Vega Health to Help Health Systems Vet, Commercialize AI Solutions

Vega Health, which seeks to curate a marketplace of healthcare AI solutions proven safe and effective in real-world settings, has launched with seed funding from Bessemer Venture Partners.

The company will partner with health systems to implement solutions in their local environments and monitor performance objectively. Vega Health also works with health systems and innovators to commercialize effective AI solutions across the healthcare ecosystem.

The Durham, N.C.-based startup noted that validated innovations developed at health systems remain trapped within single organizations, unable to benefit patients across the broader healthcare ecosystem. Vega Health is dedicated to addressing these barriers, connecting health systems with AI solutions best aligned to their strategic priorities and providing unbiased monitoring of solutions’ impact.

CEO Mark Sendak, M.D., previously served as the Population Health & Data Science Lead of the Duke Institute for Health Innovation (DIHI) and the co-founder of the Health AI Partnership (HAIP), a learning collaborative advancing responsible AI adoption. Sendak has more than a decade of experience implementing AI solutions at health systems and has published extensively on the topic. His work spans machine learning model development, clinical integration, regulatory compliance, and organizational change management, with publications on connecting AI implementation to clinical outcomes and providing roadmaps for health system AI adoption.

"Healthcare deserves AI that solves real problems, demonstrates tangible value, and scales quickly," said Sendak in a statement. "During my time at Duke, I saw too many impactful AI solutions remain siloed in the sites they were created. I saw how difficult it was for health systems to adapt and implement effective solutions, even if those solutions worked elsewhere. We launched Vega Health to build the connective tissue necessary to make healthcare AI actually work, and connect health systems with the solutions that best advance their priorities. Our team has the experience to effectively integrate and monitor these solutions while driving adoption, outcomes, and value."

Vega Health already features more than 10 AI solutions from Duke and is partnering with AI innovators to expand its solution portfolio. 

"Healthcare needs exactly what Vega Health provides: objective and practical AI expertise from someone who has actually made AI work in real clinical settings," said Lance Co Ting Keh, venture partner at Bessemer and Vega Health co-founder, in a statement. "Mark’s track record at Duke has enabled him to build deep relationships across healthcare, and his vision for Vega Health is backed by the authority to deliver results. I couldn’t be prouder to be partnering with a leader who can build the right technology, bring the right approach, and is positioned to serve an underserved market desperate for trusted guidance. It’s time to make AI actually work for health systems and their patients.”

Sendak participated in a recent webinar on AI policy hosted by Manatt Health.