Searching for silver linings and hunting for unicorns with 3M Ventures

Feb. 17, 2023 / By Travis Bias, DO, MPH, FAAFP

The health innovation world has started the year off with a bang. A new year means new technologies and, in this macroeconomic environment, new deals, new acquisitions, consolidations, and other moves are changing the size and capabilities of many stakeholders in the U.S. health system. From incumbents to start-ups, from provider organizations to payers, 2023 is certain to be a year of change. 

The Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, and JP Morgan’s Health conference kicked off 2023 for health care, showing off the newest and shiniest possibilities for our health system. But not everyone can attend those meetings. Fortunately, our 3M teams had a presence at both shows to report back some highlights.

To give us an inside look at the implications of these events, I hosted Chelsea Plant, an investment manager with 3M Ventures, the venture capital arm of 3M. She was at CES and her colleagues attended the JPM week events in San Francisco.

If you have been following the headlines over the last couple months, no one would fault you for being a bit pessimistic about what 2023 will bring. But Chelsea doesn’t think it’s all doom and gloom; in fact, there might just be cause for optimism. Productive innovation can arise from painful disruption. 

So, if you need help seeing the silver lining at the outset of this year, we hope our conversation can help light the way. Thanks for listening!

Dr. Travis Bias is a family medicine physician and chief medical officer of clinician solutions at 3M Health Information Systems.