Four For Friday | Mar 8, 2024
Four For Friday | Mar 8, 2024
LF113 | The Ecological Benefits Framework, a new longevity AI startup, SO2 to neutralize CO2 & funding for hybrid care models,
Welcome to Looking Forward’s Four For Friday. Four things that have piqued my interest this week. Enjoy!
A new impact model: ‘ecological benefit framework’
One of the challenges with shifting from a financial return centric model to an impact model is the lack of agreed standards for impact. The ‘ecological benefits framework’ is emerging as a simple tool for assessing the ecological impact of projects based on the six factors: water, air, soil, biodiversity, equity and carbon.
It’s now being adopted by at least one impact investor - look for others to follow suit.
A new machine-learning longevity AI startup
Preemptive AI is a new big data-focused longevity company that just launched with $6m in funding out of the Allen Institute for AI and a team that includes the founder of Apple’s AI health division. The company has “developed a large-scale machine learning model that leverages advanced signal processing to interpret biomedical signals from smartphones and wearables.”
On a side note, the company is based in Seattle, home of Leroy Hood, a leader in systems change for healthcare whose latest initiative, Phenome Health, is in a similar space - looking to use big data for preventive medicine.
Stopping global warming with sulphur dioxide
This succinct summary of the parlous state of our climate health and CO2 emissions is the preamble to an exciting idea – the possibility to significantly delay global heating through the use of SO2 in the atmosphere:
This type of geoengineering has been more the stuff of theory and science fiction (such as in The Ministry for the Future) but as we’re moving from mitigation to adaptation, it’s time to start thinking about bold moves like this, especially ones with so much scientific backing.
Major funding rounds for hybrid care models
In a promising sign for an embattled digital health sector, a number of new hybrid - virtual + in-person digital health models have been scoring funding. Legendary health investor Bob Kocher backed Accompany Health, which provides care management to low income patients with complex needs and just raised a $56m A-round. Texas-based Harbor Health and Carbon Health, which is already across the USA, are doing similar tech-enabled primary care, and have each raised around $100m.
That’s all for this week. As always, feedback welcome. Feel free to share insights or links of interest.
- Stephen