The market for AI notetaking devices has exploded in the U.S., with the category generating over $600 million in revenue last year, according to a Menlo Ventures report. And as startups like Heidi Health and Freed, have shown, there’s decent demand for this tech in healthcare, where doctors and clinics see the potential for an AI assistant that can help them keep track of patient conversations, surface health records, and lower their administrative burdens.
But those apps don’t do much for patients, which is why Kin Health is building a notetaker that can transcribe your visits to doctors, parse medical advice, and surface next steps when required. To that end, the startup has raised $9 million in a seed funding round led by Maveron.
The app is similar to a meeting notetaker: you can record doctor visits, and it will return an AI summary of the meeting, with the next steps, all of which you share with family and friends if you want to. It also lets you note down questions that you might want to ask during your next visit.
Kin Health says it encrypts all patient data, and that summaries are kept private by default. The tool is not HIPAA-certified, as it is a patient-facing one, but it adheres to the same privacy standards, the company said.
The free app is built by physicians Arpan and Amit Parikh, along with Kyle Alwyn, who previously built online prescription service HeyDoctor and sold it to health platform GoodRx. Doug Hirsch and Trevor Bezdek, co-founders of GoodRx, are founding partners and executive chairmen at the company.
Co-Founders Arpan Parikh, Amit Parikh, and Kyle Alwyn Image Credits: Kin HealthImage Credits:Kin Health
“We have a lot of these storage cabinets where our health data can live, but we don’t have a way to convert that into a utility that we can use to drive our behavioral change. Our goal is to create this health graph where we can store your information from multiple different sources,” Alwyn told TechCrunch over a call.
Kin Health says that its summaries are provided after a few stages of processing. After transcribing the visit, an algorithm turns the transcription into a clinical narrative, which gets crunched into a user-facing summary with action items. The company says it is leaning on specialized medical models to power the transcription, and that it evaluates and observes outputs at different stages to ensure answers are accurate.
But AI in healthcare is being received with a measure of caution and apprehension. Privacy experts and researchers have raised concerns over data security, accuracy of AI, consent mechanisms, the quality of generated notes, and their effectiveness.
Dr. Rebecca Mishuris, chief health information officer and VP at Mass General Brigham, a healthcare organization in Boston, argues it is important for physicians to review any notes generated by AI.
“Generative AI will hallucinate; that is the nature of a technology built on patterns and prediction. That is why it is so important for clinicians to review the drafted notes before signing them. At the end of the day, the responsibility for the documentation falls to the clinician,” she told TechCrunch over email.
Kin Health currently only shows notes from conversations it records during consultations, but the company said it plans to bring in data from other health sources, including physicians’ own notes through electronic health record (EHR) systems, this year.
The company says it will keep the app free of cost forever, and monetize via referrals to services such as specialists and labs. The startup is taking a leaf from GoodRx’s playbook, which also keeps the core product free and earns commissions by referring other services.
Natalie Dillion, a partner at Maveron, said healthcare provider-side tools often expect patients to coordinate their own treatment actions. “Kin is built to solve an entirely different consumer need: it can travel with them between specialists, systems, and providers. It’s not beholden to any single health network or EHR relationship. It’s built to serve the patient, not the institution, and that’s a massive distribution advantage,” she said.
The funding round also saw participation from Town Hall Ventures, Eniac Ventures, Flex Capital, Foundry Square Capital, Pear VC, and The Family Fund. GoodRx’s Hirsch and Bezdek; angel investors Jay Desai, Nabeel Quryshi, Alex Cohen and Saharsh Patel; and more than 30 physicians also invested.
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The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has screened over 70 governorship aspirants ahead of its 2027 primary elections.
The exercise, held in Abuja on Monday, brought together various aspirants from several states, including Adamawa, Delta, Benue, Zamfara, Plateau, Bauchi, Jigawa, Lagos, Nasarawa and Rivers.
Speaking after his appearance before the panel, Senator Mohamed Onawo, representing Nasarawa South and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, described the process as thorough and fair.
Onawo stated that the screening committee members demonstrated professionalism in reviewing documents and engaging aspirants on critical issues.
“The committee members were professional, thorough and fair in assessing documents and asking relevant questions,” Onawo said.
He said he was confident in the chances of the ADC in the 2027 governorship elections, especially in Nasarawa State, citing his political experience and what he described as growing public support for the party.
Among those screened were former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (Kebbi); Senator Mohammed Jibrilla (Adamawa); Great Ogboru (Delta); Senator Mohamed Onawo (Nasarawa); Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (Lagos); Dr Shehu Ahmad Issa (Zamfara) and Retired General John Surai (Plateau).
Also screened were Adeboyega Adegoke (Oyo); Senator Haliru Jika (Bauchi); Barrister Kashim Geidam (Yobe), Musa Ahmed (Adamawa) and Nuhu Agbazu (Nasarawa).
The list also included Dr Emmanuel Unuafe (Delta); Bashir Adamu (Jigawa); Ambassador Umar Suleiman (Adamawa); Dr Leloonu Nwibubasa (Rivers), and Peter Adejoh (Benue).
BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR—The Governing Council, Management, and members of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) have expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Barrister Rotimi Edu, a prominent figure in the nation’s insurance sector and the Past President of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers (NCRIB).
In an official statement, the CIIN paid tribute to Barrister Edu, describing him as a distinguished professional and a fierce advocate for the advancement of the insurance industry in Nigeria.
‘His contributions to the growth of insurance brokerage and industry development remain remarkable and enduring,” the Institute noted, highlighting the significant impact of his leadership and legacy.
The CIIN extended its heartfelt condolences to the Edu family, the NCRIB community, and his wide circle of friends and associates, praying for his soul to rest in perfect peace.
Barrister Edu’s passing marks a significant loss for the Nigerian financial services sector, where his legal expertise and insurance acumen helped shape modern brokerage practices. Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced by the family in due course.