Our Thesis: Healthcare and Main Street Productivity
Bringing technology to sectors too critical to be left behind.
From Point Solutions to System Solutions: Redefining Healthcare
About two years ago, I published a thesis on a fundamental buyer shift in healthcare. The gold rush of self-insured employers buying point solutions to retain talent was slowing down — or at the very least, facing real headwinds. Meanwhile, the costs of caring for America’s chronic populations continued to soar, forcing payors into a corner: deny more claims or find more holistic ways to care for high-need patients.
At Dria, we believe many of our providers are already excellent at delivering clinical care — it’s why hundreds of thousands travel to the U.S. each year to seek treatment. The real breakdown lies in the wraparound experience: fragmented post-discharge care, burdensome specialty medication workflows, and a thicket of confusing insurance claims.
Historically, it’s been near-impossible for startups to sell into hospital systems. Sales cycles are long. RFP processes are opaque. Startups build for expected problems, only to be told their solution no longer aligns with this year’s budget priorities.
What’s changed? One word: costs.
The pressure is building — and suddenly, healthcare systems are open to innovation that can actually move the needle.
So, we asked ourselves: What would it look like to build within the health system?
What would it mean to design an early-stage fund from the ground up? Not just with a network of healthcare executives, but with operators who’ve run the systems our founders want to sell into?
What would it look like to give founders the playbook on day one — from pricing and negotiating pilots, to deciding between PMPM or VBC models, to knowing when to walk away?
That’s exactly what we’re building at Dria.
Reimagining healthcare systems.
From the beginning, we’ve leaned on deep domain expertise — like my time as a board observer at Livongo and our Operating Partner’s decades of leadership across major U.S. health systems.
I’m thrilled to be building alongside Dr. Richard Goldstein, a trained surgeon turned healthcare executive who has served at institutions like Vanderbilt University and Yale New Haven Health. Richard not only brings an unmatched network, but also understands what real ROI looks like for providers navigating today’s cost-constrained world.
Together, we’re already backing this next generation of system-first healthcare companies:
Karoo is rebuilding value-based care for cardiology — helping health systems treat chronic cardiac patients more holistically, with the economics to support it.
Vibrant Practice is an AI-powered operating system for personalized medicine — designed to bring precision care into mainstream workflows.
Juniper is unlocking a faster, more affordable IVF journey through whole genome and transcriptome sequencing — radically improving outcomes for families and providers alike.
These teams aren’t building for the margins of healthcare — they’re going straight to the core. And we’re thrilled to be partnering with them.
The Next Productivity Boom Is on Main Street
For decades, the tools of productivity have been built by and for tech companies — making engineers move faster, helping marketers optimize funnels, and offering sharper dashboards for executives. But the next frontier isn’t another layer of abstraction for white-collar knowledge workers. It’s bringing that same leverage to the real economy — the auto shop, the restaurant kitchen, the roofing business.
We call this Main Street productivity.
At Dria, we invest in automation for industries that have been overlooked by traditional software — where trust is earned over time, workflows are physical as much as digital, and adoption often depends on generational shifts in ownership and mindset.
Our portfolio already reflects this vision:
PitPro is building robotics automation to transform the economics of auto repair.
Kintow is an AI copilot built specifically for restaurateurs — designed to serve the operators who keep local dining alive.
Terial is modernizing commercial roofing software, built from the ground up for a workforce that doesn’t sit behind a desk.
These are not niche markets. They’re the backbone of our economy. And we believe the founders who deeply understand these spaces — and the infrastructure to support them — will build enduring, defensible companies.
What to Expect from Us
In the coming weeks, you’ll hear more from us here, including how we approach early investment decisions, our advice for founders, and the trends we’re tracking across our focus areas.
At Dria Ventures, we’re not just trying to spot trends; we’re building intentionally, and we’re excited to bring you along for the journey.
- Megan
P.S. - We recently shared more about Dria’s approach on LinkedIn – check out the post here and keep an eye out for future updates.