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Florian Otto
CEO and Co-Founder at Cedar
Florian Otto is the CEO and Co-Founder of Cedar Inc., a healthcare technology company based in New York City. He has held this position since April 2016, focusing on improving patient financial experiences in healthcare. Prior to Cedar, he served as the VP of Sales at ZocDoc from August 2012 to December 2015 and was the Founder & CEO of Groupon Brasil from June 2010 to November 2012. Additionally, he worked as a consultant at McKinsey & Company from August 2008 to June 2010.
Florian Otto is multilingual, with proficiency in several languages including French, Italian, Portuguese, German, and English. His educational background includes studies at the University of Freiburg.
Recently, he was recognized by the Wall Street Journal as part of the CEO Council's list of the World's Most Influential Decision Makers.12
Highlights
I had the privilege of hosting a fireside chat with Talkiatry CEO and co-founder Robert K. at our NYC HQ a few weeks ago - some of my favorite highlights from the conversation were:
🔸 How the patient experience has factored into the decisions made at Talkiatry
🔸 In what ways the landscape of online mental health has changed over the years
🔸 If he was running Cedar, where he would go next in terms of product development
Thank you again Robert for spending some time with us, and for all the Cedarians who tuned in (both IRL and virtually)!
A few weeks ago, I shared how the 2024 presidential election could affect healthcare costs. While both candidates are focused on bringing down the cost of care, their approaches to doing so vis-a-vis competition are very different.
When it comes to healthcare technology policy, both candidates are also keen to foster innovation—but again, with very different oversight strategies.
Donald Trump wants to shape healthcare technology policy by advocating for lighter regulation of startups and emerging technologies (including AI), to reduce the risk of regulatory capture.
▪️His approach includes reducing barriers to entry for new players in the health tech space, which he believes will stimulate competition and innovation and drive down costs.
▪️Trump has also expressed support for deregulating telemedicine and digital health tools, arguing that less restrictive oversight will enable faster development and broader adoption of new technologies.
▪️Additionally, his administration has historically pushed for policies that streamline regulatory processes and reduce the compliance burden on health tech companies.
Kamala Harris has shown an interest in leveraging technology to address healthcare challenges, particularly in areas like AI and digital equity. She supports a more comprehensive regulatory framework to ensure that new technologies are used responsibly and equitably.
▪️Harris advocates for increased public oversight and stricter regulations on AI to prevent misuse and protect patient data. Her approach includes enhancing transparency and accountability for health tech companies, ensuring they adhere to high standards of ethical practice.
▪️Harris also emphasizes the need for policies that address digital health disparities and ensure that technological advancements benefit all communities, particularly underserved populations.
As we move closer to the election, the stark contrast between these candidates' approaches to healthcare technology policy will likely shape the trajectory of innovation and regulatory practices in the U.S., potentially redefining the industry for years to come.
