Cleveland, Ohio, and Menlo Park, California: Cleveland Clinic and Khosla Ventures today announced a strategic collaboration that connects the international health system with one of Silicon Valley’s leading investors in healthcare and technology.
The new relationship combines the organizations’ unique strengths, aiming to reimagine healthcare delivery and create solutions that address some of the most pressing challenges in the field.
As part of the collaboration, Khosla Ventures portfolio companies can work with Cleveland Clinic providers to showcase and test new technologies at all stages — from clinical validation to commercial adoption. This access gives startups a distinct advantage to demonstrate value directly with clinicians, accelerating the journey from early, bold ideas to proven, scalable solutions.
For Cleveland Clinic, the collaboration provides a direct pipeline to emerging technologies in areas such as artificial intelligence, digital health, and next-generation therapeutics.
“Khosla Ventures invests in early, bold, and impactful ideas that help people get healthy, stay healthy, and live longer,” said Hal Paz, MD, operating partner at Khosla Ventures and former CEO of multiple large-scale health systems. “AI is the most transformative technology of our lifetime, and its impact on healthcare will be massive. This relationship with Cleveland Clinic — one of the most respected health institutions in the world — gives our companies an advantage to validate and scale their innovations.”
“This collaboration pairs our health system’s expertise in biomedical research, clinical care and innovation with Khosla Ventures’ venture expertise and network of entrepreneurs to drive meaningful advancements in the healthcare industry,” said Geoff Vince, PhD, Chief, Cleveland Clinic Innovations. “Together we aim to accelerate transformational innovation, foster groundbreaking technologies, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.”
Early Commercial Traction
As part of the collaboration, Cleveland Clinic has already entered into customer agreements and commercial relationships with Khosla-backed companies, as well as currently evaluating several others for potential commercial partnerships, investments, and co-development opportunities. Both organizations are also working together to identify and incubate promising Cleveland Clinic research and innovation opportunities that could lead to the creation of new companies.
Joint Incubation
Cleveland Clinic and Khosla Ventures also announced they are exploring opportunities to jointly incubate a new company. Khosla Ventures will lead technical development and recruiting, while Cleveland Clinic plans to provide the clinical environment to test, refine, and scale the service.
Strategic Focus Areas
Through the collaboration, the organizations plan to prioritize the following areas where technology can have a transformative impact on health and longevity including:
- AI and digital health: Applying AI to automate workflows, improve diagnostics, personalize treatment, and extend access to care.
- Therapeutics and diagnostics: Advancing next-generation therapeutics and diagnostics, especially in cardiology, oncology, neurology, and musculoskeletal care.
- Care delivery: Developing new models of care, from comprehensive home-based services to multi-specialty primary care and global second-opinion programs.
- Value-based models: Creating strategies tailored for Medicare, Medicaid, and dual-eligible populations.
The partnership will be supported by Cleveland Clinic Innovations (CCI), the health system’s innovation arm, which has transformed more than 900 technologies into licensed products and launched more than 100 spin-off companies since 2000. CCI brings deep experience in IP management, licensing, and startup incubation, making it a strategic partner in guiding new ideas from concept to commercialization.
The new collaboration was announced at Cleveland Clinic Life Sciences Summit on October 14 in London.
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