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The Draper name is synonymous with Silicon Valley risk-taking. For decades, venture capitalist Tim Draper made bold bets on breakthrough technologies long before they went mainstream (see: Bitcoin). Today, two members of the next generation — siblings Jesse and Adam Draper — are directing that same appetite for innovation toward one of America’s most troubled industries: healthcare.
Jesse, founding partner at Halogen Ventures, focuses on the “future of family,” backing companies that support women, parents and caregivers (nurses, in particular). Adam, founder of Boost VC, invests in frontier breakthroughs and “sovereign health” technologies with outsized potential. Together, they spend their days reviewing hundreds of pitches from entrepreneurs trying to solve real-world problems. And in this episode, they share what they believe patients and consumers are seeking most.
This is Season 11 of Fixing Healthcare, which is dedicated to elevating voices with large public followings: people who, through their work, hear directly from communities, consumers and healthcare professionals. Neither Draper sibling is a healthcare insider. But both bring a candid, outside-in perspective shaped by global innovation, millennial tech culture and thousands of conversations with founders.
Across the interview, the siblings highlight what they believe entrepreneurs are betting on: globalized innovation, new regulatory models and technologies that bypass traditional bottlenecks. Adam points to places like Prospera, a special economic zone in Honduras where companies develop treatments they can’t test in the U.S., while Jesse cites early-stage breakthroughs like Kangaroo’s artificial womb and tools that help families piece together trustworthy scientific evidence. Both describe a rising pattern of medical tourism driven by patients who feel the U.S. system is too slow, too fragmented and too expensive.
Jesse also delivers the episode’s most memorable moment, describing ChatGPT as a “best friend” she consults for everything from parenting decisions to symptom interpretation. Her approach — asking AI to cite real studies and synthesize global data — reflects a generational shift in how people gather information long before seeing a doctor.
In his closing remarks, Dr. Robert Pearl praises their patient-centered instincts while adding the guardrails often missing from Silicon Valley conversations. Innovation can save lives, he notes, but only when safety and cost stay in balance. Excess regulation slows progress, yet unchecked enthusiasm fuels hype and high-priced products that add little value.
The central challenge, he argues, is building a healthcare system bold enough to welcome breakthrough ideas and disciplined enough to ensure they improve outcomes and lower costs, not just generate revenue.
Helpful links
- “Japan has created the first artificial womb” (Engineerine)
- Prospera, Roatán ZEDE (background and news)
- “Healthcare Regulators’ Outdated Thinking Will Cost American Lives” (Forbes)
- “ChatGPT, MD: How AI-Empowered Doctors and Patients Can Take Back Control of American Medicine” (Pearl’s newest book)
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Fixing Healthcare is a co-production of Dr. Robert Pearl and Jeremy Corr. Subscribe to the show via Apple, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you find podcasts. Join the conversation or suggest a guest by following the show on Twitter and LinkedIn.