H1 is a company focused on creating a healthier future worldwide by unlocking and democratizing global access to critical expertise, HCP information, claims data, research and discoveries, and connected insights for all: pharma and life sciences companies, academic medical centers, insurance companies, researchers, doctors, and patients – bringing everyone closer together to advance medicine and clinical outcomes. Pulse 2.0 interviewed H1 CEO and co-founder Ariel Katz to learn more about the company.
Ariel Katz’s Background
Katz has always been interested in solving problems and voids in accessing research. And Katz said:
“In college, that led me to help create a company called ResearchConnection, which connected students with research opportunities. My partners and I scraped the internet and created searchable research profiles for every professor at every university in the U.S. It took off, and before we knew it we had hundreds of thousands of students using it to connect with professors. Companies soon started using our data for marketing leads (though not my original intention!). This ultimately sparked the idea for H1.”
“H1 was born in 2017 with the goal of addressing a core challenge in healthcare: how hard it can be to find the right doctors. But beyond that, our purpose is to solve the underlying issue of how inequitable healthcare continues to be.”
“H1 connects all stakeholders in the healthcare ecosystem – pharma and life sciences companies, academic medical centers, insurance companies, researchers, doctors, and patients – to create equitable drug development, clinical trials, and delivery of care.”
“For these companies, who are funding billions of dollars in research each year, unsuccessful clinical trials are costly. H1 has insights from more than 490,000 trials, 25 million publications, 10 million healthcare providers (including those with diversity data), 240 million patients, and 11 billion global claims. This treasure trove of data, combined with our AI technology, means we can, quite literally, point them to the right doctors, sites, and principal investigators to run their trials – in seconds.”
“As CEO, I am responsible for the strategic vision of H1, but I’m not one to simply sit in my office. I want to educate, I want to inspire, and I want to lead —and I do that by remaining very involved in our day-to-day processes. You’ll find me taking out the company garbage after I review and test products and network with other Pharma CEOs. Cultivating our company culture is also a huge priority for me.”
Favorite Memory
What has been Katz’s favorite memory working for H1? Katz reflected:
“I have so many great memories from the early days when we were getting up and running. In those days, I shared an apartment with my co-founder Ian and slept on a blow-up mattress. We went to India and got to play soccer there (I may or may not have gotten injured in the process). We hired 300 people in just two months with only one recruiter to help. I once got a personal email from an NBA player who was interested in investing.
“And, more recently, we’ve been helping with efforts to send doctors to Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank to aid with the ongoing crisis. Seeing our technology be put to real, good use is extremely fulfilling.”
Challenges Faced
What are some of the challenges Katz faced in building the company, and has the current macroeconomic climate had any effect on the company? Katz acknowledged:
“H1 is determined to improve global health equity by making access to the right healthcare information a basic human right, and we’ve been successful with our efforts to date, despite the challenges of a downturn economy.”
“An ongoing, systemic problem throughout the industry is lack of representation in clinical trials. Despite recent FDA guidance, clinical trials are still largely not representative of the populations burdened with the disease. In fact, this summer, we published an eye-opening report titled “2023 Industry Report: The State of Diversity and Equity in Clinical Trials” to shed further light on this global issue. Until trials are designed more inclusively, equitable health will not be a reality. We are extremely focused on helping pharma companies design and run more diverse clinical trials by giving them access to a wealth of diverse insights.”
Core Products
What are H1’s core products and features? Katz concluded:
“H1’s global data platform uses state-of-the-art technologies ranging from machine learning (ML) to natural language processing (NLP) to create a unified source of truth for healthcare data. Aggregating public, proprietary, and other unique data sources, our platform delivers insights that help our customers impact patients faster. The platform curates data from 490,000 trials, 25 million publications, 10 million healthcare providers (including those with diversity data), 240 million patients, and 11 billion global claims.”
“The H1 platform fuels a robust product suite that helps support the advancement of innovative and inclusive medicine, including:
1.) Trial Landscape: AI-powered R&D pipeline acceleration and clinical trial design
2.) H1 Connect: Repository of global HCP and medical research
3.) HCP Universe: AI-powered platform for Medical Affairs and MSL for KOL engagement, education, and market access
4.) Precise: Provider directory management to enable patient access to the HCPs
5.) Carevoyance: Claims-based medical device sales enablement
“Today, more than 250 customers trust H1 to keep them current with the latest information on HCPs everywhere including their clinical and scholarly work and spheres of influence, connect them with the right thought and treatment leaders digitally and face-to-face, guide their strategies to increase adherence to evidence-based medicine, inform inclusive clinical trial design, provide access to groundbreaking science, and accelerate time to market.”
Evolution Of H1’s Technology
How has H1’s technology evolved since launching? Katz noted:
“In 2022, we acquired Faculty Opinions (now H1 Connect), marking an important step in our evolution as we continue to grow as the go-to source for healthcare professionals while also providing unique access to the latest discourse within the scientific community. We also overhauled our brand and launched a new website.”
“In early 2023, we added key functionality to our flagship solution, HCP Universe, to help medical affairs understand and track the impact of their activities, drive adherence to evidence-based medicine, and improve patient outcomes.”
“More recently, we launched our new H1 Mobile app, bringing the power of HCP Universe and its deep KOL and HCP insights to the palms of life sciences professionals worldwide. We also just launched our new generative AI tool, GenosAI, which is seamlessly embedded within our Trial Landscape solution to help clinical operations, feasibility, and medical teams more easily access deep insights, speed up workflows, explore new types of data, improve efficiencies and reduce costs, and accelerate time to market.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of H1’s most significant milestones? Katz cited:
“We’re proud to be a leader in leveraging AI to transform the future of healthcare, and along with our GenosAI tool, we recently launched our AI Hub, a new digital resource covering all aspects of AI in healthcare.”
“We remain honored that our solutions are selected by leaders in their space. Trial Landscape was chosen by the Michael J. Fox Foundation to improve and transform its Parkinson’s Disease education and research initiatives. The National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) also selected H1 to power its prescriber database, HCIdea, the industry’s go-to choice for the most comprehensive and reliable prescriber information.”
“Last year, I was personally humbled to be named to Forbes 30 Under 30 and speak at the World Economic Forum in Davos. H1 also received a series of honors this year, including being named to the New York Digital Health 100 list, Y Combinator’s 2023 Best Companies List, and Slice of Healthcare’s inaugural Digital Health Leaders and 50 Under 50 list list.”
“And, our Series C extension last summer was a huge milestone that has allowed us to lean into our growth. Our ability to raise capital in a volatile economic time is a testament to our significant market opportunity and ability to execute against it.”
Customer Success Stories
After asking Katz about customer success stories, he highlighted:
“The Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) is using H1’s Trial Landscape solution to revamp its education and research initiatives, and find and connect with the right doctors. Trial Landscape enables MJFF to:
1.) Streamline its search for physicians who are actively treating PD.
2.) Gather comprehensive information on patient populations and treatment approaches.
3.) Gain insights into underrepresented patient populations to better understand the specific needs and challenges faced by these groups and develop strategies to support them effectively.
4.) Increase representation in studies by obtaining accurate data on who is treating PD in populations traditionally underrepresented in research
As Maggie Kuhl, MJFF Vice President of Research Engagement puts it: ‘Engaging diverse populations in clinical studies is critical to advancing treatment and care for all those living with PD. We know that many study volunteers learn of these opportunities from their treating physician. More information on who is treating people with PD – and especially populations traditionally underrepresented in research – can help us deliver the information and tools that will enable those conversations and lead to greater representation in studies. H1 Trial Landscape is a valuable tool to identify and connect with those providers.’”
Funding
After asking Katz about the company’s funding information, he revealed:
“Our most recent round of funding was in June 2022, when we raised a Series C extension, bringing the total round to $123 million. H1 has grown from 13 employees to over 600 globally, and has raised more than $200 million in capital to date. Investors continue to express confidence in H1’s continual ability to innovate and improve healthcare access for millions of patients globally.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is H1 pursuing? Katz assessed that it is $10 billion.
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates H1 from its competition? Katz affirmed:
“There are two core things. The first is data. We house the largest, most up-to-date, and most robust global healthcare database available, aggregating public, proprietary, and other unique data sources including 490,000 trials, 25 million publications, 10 million healthcare providers (including those with diversity data), 240 million patients, and 11 billion global claims.”
“The second is our people. The H1 team is composed of long-standing experts in various realms of healthcare that share one common mission — to create a healthier, more equitable future by making healthcare information and evidence-based medicine accessible to everyone globally. And we don’t plan to stop anytime soon.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of H1’s future company goals? Katz concluded:
“We are excited to harness new technologies, such as AI, to continue our mission of making healthcare information and research easier to access for all.”
