The Launchpad Edition #5
2026 is well on its way and I’m so glad to be back in your inboxes. I never take it lightly that you are someone building the future with intention and taking time to read what I share. Every other Sunday, I’ll share curated resources: the news, roles at companies, opportunities and events shaping innovation across social impact and healthcare I think are worth your time. If there’s something you’d love to see included, respond and let me know what would be most valuable to you for future issues.
🌟 Sponsored Spotlight
The Launch of HealthLeader.AI — Signal Through the Noise
Dr. Ashwin Patel has built something healthcare leaders have been quietly desperate for — a research team that works while you sleep. HealthLeader.AI tackles a tension every executive in the space knows: AI is reshaping healthcare faster than most can track it, yet staying informed feels like a second full-time job.
The platform’s flagship offering, the 3-2-1 AI Newsletter, sources weekly—journals, regulatory filings, vendor announcements, press releases—then distills findings into three market signals, two research studies, and one key insight. The promise here? You’ll get up to speed in under five minutes.
Behind each Friday briefing is someone who understands that healthcare leaders don’t need more information; they need the right information at the right time.
The AI Content Library offers searchable archives organized by topic, solving the “I know I read something about that” problem. And the forthcoming Conference Navigator maps 128+ healthcare conferences, helping leaders decide where their teams need to show up and why—turning event strategy from reactive to intentional.
Feel free to drop Ashwin a line and let him know you subscribed!
Explore HealthLeader.AI at healthleader.ai
In the Know
McKinsey Health Institute Maps the Intervention Paradox | McKinsey & Company
Workplace health could unlock $11.7 trillion in annual economic value, yet most employers don’t know where to start. McKinsey Health Institute analyzed 115 workplace interventions to reveal a pattern: the highest-impact programs don’t fix what’s broken—they make work itself healthier. The research exposes critical gaps, including underinvestment in social and spiritual health despite their strong links to engagement and retention.
Cambridge Innovation Center Chronicles Inclusive Innovation’s Early Shoots | CIC Blog
The 2025 Massachusetts Social Impact Program Report surfaces a tension at the heart of innovation ecosystems. The report also identifies four domains where inclusive innovation is already happening—local organizations training youth, corporates funding science projects, startups solving hyperlocal challenges—but much of it operates in isolation, beneath the radar, without scaffolding to scale. The opportunity: transform a world-class cluster into an integrated ecosystem where innovation benefits the many, not just the few.
Cedars-Sinai and Caltech Formalize What Science Has Always Needed | Cedars-Sinai Newsroom
The new partnership between Cedars-Sinai Health Sciences University and Caltech combines clinical insight with engineering precision through joint translational discovery grants, co-hosted symposia, shared training opportunities, and joint faculty appointments. The pilot grant program will fund up to four one-year projects split between investigators at both institutions, catalyzing research that unites clinical insight, engineering, and fundamental biological discovery.
Roles Worth Exploring
March of Dimes, Vice President of Marketing | View on LinkedIn
Lead marketing strategy for the organization advancing maternal and infant health equity nationwide. This role shapes narrative and engagement for a mission that directly confronts America’s maternal mortality crisis.
Humanity AI, Inaugural Executive Director | View Opportunity
Define the founding leadership vision for an initiative at the intersection of artificial intelligence and human welfare. Ground-floor opportunity to establish governance structures and strategic direction.
Aledade, Clinical Population Health Manager | View on Lever
Manage population health initiatives for a company transforming primary care through value-based models. Drive clinical strategy that aligns quality outcomes with financial sustainability.
Catapult Design, Executive Director | Learn More
Lead an organization pioneering human-centered design for global health and development challenges. Shape strategy for design-driven solutions that center the communities they serve.
John A Hartford Foundation, Vice President of Program & Strategy | View Details
Direct grantmaking strategy for the nation’s leading philanthropy dedicated to improving care for older adults. Influence systemic approaches to age-friendly health systems.
Spotlights & Opportunities
Halle Tecco Releases Healthcare Innovation Roadmap | Massively Better Healthcare
One of my longtime friends and collaborators has launched an INCREDIBLE book. Tecco’s new book bridges Silicon Valley dynamism with healthcare’s evidence-based approach, offering frameworks for identifying opportunities and building solutions that align profit with purpose. She doesn’t shy from regulatory hurdles and misaligned incentives—instead, she reframes obstacles as competitive advantages. The book equips entrepreneurs with tools to succeed while acknowledging the system’s resistance to change. On tour now—grab it before it sells out again.
CTIA Wireless Foundation’s Catalyst Program | Apply Here
Accelerator supporting nonprofits leveraging wireless technology to address social challenges. Bridges the connectivity gap with organizations solving real community needs.
Women’s Health Horizons - 2026 Innovation Summit | Register
Convening advancing women’s health innovation at a moment when the field is finally attracting serious capital and attention. Connect with leaders closing the research and funding gap.
Square One’s Startup School Pre-Accelerator Program | Apply Now
Early-stage support for founders navigating the earliest stages of company building. Structured learning for those just beginning the entrepreneurial journey.
Organon’s Women’s Health Innovation Accelerator | Learn More
Pharmaceutical-backed accelerator advancing solutions in women’s health. Access to clinical expertise and commercialization pathways.
MassChallenge x Groundwater Institute Health Equity Program | Details
Collaboration targeting health equity challenges through entrepreneurship. Combines MassChallenge’s acceleration expertise with Groundwater’s equity focus.
AbbVie Foundation x MATTER Health Equity Accelerator | Applications Open
Accelerator supporting startups addressing health disparities. Corporate partnership providing capital and validation for equity-focused innovations in healthcare.
As always, I’m curious what resonates, what you’re building, and what questions these resources spark for you. Let’s keep learning together.
You’re so good at this! Happy to see you back in my inbox 📥