By: Casey Ma, MBA/MPH ’26, Yale Ventures Associate

The Center for Biomedical Innovation and Technology at Yale Ventures hosted the first Innovator Meetup: Rothberg Build Fund Awardees, featuring a panel of past awardees, networking with previous participants, and a tour of the Center for Engineering Innovation and Design (CEID), Yale’s hub for collaborative innovation. The event brought together Yale’s innovation and healthcare community to highlight three student-led ventures advancing healthcare solutions supported by the Rothberg Build Fund, founded by Dr. Jonathan Rothberg, now in its second year. 
 
The panel featured founders from three Rothberg-funded ventures: Yassin Mudawi, MakeDeathsCount, Anjal Jain, AdheRx, and Laurie Jimenez, FulcrumCare. Their projects reflected a wide range of healthcare challenges ranging from global mortality surveillance and medication adherence to bridging the dental-medical divide, all united by a shared commitment to accessibility, innovation, and equity. The panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Shawn Ong, Medical Director of IT and Medical Information Officer at Yale New Haven Health System, whose career bridges clinical practice and enterprise IT leadership, invited founders to share their origin stories, prototyping journeys, and the pivotal role the Rothberg Build funding played in their ventures’ development. 

Key Themes

Throughout the panel, the most consistent takeaway was the importance of validation, not just of a product, but of the underlying assumptions and the problem itself. While personal experiences initially inspired many of the ideas, each founder came to understand that strong customer discovery was essential to avoid building in a vacuum. By engaging directly with physicians, pharmacists, patients, insurers, and care providers, the teams refined their ideas into solutions grounded in real-world needs. 

Some founders described pausing development early to conduct customer discovery interviews, which led them to pivot significantly from their initial concepts. Others shared how early-stage feedback from programs such as the CBIT Healthcare Hackathon helped them better define their value proposition. The Rothberg Build Fund application was cited as a helpful forcing function, one that required teams to articulate the problem, clarify their solution, and provide a thoughtful, milestone-based use of funds. For all, receiving the award represented a critical point of external validation. 

“You have to test your idea early—try it, break it, rebuild it, and then test it again,” said Yassin, reflecting on how MakeDeathsCount evolved from satellite-based surveillance to community-powered data collection. His team focused on understanding the specific needs of vulnerable populations and adapting tools to local conditions, whether through language translation, offline functionality, or cultural sensitivity. 

Team formation also emerged as a defining theme. Panelists emphasized the need to identify gaps early and build teams with complementary, not overlapping, skills. While some used co-founder matching platforms, others reached out through personal networks or referrals from professors. Regardless of method, compatibility and shared commitment were considered non-negotiable. Anjal shared, “You want to find a co-founder you’re truly compatible with, beyond someone who fills a technical gap.” It was a moment that resonated with many others in the room. 

Each founder spoke openly about the ups and downs of their journey navigating setbacks, making pivots, and pushing forward through moments of uncertainty. For all of them, the Rothberg Build Fund stood out as a turning point: not just a financial boost, but an early vote of confidence that fueled their momentum to keep building and exploring new opportunities.

Looking Ahead: Scaling Solutions for Broader Impact 

As their ventures move beyond prototyping and into real-world testing, each panelist emphasized the importance of sharing your idea often, inviting feedback, building connections, and keeping momentum toward future growth and success. 

Laurie reflected on the power of putting ideas out there: “I try to get on stage and pitch as much as I can. Every time you do, the idea develops and evolves more, and you attract people who are interested in what you’re building and want to be part of it. It’s the best marketing strategy.” 
 
FulcrumCare’s vision involves clinical expansion and continued platform development, with a pilot program launching with a national value-based care provider. This pilot will focus on Medicare and Medicaid patients to bridge the gap in dental services access and deliver coordinated care that improves outcomes. 

MakeDeathsCount is expanding operations to additional regions experiencing humanitarian crises and systemic data gaps. This requires incorporating more dialects and culturally specific practices to meet people "where they are" and building partnerships with humanitarian organizations to improve resource allocation. 

AdheRx, is currently preparing to conduct its first real-world pilot in partnership with an independent pharmacy, which will be critical for collecting behavioral and usage data. With funding, the team has maintained HIPAA compliance and built technical trust, positioning them for a successful deployment despite the potential for disruption to existing pharmacy workflows 
 
Each founder expressed that the Rothberg Build Fund has been instrumental in reaching this critical inflection point, whether by funding technical builds, securing compliance certifications, or providing validation that helped spark new conversations with stakeholders. As they prepare for broader rollout, these ventures stand as examples of what student-led innovation can achieve with the right support, structure, and vision.

Community Advice: Applying to the Rothberg Build Fund 

In closing, panelists offered guidance for students and researchers considering Rothberg Fund applications: 

• Start before you apply: Build as much as you can without funding to show traction.
• Budget with intention: A detailed, focused funding plan will strengthen your application.
• Apply anyway: Even if not selected, the application process itself is clarifying, and feedback is available to help resubmit in future rounds. 

A Tour of CEID: Closing the Evening with Design in Action 

The event concluded with a guided tour of the Yale Center for Engineering Innovation and Design (CEID) led by Ashlyn Oaks, Program Manager, at the CEID. Since opening in 2012, CEID has served as a vibrant hub for interdisciplinary design, development, and prototyping. Students, staff, and faculty from across Yale use the space to bring ideas to life, whether through formal courses, student projects, or community-driven collaborations. With a focus on accessibility, inclusion, and hands-on learning, CEID is committed to supporting innovators of all backgrounds and disciplines. As a collaborative resource, CEID offers equipment, mentorship, and a community of support to help translate ideas from whiteboard to real-world impact.