In this episode, we sit down with Chuck Feerick, founder and CEO of Latitude Health, a MedTech startup tackling one of the most overlooked — yet critically expensive — problems in healthcare: prior authorization and utilization management.

Chuck shares how a personal experience in his early 20s inspired him to transform the way health plans make care decisions, using AI to reduce administrative burdens and accelerate patient access to treatment. With a background spanning health plan operations, venture capital, and startups, Chuck brings a 360° perspective on what it really takes to build a successful health tech company.

We dive into:

• The $1 trillion administrative crisis in U.S. healthcare
• Why prior authorization delays hurt patients and providers
• How Latitude Health uses AI to empower—not replace—clinicians
• The real challenges of selling to health plans
• What every health tech founder must understand about procurement, ROI, and building painkiller products
• The future of AI in care decision-making

Whether you're a health tech entrepreneur, investor, or healthcare executive, this conversation is full of practical insights on solving big, unsexy problems with massive impact.

00:00 – Intro: Can AI Fix Healthcare?

01:03 – Meet Chuck Feerick, Founder of Latitude Health

02:15 – A Personal Story That Sparked a HealthTech Mission

04:10 – The Broken Prior Authorization Process Explained

06:32 – Automating Utilization Management with AI

08:44 – What Latitude Health Actually Does

10:05 – How Patients, Providers & Payers Benefit

12:20 – Chuck’s Journey: Operator, Investor, Founder

14:15 – Lessons from VC for Startup Fundraising in MedTech

16:01 – How to Sell to Payers: Complex Sales in Healthcare

18:30 – The Role of AI vs. Human in Clinical Decision Making

21:04 – How Latitude Uses LLMs to Structure Medical Data

23:19 – Training AI with Clinicians: Nurses, Doctors, CMO Input

25:12 – Building a HealthTech Startup the Right Way

27:00 – Tackling Long Sales Cycles in Healthcare

28:42 – AI is Moving Fast — Building for Flexibility

30:18 – The Unsexy Problem That Needed Solving

33:07 – Why Utilization Management Is the Key to Controlling Costs

35:45 – Administrative Waste: The $1 Trillion Opportunity

37:02 – Why Latitude Focuses on High-Impact Painkiller Tools

38:49 – Consumers, Behavior, and the ROI of Innovation

41:00 – Closing Thoughts: What Founders Must Understand About Healthcare

Roupen Odabashian:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roupen-odabashian-183aaa142/

X: https://twitter.com/RoupenMD

Email: roupen@deltahealth.tech

Tigran (Tiko) Bdoyan:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chuckfeerick

Watch Our Podcast at:

https://youtu.be/Xj89GFyPpxw

#MedicalStartup #Telehealth #SimulatedPatients #Fundraising #MedicalSchoolTools #CME #AIinMedicalEducation #CasperExam

In this episode, we dive deep into the future of MedTech and HealthTech innovation with Tikran Bdoyan, co-founder of SimAI, an AI-driven platform transforming medical education through realistic virtual patients.

Learn how SimAI is:

• Reducing training bottlenecks in healthcare
• Accelerating student evaluation and feedback
• Supporting medical schools, residency programs, and CME globally
• Helping international students and telehealth teams scale their training

We also explore:

• SimAI’s journey through Y Combinator
• Fundraising in hard-to-crack spaces like healthcare and edtech
• The growing role of AI in clinical education and patient simulation

Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro: Why MedTech Needs Disruption

01:07 – Meet Tikran Bdoyan, Co-Founder of SimAI

02:22 – The Problem in Medical Education Today

04:11 – What is SimAI? AI Patients Explained

06:03 – From Reddit Post to Startup Breakthrough

07:36 – The Global Demand for AI in Clinical Training

09:15 – Why Medical Exams Are Outdated

11:27 – Real-Life Benefits of SimAI for Students & Professionals

13:35 – Getting into Y Combinator: SimAI’s Journey

15:40 – The Power of Focus and Realistic Expectations

18:01 – Why Healthcare Sales Cycles Are So Slow

19:38 – Customizing AI Patients for Schools

21:25 – Instructor Tools & Performance Insights

23:16 – Use Cases: Residency, CME & Telehealth

25:12 – Fundraising in MedTech & EdTech: The Challenges

27:06 – Finding Product-Market Fit in Counseling

28:55 – SimAI’s Global TAM: US, India, Canada, IMGs

31:00 – New Trends: AI-Augmented Practitioners

32:54 – The Future of AI in Medical Education (10-Year Outlook)

34:51 – Standardizing Bedside Manner Evaluation

36:27 – Cost & Limitations of Simulated Patients

38:19 – What Tikran Wishes He Knew Before Starting

40:00 – Final Advice: Do More, Compete Less

Roupen Odabashian:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roupen-odabashian-183aaa142/

X: https://twitter.com/RoupenMD

Email: roupen@deltahealth.tech

Tigran (Tiko) Bdoyan:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tigran-bdoyan/

Watch Our Podcast at https://youtu.be/7rmuSgTqkYw

#MedicalStartup #Telehealth #SimulatedPatients #Fundraising #MedicalSchoolTools #CME #AIinMedicalEducation #CasperExam

Unlock proven strategies for HealthTech & MedTech startups to raise capital efficiently—from designing a lean deck and model to implementing AI powered outreach. In this episode, Jeff Fidelman, Harvard trained banker turned venture advisor, reveals why "Fundraising as a Service" is the next game changer in investor relations.

Dive into:

• Common funding mistakes founders make (like skipping the ask 😳)

• Structuring your pitch (deck + model + valuation = 🟢)

• Navigating SAFE vs. convertible notes

• How AI reduces your MVP time & fundraising cost

👉 Ideal for startup founders, HealthTech entrepreneurs, and media tech innovators ready to scale with smart capital strategies.

Timestamps:

00:00 Why fundraising execution matters

01:06 Meet Jeff Fidelman – HealthTech fundraising guru

02:03 Jeff’s path: from Morgan Stanley to venture banking

05:03 Why founders fail at decks & modeling

07:00 What "Fundraising as a Service" really means

10:42 Don’t forget to ASK for money

13:00 How investors evaluate your ROI

14:28 Customer vs. investor psychology

19:06 Equity dilution: how much you should give

22:18 SAFE vs. Convertible Notes—founder friendly?

23:50 The 3 critical slides: Problem, Market, Solution

27:43 Use anecdotes to sell your story

30:42 Funding sources in 2025: VC, angels, family offices

35:27 How AI is accelerating MVPs & fundraising process

Roupen Odabashian:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roupen-odabashian-183aaa142/

X: https://twitter.com/RoupenMD

Email: roupen@deltahealth.tech

Jeffrey Fidelman:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyfidelman/

Watch Our Podcast at YouTube

#HealthTech, #MedTech, #StartupFundraising, #VentureCapital, #PitchDeck, #StartupTips, #Founders, #SAFEvsConvertible, #StartupEquity, #StartupDilution, #RaisingCapital, #HealthcareStartups, #FundraisingStrategy, #InvestorRelations, #StartupMVP, #AIForStartups, #SeedFunding, #SeriesA, #StartupMistakes, #JeffFidelman