Ochsner Health Spotlights Healthcare Innovation and Local Entrepreneurs During New Orleans Entrepreneur Week

MARCH 22, 2023, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Ochsner Health is a major healthcare partner of New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW), March 27-April 1. With a legacy of investing in the region, Ochsner is proud to support the growth and sustainability of innovative founders and companies in healthcare and beyond.

Beginning in 2015, Ochsner has been committed as an official healthcare sponsor of NOEW, a week-long event produced by The Idea Village to celebrate and uplift the entrepreneurial community of greater New Orleans, bringing content and education on healthcare innovation to the stage. From nationally recognized healthcare thought leaders to experiential and interactive exhibits, Ochsner has ensured that health and healthcare innovation in the region is emphasized as an opportunity and powerful force for creating healthier communities across the state.

“Ochsner knows that health is so much more than the excellent care we deliver from inside our facilities – it has to also be about economic development and prosperity for every community,” said Aimee Quirk, CEO of Ochsner Ventures. “We are thrilled to support The Idea Village and NOEW who have played a critical role in building and growing a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem, and we ensure that healthcare innovation is an important part of the conversation.”

Ochsner Ventures, an innovation partnership and investment group within Ochsner Health, just celebrated one year of investing in Louisiana-based and national early-stage innovative health and health-adjacent companies. This year, Ochsner Ventures is hosting several sessions that will highlight how Health Tech can be a significant opportunity for founders and investors locally. Ochsner has a strong track record of investing in companies leveraging technology and data to solve healthcare challenges. Ochsner is also passionate about the internal development of new solutions, such as Ochsner Digital Medicine, a digitally enabled care delivery program to manage chronic diseases.

Within Louisiana specifically, Ochsner Ventures’ portfolio includes 11 early-stage companies with products and services ranging from healthcare delivery and health tech to life sciences, value-based care, and PPE manufacturing. These companies are located throughout the state, represent 36% women and BIPOC founders, and support over 1,000+ jobs. At this year’s event, three of these entrepreneurs, all women founders in New Orleans, will take to the stage to share their experiences growing their companies, what has changed since the pandemic and their advice for like-minded entrepreneurs.

“Ochsner is a known innovator in this space and has catalyzed the inclusion of healthcare innovation as part of the local dialogue,” said Jon Atkinson, CEO of the Idea Village. “We are grateful for Ochsner continuing to support and be a leader in this critical industry. This year, we are really excited to have Ochsner present an entire featured segment dedicated to health tech at this year’s event that will showcase the amazing entrepreneurs putting Greater New Orleans on the map.”

All sessions related to Health Tech will occur on Wednesday, March 29th at Gallier Hall in downtown New Orleans. Find out more information on the event page.

See below for details on The Rapid Rise of Health Tech segment at NOEW, presented by Ochsner Ventures:

Segment overview

The rapid development and adoption of innovative and industry changing health tech solutions are improving the experience, quality, access and cost of care. In 2021 alone, investors committed $30 Billion to companies in the sector that promises to fundamentally transform the delivery of healthcare and how people engage with their own health. In a series of high-impact sessions we will hear from national venture experts on where the market is headed, the biggest opportunities for entrepreneurs in the next year, and valuable insights from New Orleans-based #HealthTech founders that are putting the region on the map for healthcare innovation.

Session 1: Health Tech 101 – Opportunities and Predictions in a Fast-Evolving Industry

Description: Keith Figlioli, Managing Partner at LRV Health and prominent national healthcare venture capital investor, will lay out key market trends and predictions that make Health Tech an immense opportunity for founders and investors in the space. With 20+ years of experience in healthcare and health IT, Keith will share his perspective on where the market has been, where it is going next, and how venture capital is thinking about deploying strategic funds in the years to come.

Session 2: Fireside Chat – What Health Tech Could Mean for NOLA

Description: Sara Deshpande, General Partner at Maven Ventures, and Aimee Quirk, CEO of Ochsner Ventures will join Keith Figlioli for a fireside chat to explore how Health Tech could be a game changer for New Orleans and the region.

Session 3: The Women of Health Tech

Description: Before it was making national headlines, these local female founders saw the opportunity to leverage technology to transform health and healthcare for the better. In this panel, we will hear from three amazing women about their experience growing their companies, what has changed since the pandemic and their advice for like-minded entrepreneurs in the region.

  • Panelists:
  • ▪ Molly Hegarty, Founder & CEO, Junum

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About Ochsner Health

Ochsner Health is an integrated healthcare system with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate. Celebrating 80 years in 2022, it leads nationally in cancer care, cardiology, neurosciences, liver and heart transplants and pediatrics, among other areas. Ochsner is consistently named both the top hospital and top children’s hospital in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report. The not-for-profit organization is inspiring healthier lives and stronger communities. Its focus is on preventing diseases and providing patient-centered care that is accessible, affordable, convenient and effective. Ochsner Health pioneers new treatments, deploys emerging technologies and performs groundbreaking research, including over 700 clinical studies. It has more than 36,000 employees and over 4,600 employed and affiliated physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties. It operates 47 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Gulf South; and its cutting-edge Connected Health digital medicine program is caring for patients beyond its walls. In 2021, Ochsner Health treated more than 1 million people from every state and 75 countries. As Louisiana’s top healthcare educator, Ochsner Health and its partners educate thousands of healthcare professionals annually. To learn more, visit www.ochsner.org.

About Ochsner Ventures

Formally founded in 2022, Ochsner Ventures fosters new collaborations, invests in emerging companies and develops diversified businesses to support the mission of Ochsner Health and positively impact the communities Ochsner serves. Ochsner Ventures builds on Ochsner’s legacy of innovation and collaboration to create new opportunities across the healthcare landscape that align with Ochsner’s strategy and needs. To learn more about Ochsner ventures, visit ochsner.org/ventures.

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