and political dynamics involved in forging a licensing deal between Oxford scientist inventor-founders of start-up Vaccitech, academia and big pharma AstraZeneca with the twin goal of profit and global access for a COVID-19 vaccine.
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