AI will change our healthcare experience - much more than it'll change how care is billed and documented...
Today, @Color and @Google announced a program that allows any woman across the US to get direct access to mammograms - thanks to AI.
Building a company in a space you’re not an expert in? Start by following the money.
To learn a new market, @Color co-founder and CEO @othman recommends breaking down how a transaction moves through all the “pots of money and incentives.” That’s what he did when immersing himself in the healthcare industry — a space he had no prior experience in before Color.
“Who influences, who decides, who sets the price, who sets the terms, how the transaction actually occurs and how you get paid — this is what you have to untangle,” he says.
Here’s how he mapped it out when building Color.
Thirteen years ago, I founded @Color without any experience in healthcare. Learning a new industry as you build requires you to constantly revisit your assumptions.
On the @firstround Review, I share what I’ve learned from our years-long iterative building process, from the failure modes to avoid as an industry outsider, untangling a web of buyers, to advisors you need in your corner.
Some of the highlights:
- Many "good" plans fail. You need to be willing and able to assess and adjust.
- Don’t mistake false positives for product-market fit.
- Untangle the flow of money and decision-making.
- (re)Bundling - make sure you’re not trying to sell a steering wheel to someone who wants to buy a car.
- Find advisors who are doing the work — not the ones who spend most of their time talking about it.
- If there are real COGS in your business, run this unit economics exercise.
- Redraw the service boundaries in ways that you thought were impossible or impractical up until now.
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Having a beginner’s mindset can help you build a more resilient product — by being open to getting a lot wrong.
@othman originally teamed up with @eladgil to build a cheaper genetic test for cancer screening. An engineer and former Google and Twitter PM, he had no experience in healthcare. So he started with what he knew: building a product.
But simultaneously learning how the healthcare industry operates turned out to be a years-long iterative process. He wound up changing many of his initial assumptions and ultimately pivoted away from direct-to-consumer testing — incorporating what what he’d learned to build an even better solution.
Today, @Color is a billion-dollar virtual cancer clinic that has partnerships with the American Cancer Society and the National Institutes of Health.
On The Review, he outlines the steps he took to build a product in a new industry, from mapping the flow of decision-making to studying the incumbents.
In our latest blog, Director of Engagement Marketing Eve Sutton breaks down how Color is driving real population-level behavior change across entire workforces—not just among people already facing a diagnosis. https://t.co/g5RLSj52sI
#EmployeeBenefits#ColorHealth
Proud to share Color won @Newsweek 's AI Impact Award for “Best Outcomes, Diagnostics!” 🏆
Our Cancer Copilot—built with @UCSF —hit 95%+ accuracy & cut workup time from 2 hrs to 10 mins.
Transparent. Fast. Impactful.
https://t.co/xpui5eh6JU
#AIinHealthcare#ColorHealth
Survivorship is a critical—but often overlooked—part of Cancer Care.
We’re proud to support the 2026 @ConquerCancerFd Young Investigator Award in Survivorship Research. Because living after cancer deserves just as much attention.
https://t.co/Khf4qAPCAZ
#ASCO2026#ColorHealth
How do you make Cancer Care more accessible and more affordable?
Our CEO @othman breaks it down on the HealthTech Remedy Podcast.
#ColorHealth#CancerCare#DigitalHealth
https://t.co/7TQq47ztTx
Grateful to @ycombinator and @garrytan for hosting this convo with @EricTopol and our CEO @othman yesterday!
From AI to aging, one thing’s clear: proactive, personalized care is the future of health—and it’s already here.
Proud to host @EricTopol and @othmanlaraki in conversation at Y Combinator today
Topol is talking about new book Super Agers: what’s the key to healthy aging?
A #COE referral isn’t a finish line. It’s a fork in the road.
Too many patients never make it to their appointment. At Color, we don’t stop at referral. We stay with them.
https://t.co/vA08vLUctt
#CancerCare#Oncology#ColorHealth
Derrick was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer—just weeks after an Ironman. He's continued working through treatment, thanks to a supportive employer and care from @MSKCancerCenter.
Cancer Care must include workplace care.
#CancerCare#ColorHealth
https://t.co/x0yI6y7vnM
Exciting news!
@Color teamed up with @MSKCancerCenter (MSK) to bring top-tier cancer care closer to home.
This partnership combines access to MSK's world class cancer care with Color's 50-state Virtual Cancer Clinic model.
Maria Scheeler, @TeamsterFunds, and Tyler Lefeber, @Color, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss early screening and improving cancer care and prevention for union members through Color Health’s innovative, comprehensive approach. https://t.co/nBQLKphcsg
Why are we still separating the mind from the body in oncology?
Our latest blog explores how we can do better—for patients, survivors, and caregivers alike.
https://t.co/CmfDP2On0p
#MentalHealth#CancerCare#WholePersonCare#ColorHealth
Cancer care is still stuck in an in-person-only model. Rural workers are paying the price.
➡️ Missed screenings
➡️ Delayed treatment
➡️ No survivorship support
If your cancer benefit isn’t reaching every employee, it’s not working.
https://t.co/zKTLrbPcDz
#RuralHealth #CancerCare #EmployeeBenefits #HealthEquity