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StartUp Health
StartUp Health launched in 2011, co-founded by Unity Stoakes and Steven Krein.
StartUp Health
StartUp Health launched in 2011, co-founded by Unity Stoakes and Steven Krein. The firm does not disclose a single wealth origin but operates as a membership and community organization for health founders, funders, and corporate strategists. Stoakes serves as CEO and President, leading a team of 10 professionals based in New York. StartUp Health structures its investment and support model around curated 'Health Moonshot Communities,' targeting large disease areas rather than a single asset class or stage. The firm's platform unites more than 600 health technology companies from 30 countries, spanning digital health and health services. Companies join through a membership model that provides access to a network of peers, corporate partners, and a specialized impact board. The firm's website lists total community size but does not publish discrete fund sizes or capital deployed figures. StartUp Health's board and extended impact network include former Cleveland Clinic CEO Toby Cosgrove and Esther Dyson, providing the community with relationships across hospital systems, pharma, and early-stage investment. The firm operates with a disclosed team of 10, based in New York City. It has not announced additional offices. StartUp Health runs a multimedia platform — including a podcast, a newsletter, and a video series — that distributes its community's progress to an audience of investors and industry leaders. There are no publicly disclosed adjacent investment entities, foundations, or wealth-management vehicles. StartUp Health's structural differentiator is its community architecture over fund economics. Rather than pooling LP capital to make equity investments, the firm convenes companies, strategics, and domain experts into disease-specific coalitions — such as Type 1 Diabetes, Alzheimer's, and Food as Medicine — and monetizes through membership fees and sponsorships. This positions StartUp Health as an ecosystem orchestrator, not a manager marking a portfolio to market.
General information
Firm type
Private Equity
Year founded
2011
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Principals
Unity Stoakes
CEO, President & Co-founder
Steven Krein
Strategic Advisor & Co-founder
Bari Krein
Chief Strategy Officer
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at StartUp Health?
StartUp Health does not appear to make direct institutional fund investments. The firm is led by CEO and Co-founder Unity Stoakes, with Steven Krein as Strategic Advisor and Co-founder. The firm's platform connects health companies with a network of corporate partners and an impact board, rather than deploying a dedicated investment fund.
Is StartUp Health structured as a venture firm or a community platform?
StartUp Health functions primarily as a community and ecosystem platform. It organizes 600+ health innovation companies into 'Health Moonshot Communities' focused on specific diseases. The firm monetizes through membership fees and sponsorships rather than raising committed blind-pool venture funds.
Does StartUp Health participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
Based on available disclosures, StartUp Health does not make institutional fund commitments or direct equity investments in the traditional sense. It takes a membership-based approach, connecting startups with a network of funders and corporate partners without publishing a portfolio of direct balance-sheet investments.
What investment stages does StartUp Health typically target?
StartUp Health does not target specific investment stages as a capital allocator. The companies in its community span early-stage to growth, but the firm's role is to provide network access, coaching, and media exposure rather than to lead priced equity rounds.
Which sectors does StartUp Health explicitly avoid?
StartUp Health does not publish an explicit avoidance list. Its activities are concentrated in digital health, health technology, and disease-specific communities like Type 1 Diabetes and Alzheimer's. The firm has not disclosed engagement in sectors such as biotech therapeutics discovery or medical devices outside its community themes.
How is StartUp Health related to any parent entity or spinout?
StartUp Health operates as an independent entity co-founded by Unity Stoakes and Steven Krein. Public disclosures show no parent company, corporate spinout, or founding affiliation with a larger financial institution or health system.
Does StartUp Health maintain separate philanthropic structures?
StartUp Health operates as a for-profit membership platform. There is no separate philanthropic foundation listed on its website, though it collaborates with non-profit leaders and impact boards to advance disease-specific missions.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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