VC and ecosystem data. And a meetup!

Healthcare through a Kentucky lens. Yeah, it's niche. But neat!

Author

Andrew Steen
December 09, 2025

C’mon, y’all.

U.S. Academic Medical Centers as VCs

“Over the past 15 years, venture capital investment by hospitals or health systems affiliated with a university or medical school has grown rapidly,” write authors Nishant Uppal, M.D., M.B.A. and Zirui Song, M.D., Ph.D. in this November 22, 2025 NEJM article.

According to this 2022 Becker’s article, no health system in Kentucky had an investment arm. In 2022. Don’t think that has changed, but…

23 health systems with investment arms

Health systems across the U.S. are increasingly embracing venture capital as a way to test new technologies, a shift away from the traditional reliance on developing in-house intellectual property.

www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/innovation/22-health-systems-with-investment-arms

Not good

Report: Kentucky worst in nation for new lung cancer cases, second worst for smoking • Kentucky Lantern

Lung cancer is the commonwealth’s leading cause of death. Kentucky has the second-highest rate of smoking in the nation.

kentuckylantern.com/2025/11/10/report-kentucky-worst-in-nation-for-new-lung-cancer-cases-second-worse-for-smoking/?emci=9b1c8c70-1ebc-f011-8194-00224823ff9b&emdi=3b1a1168-24be-f011-8194-00224823ff9b&ceid=432810

Q3 2025: State of Pre-Seed

Carta data. “Pre-seed startups in healthtech have raised $319 million year-to-date, making it the third largest industry by total cash invested and second largest by count of rounds.”

Yes, Kentucky is blank.

PitchBook Global VC Ecosystem Rankings

“Austin, Raleigh, Nashville, and Dallas all logged strong Growth Scores” in healthcare.

Speaking of Nashville, it came in first in PitchBook’s 2025 Growth Scores by location. As in the fastest-growing startup ecosystem in the world.

Indy is on there, too.

Show up!

Tuesday, December 16 at Story. Health innovation meetup. Show up.

Louisville Health Innovation Meetup · Luma

Interested in healthcare, healthtech, digital health and adjacent spaces? Real innovation happens when people show up to give, not just to get. So, show up and…

luma.com/qq3yx0o1

Show up.

Show up.

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