From Goldman Sachs to the National Library of Medicine, Matt Rothstein says his entire career has involved building “systems at the intersection of technology and human outcomes.”
“Regardless of domain, there is often broken infrastructure and misaligned incentives that result in poor experiences for people who needed it most,” he told Fierce Healthcare.
Rothstein co-founded Final, Inc.—the product that became the Apple Card—in 2012. He said the most important lesson from the development was “the discipline of building for the actual human moment.” The experience translates to healthcare, according to Rothstein, where solutions are built for everyone—especially those in need.
“Healthcare has the same problem, probably worse,” he said. “The system was designed around institutional convenience, not patient experience.”
His latest venture is head of engineering at provider and clinical automation platform Akido Labs.
“Most AI healthcare companies sell software to hospital systems and hope something changes,” Rothstein said. “Akido owns the clinical network where the software and AI actually run. That closed loop is what makes rapid iteration and true innovation possible.”
Launched in 2015, the AI-native company aims to leverage tech in combatting the provider shortage and democratize access to healthcare, especially for vulnerable communities. Akido Labs, a Fierce 15 of 2026 honoree, has raised more than $100 million as of January and is backed by Oak HC/FT, Y Combinator and others.
In 2022, it launched Akido Care, a network that includes nearly 100 clinics offering primary and specialty care. Akido Care includes more than 240 providers across 26 specialties—reaching more than 500,000 patients, according to its website.
Akido’s ScopeAI tool is used across cardiology, endocrinology, primary care, pulmonology, rheumatology and street medicine. Rothstein said the platform is “embedded directly into care delivery.”
“That integration is the whole point,” Rothstein said.
Rothstein said the solution boasts a 96 net promoter score (NPS), 100% year-over-year patient growth among more than 500,000 patients in three states and “delivers 5x more face-to-face patient time.”
“Being vertically integrated is what makes this possible,” he said “In healthcare, that means technology leverage can perfuse every layer of care delivery — something no organization with a more limited scope could replicate.”
As Rothstein settles into the role, he said he wants to “understand the system before changing it.”
“Akido has a decade of clinical and technical infrastructure,” Rothstein said. “Ten million-plus patient case studies, state of the art data infrastructure, and a custom medical technology stack. It is a rich foundation to build on.”
Other priorities for Rothstein are embedding engineering organization-wide, tightening the “feedback loop” between clinical outcomes and technical innovation and building for the growth rate.
Rothstein said he has known co-founders Prashant Samant and Jared Goodner since 2015.
“I’ve been watching them for the last decade build an organization with a relentless focus on serving a real need,” he said. “The manifestation of that focus in the street medicine program is what pulled me in.”
In January, Akido launched a street medicine program in the Bay Area using ScopeAI to help unhoused patients stay healthy.
"Fifty-three percent of patients in the LA street medicine program see a provider on their very first day of engagement,” he said. “Sixty-three percent are still in care at six months. For a population that healthcare has consistently failed, that's not a pilot result — that's proof the model works.”
Rothstein said the street medicine results are “a proof of principle” that AI-driven care can “improve access, engagement, and clinical outcomes at the same time, and do so sustainably."
“The question isn't whether AI will be in healthcare,” he said “It's whether the first real deployments will be meaningful or just window dressing. Akido is in the meaningful column.”