By Jane Y J Cao, CTO & Co-founder at CareKonect Software Inc.
The just concluded Healthcare & HealthTech Industry Roundtable at Startup Global 2025 was a powerful reminder of the incredible transformation taking place in our industry and the critical role that innovative startups play in shaping the future of healthcare.
As a founder of a company deeply committed to improving patient outcomes and hospital efficiency through intelligent software, I walked away from this event feeling energized, challenged, and deeply hopeful. From AI-enhanced diagnostics to personalized virtual care and data interoperability, the discussions reinforced that technology is no longer a “nice to have” — it's a necessity in modern healthcare delivery.
Key takeaways that stood out to me:
- Collaboration is everything: The future of healthtech depends on partnerships — between startups, legacy systems, government, and clinical leaders.
- Data is only as valuable as it is actionable: Many talked about the need to move from data collection to intelligent decision-making at the point of care.
- Global perspective, local impact: As a Canadian company, we need to think globally, but stay grounded in solving our local healthcare access and equity issues.
At CareKonect, we're building a suite of hospital tools — from real-time room tracking to AI-powered triage — designed to simplify operations and restore the human focus of care. This roundtable affirmed we're on the right path — but also inspired new ideas to iterate further.
To the organizers, speakers, and fellow founders — thank you for an incredibly thoughtful and forward-looking conversation. Let's keep building, together.