The healthcare startup Forward bet the future of its business on a spaceshiplike mall kiosk in Roseville, California.
Launched in 2017 by several high-profile executives from Google and Uber, Forward set out to disrupt primary care with tech-enabled, ultramodern clinics. In mid-2023, it shifted its attention to a new offering: an AI-powered doctor-in-a-box.
Replete with ultraviolet lighting and floor-to-ceiling screens, the metallic "CarePods" let patients get a doctor visit sans the doctor — directing patients to take their own blood, sequence their DNA, and test for diseases like COVID-19, all without speaking with another human.
"If Elon has the self-driving car, well, this is the autonomous doctor's office," Forward CEO Adrian Aoun told Axios in late 2023.
Today, Forward's first CarePod is gone. Where the kiosk used to sit in the center of the Roseville Galleria mall, two strips of blue painter's tape lie stuck to the shiny marble floor.
The startup announced Tuesday it would close its doors, just a year after raising $100 million in a Series E funding round to power its CarePods rollout. That fundraise took its total funding to over $650 million.
Forward sent a late-night email to its patients on Tuesday, obtained by Business Insider, announcing it would immediately shutter all its locations, cancel scheduled visits, and cut off access to its mobile app. The startup said its clinical team would be available by email until December 13 for remaining patient support.
Eleven former Forward employees spoke with BI before the closure on the condition of anonymity to avoid retribution from the company. They painted a picture of a startup that bet the house on its bold, new healthcare technology, with little to show for it a year later.
Fewer patients than the company had hoped jumped at the chance to try out the CarePods, six former employees said. Logistical challenges in setting up the kiosks forced Forward to delay core parts of its strategy, like launching CarePods in big markets such as Chicago and New York City.
Meanwhile, the technical problems mounted. Automated blood draws routinely failed. Lab test offerings were withdrawn. And patients kept getting trapped inside the CarePods.
Forward said in November 2023 it planned to scale to launch 3,200 CarePods in a year — 12 months later, it said it had launched five. Immediately prior to its closure, only two CarePod locations were listed on its website.
Facing sluggish growth, Forward laid off a significant portion of its staff in March, seven former employees said. Two former employees told BI that, at that time, the startup was set to run out of money in less than a year.
The startup's abrupt closure points to the perils of its high-growth ambitions and dogged "tech-first" approach to the notoriously complex healthcare industry — a case of AI-fueled style over substance.
Forward did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Source: Business Insider India
#healthcarestartup #startupfunding #dseide #AI
Launched in 2017 by several high-profile executives from Google and Uber, Forward set out to disrupt primary care with tech-enabled, ultramodern clinics. In mid-2023, it shifted its attention to a new offering: an AI-powered doctor-in-a-box.
Replete with ultraviolet lighting and floor-to-ceiling screens, the metallic "CarePods" let patients get a doctor visit sans the doctor — directing patients to take their own blood, sequence their DNA, and test for diseases like COVID-19, all without speaking with another human.
"If Elon has the self-driving car, well, this is the autonomous doctor's office," Forward CEO Adrian Aoun told Axios in late 2023.
Today, Forward's first CarePod is gone. Where the kiosk used to sit in the center of the Roseville Galleria mall, two strips of blue painter's tape lie stuck to the shiny marble floor.
The startup announced Tuesday it would close its doors, just a year after raising $100 million in a Series E funding round to power its CarePods rollout. That fundraise took its total funding to over $650 million.
Forward sent a late-night email to its patients on Tuesday, obtained by Business Insider, announcing it would immediately shutter all its locations, cancel scheduled visits, and cut off access to its mobile app. The startup said its clinical team would be available by email until December 13 for remaining patient support.
Eleven former Forward employees spoke with BI before the closure on the condition of anonymity to avoid retribution from the company. They painted a picture of a startup that bet the house on its bold, new healthcare technology, with little to show for it a year later.
Fewer patients than the company had hoped jumped at the chance to try out the CarePods, six former employees said. Logistical challenges in setting up the kiosks forced Forward to delay core parts of its strategy, like launching CarePods in big markets such as Chicago and New York City.
Meanwhile, the technical problems mounted. Automated blood draws routinely failed. Lab test offerings were withdrawn. And patients kept getting trapped inside the CarePods.
Forward said in November 2023 it planned to scale to launch 3,200 CarePods in a year — 12 months later, it said it had launched five. Immediately prior to its closure, only two CarePod locations were listed on its website.
Facing sluggish growth, Forward laid off a significant portion of its staff in March, seven former employees said. Two former employees told BI that, at that time, the startup was set to run out of money in less than a year.
The startup's abrupt closure points to the perils of its high-growth ambitions and dogged "tech-first" approach to the notoriously complex healthcare industry — a case of AI-fueled style over substance.
Forward did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Source: Business Insider India
#healthcarestartup #startupfunding #dseide #AI
The healthcare startup Forward bet the future of its business on a spaceshiplike mall kiosk in Roseville, California.
Launched in 2017 by several high-profile executives from Google and Uber, Forward set out to disrupt primary care with tech-enabled, ultramodern clinics. In mid-2023, it shifted its attention to a new offering: an AI-powered doctor-in-a-box.
Replete with ultraviolet lighting and floor-to-ceiling screens, the metallic "CarePods" let patients get a doctor visit sans the doctor — directing patients to take their own blood, sequence their DNA, and test for diseases like COVID-19, all without speaking with another human.
"If Elon has the self-driving car, well, this is the autonomous doctor's office," Forward CEO Adrian Aoun told Axios in late 2023.
Today, Forward's first CarePod is gone. Where the kiosk used to sit in the center of the Roseville Galleria mall, two strips of blue painter's tape lie stuck to the shiny marble floor.
The startup announced Tuesday it would close its doors, just a year after raising $100 million in a Series E funding round to power its CarePods rollout. That fundraise took its total funding to over $650 million.
Forward sent a late-night email to its patients on Tuesday, obtained by Business Insider, announcing it would immediately shutter all its locations, cancel scheduled visits, and cut off access to its mobile app. The startup said its clinical team would be available by email until December 13 for remaining patient support.
Eleven former Forward employees spoke with BI before the closure on the condition of anonymity to avoid retribution from the company. They painted a picture of a startup that bet the house on its bold, new healthcare technology, with little to show for it a year later.
Fewer patients than the company had hoped jumped at the chance to try out the CarePods, six former employees said. Logistical challenges in setting up the kiosks forced Forward to delay core parts of its strategy, like launching CarePods in big markets such as Chicago and New York City.
Meanwhile, the technical problems mounted. Automated blood draws routinely failed. Lab test offerings were withdrawn. And patients kept getting trapped inside the CarePods.
Forward said in November 2023 it planned to scale to launch 3,200 CarePods in a year — 12 months later, it said it had launched five. Immediately prior to its closure, only two CarePod locations were listed on its website.
Facing sluggish growth, Forward laid off a significant portion of its staff in March, seven former employees said. Two former employees told BI that, at that time, the startup was set to run out of money in less than a year.
The startup's abrupt closure points to the perils of its high-growth ambitions and dogged "tech-first" approach to the notoriously complex healthcare industry — a case of AI-fueled style over substance.
Forward did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Source: Business Insider India
#healthcarestartup #startupfunding #dseide #AI
