Extra Crunch Tuesday: Leading VCs discuss how COVID-19 has impacted the world of digital health

Welcome to Extra Crunch Tuesday

In our latest Extra Crunch VC survey, we followed up with six top investors who responded to our December 2019 digital health survey to get their take on the current moment:

• Annie Case, Kleiner Perkins
• Kristin Baker Spohn, CRV
• Deena Shakir, Lux Capital
• Jennifer Hartt, Ben Franklin Technology Partners
• John Prendergass, Ben Franklin Technology Partners
• Bill Liao, SOSV

Startups innovating in telemedicine, diagnostic testing and mental health services are rising to the challenge, but “the COVID-19 pandemic is emerging as a watershed moment for the sector,” says Shakir. Many digital health founders “are feeling energized and privileged to be in a position to take action and support the response,” adds Baker Spohn.

Even as these startups seize opportunities, disruptions in funding have led some to take radical steps to conserve cash as they rush new products to market. To get a sense of how the novel coronavirus is reshaping the digital health investing landscape, read this morning’s survey.

Also: read recaps of recent Zoom calls we’ve hosted with immigration attorney Sophie Alcorn and betaworks founder and CEO John Borthwick and partner Matt Hartman, or listen to the conversations in full. We’re doing more of these midday chats with notable names in tech, so watch this space for an invitation to join the conversation.

Thanks for reading,

Walter Thompson
Senior Editor, TechCrunch
@yourprotagonist

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