San Francisco-based UCSF Health has launched UCSF Health Converge, an AI accelerator built with Kleiner Perkins and Doerr Capital that embeds startups directly inside the health system’s clinical operations.
The program takes an “inside-out” approach, selecting a small number of companies each year to codevelop AI tools alongside UCSF Health clinicians, operators and technology teams within existing workflows rather than testing finished products after the fact.
“Healthcare does not need more AI tools looking for a use case,” UCSF Health President and CEO Suresh Gunasekaran said in a July 15 news release. “It needs solutions built around the real needs of patients, care teams, and the systems responsible for delivering care.”
Converge will focus on two areas: AI that supports patients outside the hospital or clinic, and AI that helps clinical and operational teams manage documentation, billing and care planning inside the health system. Elizabeth Engel, vice president at UCSF Health, will serve as executive director of the program. Kleiner Perkins and Doerr Capital will provide investment and mentorship to selected companies.
Applications for Converge’s inaugural cohort are open now, with the program accepting companies ranging from early-stage startups to established organizations.
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