a16z Live

How Startups are Fixing Healthcare Friction

Episode Summary

What if the biggest lever for improving U.S. healthcare isn’t clinical, but operational? In this episode, recorded live at New York Tech Week, a16z General Partner David Haber speaks with Trey Holterman (Tennr) and Christophe Rimann (Camber), two founders tackling the core infrastructure problems that slow down healthcare, from broken referral handoffs to denied insurance claims. They discuss building trust in high-stakes workflows, how better incentives (not just better tech) drive adoption, and why the most defensible products aren’t just smart - they work 97%+ of the time. Plus: advice for founders, the cultural edge of New York startups, and what they’d fix first if they ran HHS.

Episode Notes

What if the biggest lever for improving U.S. healthcare isn’t clinical, but operational?

In this episode, recorded live at New York Tech Week, a16z General Partner David Haber speaks with Trey Holterman (Tennr) and Christophe Rimann (Camber), two founders tackling the core infrastructure problems slowing healthcare down - from broken referral handoffs to denied insurance claims.

They discuss building trust in high-stakes workflows, how better incentives (not just better tech) drive adoption, and why the most defensible products aren’t just smart - they work 97%+ of the time.

Plus: advice for founders, the cultural edge of New York startups, and what they’d fix first if they ran HHS.

Timecodes:

00:00 Introduction to Healthcare Payment Innovation

00:48 Meet the Founders: Trey Holman and Christophe Reman

02:31 The Broken Healthcare System: Identifying the Problems

03:47 The Why Now: Technological and Market Shifts

05:29 Understanding the Customers and Their Needs

06:34 Challenges and Misconceptions in Healthcare Technology

08:31 Building a Company in New York City

10:29 Leveraging AI and Technology for Better Outcomes

12:29 Defensibility and Differentiation in Healthcare Solutions

15:28 Impact on Providers and Patients

18:09 Advice for Aspiring Healthcare Entrepreneurs

23:17 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Resources:

Find David on X: https://x.com/dhaber

Find Trey on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trey-holterman

Find Christophe on X: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherimann/