Albert Tai

Grateful for this — and for the conversation that inspired it. At NOWAH, we're building the infrastructure layer for Ontario primary care clinics by bringing together the many tools physicians use every day into one connected system. This way, workflows get finished, information follows the patient, and nothing gets missed. When information truly follows the patient, data ownership becomes real instead of just an idea. Patients can't truly own or access what the system can't reliably track. I really enjoyed my conversation with Noah Vandal and SpeechSage, and it was clear how closely our challenges are connected. They're working on the patient communication side—what happens when a patient calls the clinic. We're focused on what happens inside the clinic after that call. We have different starting points, but we're both dealing with the same fragmented system. Cross-border conversations in health tech are some of the most valuable ones I have. Same problems, different constraints, better solutions when we share what we're learning.

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This piece by Karim Keshavjee is one of the clearest explanations I’ve read of why digital health keeps falling short — and it’s not the answer most people expect. His argument: digital health didn’t fail because of bad technology, resistant clinicians, or underfunding. It failed because the rules shaping how markets evolved were never aligned with the outcomes anyone actually wanted. Three markets — billing systems, EMRs, patient portals — same industry, different governance structures, completely different outcomes. That pattern is the tell. The line I keep coming back to: interoperability is not the goal. It’s a byproduct of markets designed correctly. That reframe matters for everyone building in this space right now. Because if interoperability is just a feature to bolt on, we’ll keep chasing it forever. But if it’s the natural output of platforms built on open standards with genuine data portability — that’s a design decision made at the foundation, not a roadmap item added later. For those of us building at the product level today, we can’t wait for governance conditions to catch up. The architecture decisions we make now either reinforce the lock-in problem or start to undo it. That’s the part that sits with me most. Worth the read — link in the comments.

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I had an excellent conversation with Tala Bitar the other day. She is working in the Canadian healthcare tech industry, where she firsthand realized some of the failures of the current system. Specifically, around patient access to their data, and the processes used to facilitate that! She is working on building NOWAH, so that way there is a more streamlined experience in patient data ownership. In the coming years, AI agents in healthcare are set to transform much of the way we operate with patient data; being able to traverse expansive datasets while not forgetting anything is a strong aspect of AI where it performs very well. Companies such as NOWAH are really cool to see, as they take pain points of the current process, and find ways that it can be innovated on!

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Even though the Canadian VC space doesn't compare to Silicon Valley, many innovative founders are punching above their weight. The Canadian government is helping as well. In addition to creating a cabinet post called Minister of AI, they have allocated over $1B Canadian to help AI initiatives.

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We don’t just need more tech in healthcare, we need tools that actually see us. This week, I went on CTV News to talk about something deeply personal and professionally urgent: ✨ How AI can transform health conversations for women. Because here’s the truth ... ➡️ 60% of Canadian adults struggle to understand their health info. ➡️ Women and racialized communities are still underrepresented in research. ➡️ Patients are Googling diagnoses – and being met with misinformation. As someone who froze her eggs at 25, navigated 6+ specialist offices as a patient, and is training to be a clinician … I’ve felt the gaps. And now, I want to help bridge them. — Here are the top takeaways I shared during the CTV segment: 1. AI can clarify your concerns. Use tools like Microsoft Copilot to draft your thoughts before a doctor’s visit, just like you would text a friend for advice. 2. It can simplify complex info. Ask for visual aids, pros/cons tables, or plain-language summaries of treatment options. 3. You can ask for scientific citations. This isn’t just about getting answers. You can request peer-reviewed, cited material that’s relevant to your lived experience. 4. It helps patients feel prepared. Instead of walking in anxious, walk in with questions, data, and language that feels like you. 5. Context matters. AI only works when you’re honest with it. Share your background, barriers, and goals — and ask it to tailor accordingly. — This is not “Dr. Google.” It’s not “Dr. AI.” It’s a best friend in your pocket to help you advocate for yourself. Because health equity starts with feeling seen and heard, not just diagnosed. 💛 Enjoyed this? Repost to your network and follow @wellbyshania for more. 💬 Have you ever used AI before a doctor’s visit? If not, what’s holding you back? Let’s talk about it below. → More behind the scenes on IG & TikTok: @wellbyshania https://lnkd.in/gB_UEZrd

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What happens when healthcare expertise meets startup grit? At Together Toronto, ✨Joella A., CEO & Co-Founder of MedEssist | Transforming Pharmacy through Tech and AI , shared what it truly takes to build and scale a clinician-led tech company - where purpose, innovation, and impact collide. From navigating the challenges of hiring clinical talent to shifting from perfectionism to progress, Joella’s story is a masterclass in resilience and leadership inside one of the toughest industries to disrupt. 🎥 Watch the full talk now on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gcmtHaFk 💡 Key takeaways: • How clinicians can successfully transition into startup leadership • The realities of hiring and building teams in early-stage healthtech • Why progress beats perfection for founders • How diverse, action-oriented teams accelerate healthcare innovation If you are passionate about the future of health, innovation, and technology - join us at Health Toronto on November 19 for an evening dedicated to the builders shaping Canada’s healthtech ecosystem: 💊💡 https://lnkd.in/gTsY9ZQX #TechTO #TorontoTech #HealthTech #DigitalHealth #CanadianTech #Entrepreneurship #StartupCanada #Innovation #Founders #JoellaAlmeida #MedEssist #FemaleFounders #Leadership #HealthcareInnovation #TogetherToronto #Startups #HealthToronto

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The $5M Gap Killing Canadian HealthTech Your pilot worked. Clinical outcomes are strong. Hospitals like the solution. Check! 🏁 So why can’t you raise Series A? Toronto HealthTech companies raise 40 to 50 percent less capital than Boston or SF competitors at every stage. The real choke point is Series A. While U.S. startups close $12 to $15M rounds, many Toronto companies scrape together $5 to $8M, if they get there at all. That gap creates an impossible loop: You need capital to scale beyond pilots  Investors want proof you can scale  You can’t prove scale without capital At the same time, healthcare buyers/partners demand: Quantifiable ROI Integration readiness Ongoing support infrastructure Evidence across multiple sites All while you burn runway waiting 18 to 24 months for contracts to close. Some companies break out by working around the system instead of fighting it. Strategic partnerships. One diagnostic startup partnered with a global lab equipment provider instead of selling direct. Result: dozens of institutions in months, not years. Geographic pragmatism. Braze Mobility used Canadian pilots for validation while building U.S. revenue in parallel, then leveraged that traction back into Canada. The winners aren’t just building better tech. They’re building strategies that account for capital, procurement, and leadership realities. I broke this down in more depth, including which HealthTech segments scale more reliably and why. Look for the link in the comments. What’s been your experience moving from pilot to scale? #healthcare #digitalhealth #medtech #healthtech #AIinHealthcare #MedicalDevices Augmentr Inc.

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What if a 15-minute doctor’s appointment could tell the full story of a patient’s health? I recently completed PocketDoc, an AI-driven clinical prep tool that bridges the gap between patients’ stories and doctors’ limited time. Prototype and full project are live. The reality in Canadian primary care: ⚠️ Patients feel rushed and unheard, often chatting with AI instead of their doctor ⚠️ Doctors spend ~20 hours/week on admin tasks ⚠️ Clinics lose up to $50K/year to no-shows and cancellations ⚠️ Only 1 in 4 adults can see a doctor within 24 hours What PocketDoc delivers: ✅ SBAR briefs save time: ~3 hours/week reclaimed per doctor ✅ Emergency Lock protects patients: 100% of high-risk cases escalated correctly ✅ Guided intake reduces anxiety: Patients feel heard, lowering stress and unnecessary follow-ups by ~40% ✅ Smart triage supports clinics: Reduces revenue loss from no-shows and improves access By prioritizing the patient, the doctor, and the receptionist, we create a system where care is safer, appointments are smoother, and everyone in the clinic has the clarity and capacity to do their best work. Figma prototype: https://lnkd.in/g8dT4NdZ  Case study: https://lnkd.in/gvWgNX_H #HealthcareUX #HealthTech #DigitalHealth #ProductDesign #AI #ClinicalDesign #PocketDoc

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I think it's worth to stress the third point (quite always neglected): (building data products) 🔥 𝗜𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 👉 𝗜𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱. Is this about nailing down the business value of a data product? Or is it about the overall organisation culture being more "entrepreneurial" in leveraging data assets? Or?

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Canadian healthtech startup NiaHealth just exited stealth with $2.5 million in funding and an interesting premise: make it easier to get preventative health testing that can catch risks early. There's an argument to be made that the public health system should be offering more preventative services, but Nia sees itself as complementing government healthcare (which is focused on treating diseases) rather than replacing it. It starts at $299 per year. That's not too bad given that you're getting both lab tests and a one-on-one with a clinician to develop a plan. There's AI involved, but it's ultimately a human being that decides how you move forward. #healthtech #healthcare #health https://lnkd.in/eYYT6YZj

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Got a health tech that's ready to scale? Ontario wants YOU. What's in it for innovators: - One door, no maze - single point of entry for procurement - Dedicated customer service team to guide you through every step - Fast-track assessment for provincial adoption - Direct access to clinical networks who need your solutions - Funding available through the Health Technology Accelerator Fund They're looking for: Medical devices, digital health tech, medical/surgical procedures, imaging/screening programs, lab/genetic testing, care delivery models (Must have Health Canada approval + TRL 8+) Not for: Pharma, vaccines, health IT systems, HR, infrastructure Who can apply: Anyone - companies, clinicians, researchers, patients, government partners. If you've got the innovation, they've got the pathway. The pathway promises to accelerate promising innovations into Ontario's health system - improving patient outcomes while driving economic growth. Let's be clear, this is still going to be way too slow for any startup or business to hang their hopes on it being their saving grace. However, if you are building in this space, it is clear you should apply. Nothing to lose! #HealthTech #Innovation #Ontario #DigitalHealth #MedTech #healthcare

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Watch for A-MEDICO and Health Everywhere (and their many partners and collaborators) among those supporting the Canadian healthcare technology ecosystem in Alberta and beyond. Also looking forward to Medtech Innovation Highway noted as we move the program supporting early-stage medtech innovation into post-pilot phase (MIH partners: API, Bombus R&I, CAMS - Centre for Advanced Medical Simulation at NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology), CR Consulting (Christine Reimer), Parlee McLaws LLP, and Red Deer Polytechnic).

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A New Chapter Begins - Introducing TalkToMedi (formerly Medium AI) When we started Medium AI, we set out with one purpose: make healthcare more human, accessible, and equitable. We built a multilingual medical scribe supporting English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tamil, and Hindi, helping Ontario family doctors serve diverse communities and generate 50,000+ high-quality clinical notes. Along the way, we sat inside clinics, listened to real patient calls, and saw something deeper: ☎️ The biggest pain wasn’t just documentation - it was the overwhelming patient communication problem. Front desks drowning, patients waiting, care delayed by phone lines, not medicine. So we evolved. 🎙️ Introducing TalkToMedi Medical Voice Agent A clinical-grade voice AI assistant that captures missed calls, books appointments, answers questions, supports follow-ups, and integrates with EMRs - through natural, human-like conversations. Over the past few months, we’ve been stealth-testing Medi with clinics across Ontario to refine real-world workflows. 📍 Case Study A family medical centre handling 300+ calls a day, 70% squeezed into morning peak. - Medi automatically captured and booked patients - Revenue saved instead of lost - Relief for staff & satisfaction for patients We’re excited to collaborate with more clinics, healthcare institutions, EMR vendors, and healthcare professionals to unlock Medi’s full potential. 🔗 Learn more: https://talktomedi.com/ 📬 Follow us here for upcoming updates #TalkToMedi #HealthcareInnovation #VoiceAI #ClinicalAutomation #DigitalHealth #PHIPA #HIPAA #PIPEDA #PrimaryCare #PatientExperience #AIForGood

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“Most Toronto HealthTech startups find it difficult to move beyond successful pilots due to a fragmented regulatory landscape, insufficient early-stage funding, and procurement cycles that are incompatible with startup timelines.” This is the reality ProCURE 2025 was built to confront: ❌ Too many “successful” pilots that never turn into contracts ⏳ Procurement cycles that move slower than startup runways 🇨🇦 Innovation that benefits other markets before Canadian patients If we want a different outcome, we need to be honest about where the system can improve and intentional about how we fix it. This is an important read for anyone in Canadian HealthTech procurement 👇 https://lnkd.in/eHeQGpnk

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“We don’t have 13 healthcare systems, we have 13 ‘sick care’ systems.” A stark warning from healthtech leaders at Elevate. Braze Mobility Inc.'s Pooja Viswanathan and University of Toronto prof Alex Mihailidis say slow policy, weak procurement, and unsupportive employers are throttling Canada’s innovation. #CDNTech #ElevateFest2025

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I keep hearing that AI scribes are "yesterday's news." In Silicon Valley, maybe. But in the clinics of Ontario, BC, and across Canada., we are just hitting the Real Work. There’s a massive gap between knowing a tool exists and effectively using it to change your life. In Canada, awareness is near 100%. Every doc has heard of AI Scribe. But actual, sustained adoption? We’re hovering around 30%. We’ve officially hit the Early Majority, and the rules of the game just changed. 1. The "Generosity Gap" is Closing Early adopters are amazing. They are tech-forgiving. They’ll use a "bolt-on" solution, they’ll copy-paste from a browser into Telus PS Suite or Accuro, and they’ll spend their own time "figuring it out." The Early Majority? They have zero patience. If the technology requires them to change how they think or add three extra clicks to their day, they won't just complain, they’ll quit. 2. Workflow is the Only Product We have to stop selling "AI scribes" and start selling "Workflow Engineering." To move from 30% to 70% adoption, the product must be: Invisible: If I’m clicking "Copy" and "Paste," you’ve already lost. It has to be a native, friction-free integration. Specialized: A cardiologist’s note should not look like a pediatrician’s. The Majority expects the AI to learn their voice, not the other way around. 3. Customer Success at 10X If the CS team is still just sending out "Getting Started" emails, you’re a commodity vendor. In 2026, Customer Success = Clinical Transformation. Early adopters didn't need hand-holding; the Majority needs white-glove workflow mapping. To "cross the chasm," we have to prove that the 3–4 hours saved per week (shoutout to the recent OntarioMD and Doctors of BC results) is consistent and requires zero "pajama time" tweaking. The Bottom Line: The "easy" part of AI in healthcare, the hype and the demos, is over. The "hard" part, the deep integration and the human-centric support, is where the real leaders will be defined. Are we building tools for the 30% who love tech, or for the 100% who just want to be doctors again? #HealthcareInnovation #AIScribes #DigitalHealth #PhysicianBurnout #HealthTech

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Canadian telehealth is really levelling up! Meanwhile, Teladoc (yeah, the US giant) just laid off 17% of its staff last quarter. however, we’re absolutely thriving, especially in specialized care. i was reading up on Mind Mend Montreal and i learned that they're growing 30% this year by doubling down on bilingual mental health services. Their platform now offers therapy in 8 languages. (how many US platforms can say that?) The data backs it up: 68% of Canadian telehealth startups have moved from general medicine to niche, specialized care since 2023. We’re witnessing a shift, from one size fits all to tailored, targeted solutions. It’s changing the competitive game, for good. Anyone else seeing this? Would love to hear your take on this pivot!

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Watch Liza Vityuk and 🍁 Rachel Bartholomew 🇨🇦 break down how femtech is helping fill critical gaps in care 🎥 #Femtech #WomensHealth #HealthTech #HealthGap #WomensHealthGap #FemHealth #FemtechCanada

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