Aspire Ventures Hosts Steve Case's 2017 Rise Of The Rest Tour

LANCASTER, PA--(Marketwired - Oct 9, 2017) -

• Aspire Ventures announces participation in the Rise Of The Rest tour with Steve Case, as the venue for one of the tour's first stops in Lancaster, PA
• Aspire Ventures to present to Case its innovative approach to building startups and forging important partnerships with multiple stakeholders to transform healthcare
• Aspire Ventures' CEO, Essam Abadir, to present alongside Lancaster General Health's CEO and president, Jan Bergen, on their unique collaborations and contributions to the startup ecosystem

Tomorrow, Aspire Ventures will host one of the first stops on entrepreneur Steve Case's seven-city Rise Of The Rest tour, which celebrates and spotlights startup ecosystems across the United States. During the tour stop, Aspire Ventures' CEO, Essam Abadir, and Lancaster General Health's CEO and president, Jan Bergen, will share how they are collaborating across an ecosystem of technology companies, healthcare providers, insurers, and consumers to transform the American healthcare system.

One example of Aspire Ventures' and LG Health's efforts is the creation of the Smart Health Innovation Lab, a new healthcare technology center where payors, providers, and technology companies work together to validate market-ready products and expedite integration into healthcare systems. Founded through a unique collaboration between Aspire, LG Health, Capital BlueCross, and Clio Health, the Smart Health Innovation Lab will open in downtown Lancaster, PA in early 2018.

During the tour stop at Aspire Ventures, Abadir and Bergen will speak to attendees on the value of collaboration to effect massive and meaningful change across entire industries -- with the Smart Health Innovation Lab serving as a prime example of the results that can be achieved through industry-wide collaboration. Aspire's involvement in the Rise Of The Rest tour is a testament to the city of Lancaster's commitment to innovation, as Case personally invests in and uncovers world-class entrepreneurs in previously untapped markets such as Central Pennsylvania. 

As part of the rapidly expanding hub of technology innovation in Central Pennsylvania, Aspire Ventures' involvement in Rise Of The Rest is an example of the importance of business development on both a local and national scale. Aspire is working with all members of its ecosystem to help healthcare providers gain access to the necessary tools to transform U.S. healthcare, with the goal of improving the patient experience and health outcomes for every American.

Following are details on the notable activities taking place on the tour today:

Rise Of The Rest Tour Agenda: October 10, 2017

11 - 11:30 a.m.: Aspire Ventures Tour Stop; Lancaster, PA
Aspire Ventures' CEO, Essam Abadir, will join LG Health CEO and president, Jan Bergen, to provide an overview of the entrepreneurship taking place within Lancaster's healthcare community. In addition, Abadir will lead a tour of Aspire Ventures' Venture Lab, during which attendees will be able to see first-hand:

• The first artificial intelligence platform to predict blood sugar levels to a more accurate degree than doctors from one of the best clinics in the world
• Some of the most advanced remote biometric sensing technology
• A telemedicine platform that could hold the key to the future of the healthcare experience

Following the Venture Lab tour, Abadir will lead a deep dive into the future of medicine.

3 - 4 p.m.: Fireside Chat; Harrisburg, PA
Join Steve Case and Eric Barron for a Fireside Chat interview, during which they will discuss the city of Harrisburg's startup economy.

4 - 6 p.m.: Rise Of The Rest Pitch Competition; Harrisburg, PA
During the Rise Of The Rest Pitch Competition, nine of the most innovative startup companies in Central Pennsylvania will be given the opportunity to pitch Steve Case and a panel of all-star judges. Case will personally invest $100,000 in the winning startup.

6 - 7:30 p.m.: Happy Hour; Harrisburg, PA
After a great day, Steve Case and the Rise Of The Rest crew will host a networking party for entrepreneurs, investors and all other members of the Central Pennsylvania entrepreneurial ecosystem. Join us to celebrate all the amazing progress in Pennsylvania, meet the people making it happen, and enjoy a few drinks with new friends.

About Aspire Ventures
Aspire Ventures, an Aspire Universal Company (www.aspireuniversal.com), is a private equity firm focused on transforming industries and impact investment. Aspire Ventures leverages its capital, intellectual property and domain expertise to help bring breakthrough technologies to market faster and more cost effectively for the benefit of people worldwide.

Aspire Ventures has developed A²I, an adaptive artificial intelligence platform, to help its portfolio companies offer innovative technologies in the areas of mobile, cloud, machine learning, and big data analytics for a variety of industry sectors, most notably healthcare. Aspire Ventures is leading several initiatives in healthcare designed to break down silos, foster innovation and integration, and effect revolutionary change, and the company's vision for healthcare is a patient-centered model that is focused on creating a better patient experience through precision medicine.

Aspire Ventures is based in Lancaster, PA. For more information, visit https://www.aspirevc.com/home.