The Landscape of Healthcare Entrepreneurship: Beyond Drugs, Devices & Digital Services  [Workshop + Mixer]

​Aspiring entrepreneurs often see opportunities for healthcare innovation centered around new medical devices, drugs or digital services for clinical care. However, the complex challenges facing healthcare present additional opportunities related to pricing, incentives, risk, competition, financing, contracting and business model design. This discussion will look at fundamental economic issues in the US healthcare ecosystem together with their implications and opportunities for entrepreneurship. Students will gain visibility into areas of healthcare where impactful opportunities may exist and that they might not otherwise be exposed to.

​Following the workshop, join us for a networking mixer designed for students interested in healthcare, technology, and entrepreneurship. Connect with peers, mentors, and industry experts, exchange ideas, and explore potential collaborations in a relaxed, engaging environment.

About Jim Jusko (UCLA '86) – Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder, Excel Health Plans
Jim Jusko is the Chief Strategy Officer for Excel Health Plans, a three-year-old start-up dedicated to new approaches in pricing risk and maximizing value obtained from expenditures on healthcare services. An active supporter of healthcare price transparency policies, Jim has provided validation services for five public reports assessing more than 3000 hospitals’ compliance with federal price transparency rules. He also served on a technical experts panel providing input to CMS regarding price transparency data file standards. Jim's views on healthcare reform have appeared in publications such as Health Affairs, Medical Economics and Real Clear Health. He’s a former adjunct faculty member at UCLA and served on the university’s medical Institutional Review Board overseeing patient safety in clinical trials. Jim is also a recipient of a UCLA Health Innovation Challenge Award. He is a former attorney with a BS in Mathematics from UCLA and a law degree from UC Berkeley.

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​This event is designed to help facilitate team formation for the Cross-Campus Innovation Challenge, giving participants the chance to meet potential co-founders and collaborators before diving into the competition.

​Ready to turn a big idea into a real business? Join this campus-wide challenge and bring your tech-powered solutions to life.

​Why You Should Compete

• ​Fund Your Vision: Compete for the prize money you need to get your venture off the ground.

• ​Find Your Co-Founders: Connect and collaborate with a diverse community of like-minded innovators from every corner of campus.

• ​Build for Real: Go beyond the classroom and gain hands-on experience turning a concept into a tangible product.

• ​Gain Expert Insight: Receive invaluable feedback from seasoned industry experts to refine your strategy and pitch.

​📅 Key Competition Dates

• ​Sunday, Feb 16, 2026: Team Registration Deadline

• ​Sunday, Mar 1, 2026: Pitch Deck & Executive Summary Submission

• ​Tuesday, Apr 1, 2026: Finalists Announced

• ​May 2026 (TBD): Final Rounds & Live Pitches

​Learn more about the Cross-Campus Innovation Challenge

​​Looking for teammates?

• ​​Check out our Team Formation platform!

• ​​Or join our Innovation Challenge Slack and introduce yourself!