By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    benefits of using protein powder to build muscles
    Protein Powder for Muscle Mass: Everything You Need to Know
    December 12, 2021
    changes brought on by blockchain in healthcare
    Technology In The Healthcare Industry
    March 28, 2022
    What Does Core Body Temperature Say About Health?
    August 17, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Media Begin Focus on Next Iteration of ACA
    December 13, 2012
    Washington State Care
    Using Homecare for Positive Change in Healthcare
    August 14, 2017
    Do Electronic Health Records Reduce Malpractice Claims?
    February 2, 2013
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Can Technology Motivate Healthy Behavior? – HealthTech 2011
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > eHealth > Social Media > Can Technology Motivate Healthy Behavior? – HealthTech 2011
Social MediaTechnology

Can Technology Motivate Healthy Behavior? – HealthTech 2011

GlennLaffel
GlennLaffel
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

@MichaelSheeley  #ciht11 Lots of cool & innovation going on in the health & fitness world. Very exciting things are happening!

@MichaelSheeley  #ciht11 Lots of cool & innovation going on in the health & fitness world. Very exciting things are happening!

Indeed there are. The latest evidence for this could be found at Friday’s HealthTech 2011 conference in Boston. Sponsored by Careinnovators, #ciht11 drew hundreds of entrepreneurs, who used the day to share ideas, hear what investors thought about their space, and for a few of the heartiest, to nail their elevator pitch in a bar during the height of happy hour.

The Entrepreneurs
The large, engaged crowd suggests that #ciht11 touched a nerve, at least among entrepreneurs. Many of them believe we are entering a renaissance era in health and wellness, even bigger than the 1980s bubble which produced Access Health and HealthWise, among others.

More Read

Research on Focused Ultrasound and Fertility Receives International Honor
Content Marketing Can Engage Healthcare Consumers
How Healthcare Reform Will Change Healthcare Communication Forever
Key Technologies in Ophthalmic Diagnostic Equipment
Cost of Non-Compliance with HIPAA and HITECH

The renaissance is being driven, they say, by strong tailwinds from many sources. The aging of the baby boomers creates a vast new market, including millions who want to maintain good health and even more who will inevitably develop chronic diseases. Inexpensive smartphones and monitoring devices are becoming ubiquitous, giving consumers real-time access to support networks and non-obtrusive ways to record data. Today’s Web-based platforms make it easy to develop products and store data.

Plus, it won’t be long before people who never knew life without the Internet will outnumber those who grew up before it. If these people can spend hours tending to eStrawberries on an eFarm, then surely they will use cool games that help them stay healthy.

There have been early successes in the space, as yesterday’s conference showed. Companies that track your work-out, like MapMyRun and RunKeeper have up to 5.5 million registered users and 300,000 active users, according to speakers and Twitterers at the conference. Shape Up the Nation provides health and wellness services to more than 2 million people via contracts with employers and payers.

The Venture Capitalists

@PearlF #ciht11 Bessemer’s Stephen Kraus: there will be next generation gaming plays on wellness, 4 now not investing, hard 2 separate from noise

Venture Capitalists seem to be more circumspect about the supposed renaissance, however. They have invested only sporadically in the space, although the few investments they have made—including a remarkable $2.25 million bet that Aza Raskin, the former creative lead at Firefox and Sutha Kamal can grow Massive Health from scratch—are noteworthy.

To be sure, most VCs absolutely do believe that some startups in this space will become wildly successful. It’s just they haven’t yet seen many startups that merit an investment at this point. Too many unproven business models. Too many marketing plans based on the premise—famously recounted at the conference by Excel Venture Management’s Rick Blume—that ‘if I build it, they will come.’

How will these startups overcome the troubling reality that 26% of people who download a health-related app use it just once, or that nearly a third of those who use health apps don’t use them as their developers intended? How realistic is a business plan that relies on users to fundamentally change their health-related behaviors?

@MatthewBrowning #ciht11 ROI, ROI, ROI is most important to investors

 The Bottom Line
The entrepreneurs must move us forward. They will do so by proving, for example that revenue models focused on large employers can be sustained as jobs flow towards small companies (which don’ t offer wellness programs). They will do so by proving that consumer-facing startups can generate sustained, active use of their tools, achieve sustained revenue growth by selling ads, ancillary products, their data or something else.

The bottom line will be proof that the tools available to today’s entrepreneurs can actually motivate human beings to change unhealthy behavior. Will games do it? Will access to support from peers or providers do it? When is simple feedback sufficient?

Renaissance or not, Health Prize CEO Tom Kottler got it exactly right in his talk Friday. “Behavior change is a bitch,” he said.

TAGGED:medical technologyphone appssocial media
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025
engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

Inbound Marketing for Medical Devices: Mistakes to Avoid

December 10, 2014
Image
Medical InnovationsWellness

Botox Approved for Overactive Bladder Treatment

March 7, 2013
there are many reasons to find a medical device company san diego
BusinessMedical DevicesTechnology

5 Reasons to Choose Medical Device Companies from San Diego

May 5, 2022
Image
Medical DevicesTechnology

Spine Surgery Map

September 6, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?