SaaStr AI London is Dec 1-2!! See You There!!

Helping, founding, funding, and growing B2B start-ups.  Making it a positive-sum game for everyone involved.  VC checks $500k-$4m @ SaaStrFund.com.  2x founder with nine figures of founder exits.

"Do or do not. There is no try."

Specialties: helping people grow and become their best.  Doing not the impossible, but the unlikely.  Never giving up.

Join 10,000 of us IRL at SaastrAnnual.com May 12-14 in SF Bay!!

FREE Weekly Workshops and Live AMAs, Sign up here -> https://www.saastr.com/workshop-wednesday/

SaaStrFund.com investments include:

- Co-led Series A in Salesloft ($2.3B exit)
- Co-led Seed in Pipedrive ($1.5B exit)
- Led Seed in Algolia ($2.3B)
- First VC in Talkdesk ($10B)
- Led Seed in Gorgias ($800m)
- Led Seed in Owner.com ($1B)
- First Investor in RevenueCat ($500m)
- First VC in Logikcull ($280m exit)
- Proud smaller investor in Greenhouse ($800m exit), Sqreen ($400m exit), Automile ($1B SEK exit), Opus Pro, Higgsfield.ai, and many others!
- and much more

Jason M. Lemkin

The one hire I don't need, and none of my portfolio cos need, is a "Strategist"

I know at certain stage in many folks' career, that's what they want to do

Advise on strategy more than do work themselves

No criticism

But most startups only need a few hours of this at a time

SaaStr AI 2026 is May 12-14 in SF Bay!! See You There!!

My #1 piece of advice for GTM leaders in January 2026: Deploy an AI agent yourself.  Now.  This month.  Don't hire an agency. Don't tell someone on your team to do it.  Do it yourself.  Roll up those sleeves again. 

Deploy an AI agent into production, for real, yourself. with Lenny Rachitsky

And for junior sales & GTM folks? Embrace it. Be the one that embraces every bit of output from AI Agents.

Zeenat Patrawala is a seasoned professional with a focus on corporate development and business development/partnership roles. She has been a venture-backed startup founder, corporate development lead of a public company, business development of new product innovation, strategic sales, and equity research covering biopharma, diagnostics, healthcare services, and AI-driven healthcare applications.  

Zeenat’s expertise includes biotechnology and AI/Technology due diligence processes, market and product assessment, competitive analysis, model forecasting and landscape, patient flow maps, strategy for geographic assessment and launch, product positioning, messaging and branding, pricing strategy and corporate growth. 

Zeenat brings in a wealth of deal execution experience that ranges from large M&A transactions, leading Software Sales teams selling large systems in hospitals, payers, and life science companies, working with early stage companies to secure both seed and series A funding, and lastly carrying the bag and working door to door to drive transactional sales across multiple industries.  She has mastered the art of selling, positioning, driving an organized deal process, and most importantly understanding the underlying dynamics of human psychology to drive win-win deals for all parties involved.  

She holds a SM focused on biomedical enterprises and genetics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology & Harvard University, an MBA from Melbourne Business School and a BS in biological science with a focus in genetics from Cornell University.   During her training at MIT/Harvard, she completed her thesis in “FDA Regulation of Biologicals Manufacturing “at the prestigious program of the Health, Science and Technology Department under Fiona Murray (MIT Sloan) , Charles Clooney (MIT Chem Eng) , and Gary Pisano (Harvard Business School).  At Cornell University, she studied under Professor Jim Morin, Environmental and Ecological Department, and completed her thesis in “The relationship between the lunar cycle and reproductive patterns in female luminescent ostracod crustaceans”.

Zeenat Patrawala

Last night felt genuinely full circle.

So much of this group reflects professional relationships built,  and rebuilt , over the past 15 years. This dinner traces back to an introduction and pitch to Vignesh Ravikumar and SIERRA Ventures five years ago, at the very beginning of building an oncology company at the intersection of healthcare and AI. That initial relationship resurfaced last year and turned into a full year of ongoing dialogue about where the field was headed , and here we are again, in a very different market, asking sharper questions.

Grateful to once again to my partner in dinner party crime Shehzad Huda, J.D., M.S. and DLA Piper, alongside Michael Safro and Lindsey Seidner at Stifel Bank  
, to host an incredible group who still showed up thoughtfully after a long and exhausting JPM Healthcare week.

Key themes & live learnings from the room (with a clear lens on the theme of 2026,  longevity):

What feels clearly fundable post-JPM (obesity, oncology, AI infrastructure) versus what’s structurally challenged , and where people are still willing to back contrarian bets

For AI-native life-science companies, whether the Noetik–GSK structure signals a real shift toward infrastructure-first models (licensing, subscriptions, ARR-like economics) versus classic asset co-development

How pharma teams are balancing build-to-buy experimentation with committing to independent platforms that may remain long-term infrastructure partners

The clearest BD signals from big pharma this year: data networks, foundation models, or late-stage de-risked assets?

One of the most valuable moments was the live discussion led by Ron Alfa, MD, PhD (THANK YOU for fighting SF traffic to get here!) of the NOETIK–GSK deal  a genuinely new business model for the sector that starts to resemble real SaaS and ARR dynamics, rather than traditional biobucks structures.  (Kim Branson - we missed you and looking forward to your side of the story)

More than answers, the evening reinforced how much progress happens through sustained relationships and repeated conversations over time. JPM may be a sprint but this field is still a long game.

Thank you to Club at Amador for the lovely space!

Egon Zehnder Prellis Biologics SIERRA Ventures Deep Origin Lux Capital NOETIK DLA Piper Octant Gordian Biotechnology Clinlab.AI, Inc Gate Bioscience

This weekend marked a few firsts for me, I participated in my very first hackathon at the AGI House AI4Healthcare Hackathon.

I’ll admit, I was nervous. While I’ve dabbled in “vibe coding” using tools like Lovable, my actual coding background is very limited (think high-school level at best). What I did bring, though, was a deep understanding of the customer pain points and real-world healthcare workflows, strong domain expertise that proved just as critical to building something meaningful.

In under 24 hours, and a little salesmanship and "recruiting", we formed a stellar team:  Sean M, George Gulabyan Kendell Cannon, MD Mrinal Gautam, Nonye Ekpe, Chao Zhou

The Idea: an AI agent for physicians that bridges clinical care, patient communication, and insurance workflows, handing doctors back 20 minutes of administrative time per visit.

Hence the name: 20back.

🏆 20back took first place yesterday at AGI House’s AI4Healthcare Hackathon 

What made this especially meaningful for me: this was my first hackathon.
 As a non–CS / non–software engineer, I went in curious (and honestly a bit intimidated), and came out energized. Learning how to actually build, using tools like Cursor, was a powerful reminder of how accessible creation has become when the right people, tools, and mission align. AI is truly changing who gets to be a builder.

Huge thanks to AGI House, Alexa Orent, and Rocky Yu for hosting, and to Vivek Adarsh and Mithrl for bringing together such an incredible community at the intersection of AI and healthcare.  

Sean M - You are a go getter thanks for making the trip to SF (and thank you to Melissa Musiker for making this stellar Cornell University intro!)

#AI4Healthcare #Hackathon #HealthcareAI #PhysicianBurnout #Builders #AGIHouse #20back

Builder @ TensorAI | AI Product + Engineer

20back took first place yesterday at AGI House, AI4Healthcare Hackathon. 

I love hitting a hackathon every now and then, but yesterday was special. We built an AI Agent for physicians that bridges the gap between clinical care, patient comms, and insurance, handing doctors back 20 minutes of admin time per visit. 
Hence, 20back!

Thx AGI House, Alexa Orent, Rocky Yu for hosting, and Vivek Adarsh and Mithrl for hosting it! 

Kudos to the amazing team: Kendell Cannon, MD, Sean M, Zeenat Patrawala, Mrinal Bhandari, Nonye Ekpe, and Chao Zhou

There are lots of #JPM26 summaries today, and here is just one of my reflections from the start of the week.

We hosted an extraordinary group of women leaders in conversation around The XX Edge and the powerful insights shared by Dr. Ruth Shaber, MD Shaber (co-author Patience Marime-Ball, Esq. ) Before the week accelerated into back-to-back meetings and noise, this discussion set the tone with clarity and purpose.

Ruth brought data, rigor, and conviction, reinforcing what many of us intuitively know but still too rarely see reflected in capital allocation decisions: investing in women leaders outperforms. The data showing a ~50 basis point increase in returns versus the S&P when investing in women-led companies is not just encouraging, it is a clear call to action.

These are performance conversations, grounded in evidence, discipline, and long-term value creation.

Thank you to JAZZ Venture Partners (John Lee and John Spinale) for  supporting spaces like this (and lending us your beautiful office space) Starting JPM with data-driven insight and thoughtful leadership made all the difference.

And Thank you to the amazing ladies who travel off the beaten path to get here on Sunday Kathryn Tong Emily Hu Polly I. Rima Chakrabarti, MD Dr. Hanadie Yousef, Ida Wahlquist-Ortiz Blandine Merino Julie D. Elizabeth Wagner Mukti Parikh Katherine Cheng Rachita Navara, MD, FACC, FHRS

This announcement hit close to home for me, and is a way to kick start the year for the broader health ecosystem.  When I was at Google AI back in 2017, the goal of the original  founding Health team was to make AI genuinely useful in healthcare in a way that people can trust. 

For years, the technology has been ahead of the system: capable, promising, but constrained by fragmentation, governance concerns, and the very real human stakes involved. Seeing a dedicated health experience that is intentionally separated, consent-driven, and built around context feels like a goal many of us have been working toward for a long time, but that hasn’t quite been realized. ChatGPT Health may be the answer to that calling.

Over the past year especially, my work has continued to sit at this intersection, helping translate complex data, clinical realities, and AI capability into something that supports better decisions rather than trying to replace human judgment. What matters to me about this moment isn’t novelty; it’s maturity. 

The acknowledgment that healthcare AI succeeds not by being louder or broader, but by being thoughtful, bounded, and grounded in trust. It feels like the ecosystem is finally aligning with how many of us have believed this should be built all along.

Open article: Introducing ChatGPT Health by openai.com

New year , new opportunity to put founders in the hot seat. I’ll be moderating Wednesday night’s Health x AI panel in San Francisco, kicking off the MIT Alumni Startups (MITAS)'s monthly series with an evening laser‑focused on where AI is actually shaping healthcare , and not just theorizing about it. #MITStartup

Will 2026 be the year AI finally graduates from pilots and POV decks into clinical workflows, real ROI, and measurable impact?

We’ll explore what’s actually next:

Real business impact... with re-occurring revenue

Secret Sauce of real technology breakthroughs that work for the greater healthcare system and professionals.

And to this network, what else are you interested in discussing in 2026?

The January session will feature short firesides, light panels, live product demos, and curated networking ,followed by dinner with the MIT community and the broader Bay Area AI ecosystem.

Speakers include:
 Ahmed Omar, Co‑founder & CEO of Sully.ai
 Amar Kendale, Co‑founder & President of Homeward

Register here: https://lnkd.in/gPXfY8_X

And just to set expectations: given Sully.ai’s CEO is a former MMA fighter — and I once took a year off to train in Asia as a Muay Thai fighter (I trained, I didn't fight 😂 )— there’s a decent chance this panel turns into a friendly cage fight. 🥊

Open article: MIT Alumni Startup Network (MITAS) by mitas.alumcommunity.mit.edu

📸 Kicking off JPM: Shake It Up Is Back , Tonight with Ruth Shaber, MD

Four years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Patience Marime-Ball, Esq. through work I was doing alongside Greg Simon, focused on democratizing access to wealth creation in the emerging Health + AI ecosystem by bringing transformative companies to the public markets. What began as a chance connection evolved into a relationship grounded in deep learning, around company formation, capital markets, and how leadership quality is one of the most underpriced drivers of long-term ROI.

That theme sets the stage for tonight’s conversation with Dr. Ruth Shaber, co-author of The XX Edge: Unlocking Higher Returns and Lower Risk.

The XX Edge  demonstrates how companies with women in senior leadership and governance roles consistently outperform on risk management, capital efficiency, corporate governance, and long-term shareholder value. Tonight’s discussion will explore how those advantages show up operationally, through earlier risk identification, more disciplined capital allocation, and leadership behaviors that prioritize durability over short-term optics.

Our aim is an open forum to discuss:

Why risk awareness and long-view decision-making are correlated with stronger returns and lower volatility

How collaborative, less ego-driven leadership improves governance and board effectiveness

Why placing women closer to capital allocation isn’t about representation, it’s about better outcomes for investors

A huge thank you to John Spinale and John Lee at JAZZ Venture Partners, for supporting this conversation and helping create space for rigorous, evidence-based dialogue on investing and leadership during JPM.

✨ If you’re interested in joining tonight, DM me , I have a few spots left.

#JPM2026 #ShakeItUp #TheXXEdge #RuthShaber #PatienceMarimeBall #JazzVentures #GenderSmartInvesting #CorporateGovernance #LongTermValue

My heart is heavy. Today is not a normal Monday morning given the gravity of the events of this weekend.

There are no words to fully describe what happened, and all of us carry the weight of this burden.

Political affiliation aside, I feel compelled to speak out. I’ve seen so many of my colleagues , especially those who have dedicated their lives to caring for others , absorb loss and trauma quietly, and I know firsthand the weight of that work.

My own background, working alongside healthcare teams, supporting patients, and building systems that impact care at scale, gives me a deep perspective on the courage it takes to be on the front lines and the responsibility we have to honor them.

Alex Pretti’s actions speak volumes about his character. His decision to be an ICU nurse ,  to step into the hardest moments every day , is something those of us in healthcare and life sciences understand. My own sister walked a similar path as a physician: you don’t choose this work lightly. You choose it because service matters, because people matter, and because you’re willing to sacrifice your own wellbeing at times to show up for others. 

Today, I’m not only thinking about Alex, his colleagues, and every ICU team that had to keep going while absorbing something unimaginable. I’m angry and scared, and so many of you are too. And I’m proud of the many people, like Graham Walker, MD, Peter Kolchinsky, and Halle Tecco, MPH, MBA and so many others vocally and publicly speaking up in a moment that demands it.

Healthcare AI — MDCalc & Offcall Founder — ER Doctor @ TPMG (views are my own, not employers’)

When you go into healthcare, you make a bargain with yourself that you're doing it for a Purpose. You tell yourself a story about why you're voluntarily signing up to do and see and feel hard things every day, but that the Purpose will be worth it. It will be good for you, or your family, or your world. Yesterday that bargain was not upheld, and that the Purpose was taken from one of us. It's a little harder to tell myself my own story about working in healthcare.

It's 5:13am and the intrusive thoughts are not around Alex Pretti or his family, but they keep circling around the ICU team at the Minneapolis VA. The world is only learning about his Alex Pretti's character and work ethic now, but we all have an Alex Pretti that we work with.

I don't know how the ICU team made it through yesterday, or how today will go. In healthcare, we don't get a break. I've had patients die an hour into my shift and then I have to work 11 more hours, not able to grieve or cry or just let it out because I have patients who won't understand and others who won't even care.

But at least the shift ends eventually. The hospital is 24/7 and always on. The ICU is always full. How did the overnight shift do? Waking up mid-day, groggy-eyed, and learning that their 37 year-old coworker was executed while blinded by pepper spray, and then having to go in and turn patients, give meds, take report, and document in flowsheets? How is the day shift coping? Will the swing shift show up at 3pm?

I write this today so they know that we are thinking of them, and Alex, and Minneapolis.

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