Our Investment in Optura
By Chad Byers, General Partner and Co-founder at Susa Ventures
Healthcare is a $5T market in the US. Yet, despite the size, technology adoption has remained relatively low. Many organizations are still using paper intake forms, even in 2025.
The promise of AI, and specifically large language models, makes us optimistic that this could finally change. But technology alone isn’t enough. What the market needs is companies that can be the connective tissue between real-world healthcare problems and AI. That’s exactly what drew us to Optura: a team of healthcare veterans building tools to make the adoption of AI a reality for healthcare enterprises.
Despite all the headlines, AI in healthcare has an adoption and scaling problem. Health plans and systems are trying to invest in technology, yet more than 70% of AI projects never make it past the pilot phase. What’s holding them back isn’t a lack of ideas or talent—it’s a lack of orchestration. There’s no operating layer to align efforts, track value, or guide scale.
This is where Optura comes in.
Founded by Andy Fanning, former VP of AI/Automation at Cigna, and Michael Hollis, former President and CGO of Emids, Optura is building the first AI operating system purpose-built for healthcare. Their platform helps healthcare enterprises—starting with health plans and tech-enabled services—transition from disconnected AI pilots to a unified, governed, and ROI-driven AI strategy.
The product itself is clean and pragmatic. It doesn’t promise magic; it delivers accountability. Optura’s platform includes:
The Intent Engine – helping organizations define and align on what they want AI to achieve
The Operator – tracking value, managing deployment, and ensuring visibility at scale
The Librarian – a continuous learning system that understands the nuances of the healthcare enterprise: workflows, regulations, goals, and tradeoffs
Put simply, Optura doesn’t just show you what AI is doing—it shows you what it’s worth. Early implementations have already unlocked tens of millions of dollars in value within months.
What excites us most is that Andy and Mike have lived through this pain firsthand. They’ve felt the tension between innovation theater and operational necessity. They know that in healthcare, pilots don’t scale unless ROI is provable and governance is rock solid. Optura gives leaders the tools to say no to noise and yes to results.
We're proud to co-lead Optura's $6.5M seed round alongside our friends at Matrix. In a sea of AI hype, this is a company building clarity, structure, and impact. We believe Optura is poised to become an essential layer in the healthcare tech stack—and we’re thrilled to be part of the journey.