On May 27, 2026, the Connected Health Initiative hosted a virtual conversation with three leaders who sit in different seats across the digital health startup ecosystem: Stephen Forte, Managing Partner at Fresco Capital and Jonathan Suckling, Director of Programs & Strategy at the Centre for Aging + Brain Health Innovation (CABHI). Together, they shared candid perspectives on what it takes for a digital health company to attract capital, navigate the regulatory and reimbursement landscape, and build a team and an advisory bench capable of withstanding the long road to scale.
The discussion ranged across the current digital health funding climate, the realities of FDA pathways and CMS coverage, the signal-versus-noise problem in healthcare AI, and what a meaningful exit actually looks like in 2026. Across their perspectives, it is clear that digital health remains a uniquely demanding category for founders, but the companies that get the fundamentals right continue to find capital and partners ready to back them.
CHI thanks Stephen, Jonathan, and Robert for their generosity with both time and insight, and our members and community for joining the conversation. The full webinar recording is embedded below, and we encourage anyone building, investing in, or advising digital health companies to watch and share.
