VC Jon Medved, Diagnosed with ALS, Backs Tech That Will Improve His Life
▼ Summary
– Venture capitalist Jon Medved was forced to retire from his firm OurCrowd after being diagnosed with the incurable neurodegenerative disease ALS.
– Medved is a foundational figure in Israel’s “Startup Nation” ecosystem, having founded the pioneering crowdsourced VC firm OurCrowd in 2013.
– Despite geopolitical challenges, Israel’s tech sector remains robust, with significant venture investment and a strong portfolio in areas like AI and health tech.
– Medved is now personally using technology from startups he invested in, such as a realistic AI avatar, to help manage his condition and preserve his voice.
– He emphasizes that his personal experience with disease has changed his perspective, but he intends to continue contributing to the startup ecosystem.
The intersection of personal need and professional foresight has taken on profound meaning for venture capitalist Jon Medved. Diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease ALS, Medved now finds himself relying on the very health technology startups he spent years funding. His journey underscores a powerful narrative where an investor’s portfolio transforms into a personal toolkit for navigating an incurable condition.
Israel’s close-knit startup community was shaken last October when Medved, a foundational figure in its ecosystem, announced his immediate retirement. The diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a disease that progressively destroys nerve cells controlling muscle function, forced him to step down from OurCrowd, the pioneering investment firm he founded. In a recent conversation, his voice noticeably affected by the illness, Medved described the sudden onset. After weeks of unexplained symptoms and hospital tests, doctors delivered the life-altering news. ALS currently has no cure, only therapies to manage its relentless advance, which typically robs patients of the ability to walk, speak, and breathe.
Often hailed as one of the architects of “Startup Nation,” Medved’s career helped shape Israel’s global tech reputation. After moving from California decades ago, he built and sold several companies before launching OurCrowd in 2013. The firm revolutionized venture capital by opening limited partnership opportunities to a global network of accredited investors, from professionals to everyday individuals who wanted a stake in innovation. This model attracted hundreds of thousands of backers worldwide and built a substantial portfolio featuring companies like Anthropic and Lemonade.
Despite the ongoing regional conflict, Israel’s tech sector demonstrates remarkable resilience, continuing to attract billions in venture funding across cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and health technology. Medved notes the ecosystem’s strength, pointing to significant weekly investment figures and a growing roster of unicorn companies. It is from this vibrant landscape that Medved now draws support.
The technology has become deeply personal. He recently worked with portfolio company D-ID, which partnered with voice AI specialist ElevenLabs through the Scott-Morgan Foundation, to create a photorealistic digital avatar. This “digital twin” preserves his voice, face, and mannerisms for when his own speech fails. He has already seen its impact, communicating on a Zoom call with another ALS patient using a similar avatar. “It will preserve my voice when it goes,” Medved stated.
His reliance will extend far beyond avatars. OurCrowd’s extensive health tech investments, numbering in the dozens, now represent a catalog of potential aids. He cites companies like OncoHost, which uses artificial intelligence to personalize cancer immunotherapy, firms specializing in genomic sequencing, and others focused on chronic disease management. Experiencing a major illness firsthand has radically shifted his perspective. “Once you are actually engaged in one of these nasty diseases, it changes your outlook,” he shared.
While he has relinquished his operational role at OurCrowd, Medved is adamant that he is not fading away. He plans to continue contributing to the firm and the broader ecosystem. “I’m far from over,” he asserted. His final reflection carries the weight of his new reality: he expresses pride in having played even a small part, as an investor, in the technological movement that is now essential to his own life.
(Source: TechCrunch)
