#Twenty25 - Funding the future of health tech - Part 15/20 Interview with Douwe Jippes, Healthy.Capital

Ian Coyne: Looking ahead to this year, what are you seeing for digital health in 2025?

Douwe Jippes: This year is crucial to see follow-on funding. The digital health sector had a tough year in 2024, and I think 2025 will continue to be challenging.

Series A investments will focus on traction and cost-effectiveness. Services models will be prevalent over B2B because you can control your own system. AI agents will also see a lot of momentum, similar to the Hippocratic AI investment round which should raise the tide for all AI investments.

We've also invested in a combined lifestyle intervention company that's doing well due to the focus on obesity pharma solutions.

Ian: Speaking of Ozempic & GLP-1 space which we can’t ignore, did you see the recent $400 million raise for Verdiva Bio? That’s a good signal.

Douwe: Yes, it's phenomenal. However, I think the market will be heavily regulated in the next five years due to potential side effects. We're discussing strategies to navigate this fast-moving market.

Ian: Beyond 2025, what big themes do you see emerging?

Douwe: Service models will continue to dominate. There will be a focus on workforce tenure and effectiveness. Impact and value-based healthcare models will be crucial for getting funded. Companies will need to conduct feasibility studies in multiple countries to scale effectively.

When I look at how AI will impact these models, AI can apply medical protocols and match the gold standard of human workforce, making healthcare more effective. Hybrid care models will become more common, for example, allowing dietitians or psychologists to service more patients. In the longer term hospitals lagging in innovation will become redundant due to waiting lists.

Ian: Are patients ready to interact with AI?

Douwe: It's similar to current chatbots; if it works for their purpose, they'll use it. However, many will still want human contact. The next two years will likely see more hybrid models to monitor AI's effectiveness.

Ian: If you had a magic wand, what would you change to drive innovation in health tech?

Douwe: I would create a tighter venture capital network to drive more consortia deals, especially in the seed phase. Alongside that, larger healthcare institutions should become key launching partners to reduce sales cycles and push the agenda forward – at the moment it feels like too much innovation is being left for the VC backed companies to do on their own. A change in the system would really catalyse this.

Ian: Thank you for your time, Douwe. It was great talking to you.

Douwe: Thank you, Ian. Looking forward to working together this year.

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Douwe Jippes, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Healthy.Capital

Douwe Jippes is co-founder and managing partner of Healthy.Capital, securing EUR 40 million in funding to invest in Digital Health startups. Current investment portfolio consists of 14 ventures. Douwe specializes in identifying and nurturing growth companies that harness cutting-edge technologies and innovations within the healthcare sector. His commitment to improving the industry shines through in his focus on supporting digital health enterprises that prioritize patient and consumer-centric solutions.

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