Takeaways from Cleveland Clinic’s Collaboration with Khosla Ventures

Cleveland Clinic has long been active in funding tech startups and creating partnerships to advance care. Last week’s news that the health system is forming a strategic partnership with Silicon Valley health tech investor Khosla Ventures will further Cleveland Clinic’s aims in both areas.

The collaboration will leverage Cleveland Clinic’s clinical expertise and biomedical research with Khosla Ventures’ two decades of experience investing in health care technology companies.

Under the collaboration, Khosla Ventures portfolio companies can work with Cleveland Clinic providers to showcase and test new technologies at all stages — from clinical validation to commercial adoption. This access gives startups a distinct advantage to demonstrate value directly with clinicians, accelerating the journey from early, bold ideas to proven, scalable solutions.

For Cleveland Clinic, the collaboration provides a direct pipeline to emerging technologies in such areas as artificial intelligence (AI), digital health and next-generation therapeutics.

The partnership will be supported by Cleveland Clinic Innovations (CCI), the health system’s innovation arm, which has transformed more than 900 technologies into licensed products and launched more than 100 spinoff companies since 2000. CCI brings deep experience in internet protocol management, licensing and startup incubation, making it a strategic partner in guiding new ideas from concept to commercialization.

What the Collaboration Could Mean

This could be a precursor to new innovations.

As part of the collaboration, Cleveland Clinic already has entered into customer agreements and commercial relationships with Khosla-backed companies, as well as currently evaluating several others for potential commercial partnerships, investments and co-development opportunities. Both organizations also are working together to identify and incubate promising Cleveland Clinic research and innovation opportunities that could lead to the creation of new companies.

The companies will marry their respective areas of expertise.

Cleveland Clinic and Khosla Ventures are exploring joint opportunities to incubate a new company. Khosla Ventures will lead technical development and recruiting, while Cleveland Clinic plans to provide the clinical environment to test, refine and scale the service.

Four strategic focus areas will be a priority.

Through the collaboration, the organizations plan to prioritize the following areas where technology can have a transformative impact on health and longevity, including:

AI and digital health: Applying AI to automate workflows, improve diagnostics, personalize treatment and extend access to care.
Therapeutics and diagnostics: Advancing next-generation solutions, particularly in cardiology, oncology, neurology and musculoskeletal care.
Care delivery: Developing new care models, from comprehensive home-based services to multispecialty primary care and global second-opinion programs.
Value-based models: Creating strategies tailored for Medicare, Medicaid and dual-eligible populations.

4 Takeaways for Hospitals and Patients

1 | Smarter, more adaptive clinical trials.

AI is transforming clinical trials into dynamic, real-time processes.

Takeaway

Hospitals can leverage adaptive protocols that evolve based on patient responses and data modeling. This leads to faster, more personalized treatment pathways and improved trial efficiency.

2 | Stronger collaboration between physicians and pharma.

Physicians have new opportunities to partner with pharmaceutical and AI companies.

Takeaway

These collaborations can enhance hospital research programs and accelerate innovation. Hospitals become active hubs for AI-driven drug development and biomarker discovery.

3 | Expansion of research beyond hospital walls.

Decentralized trials and real-world evidence generation are gaining traction.

Takeaway

Patients can participate in studies from home or local clinics, increasing accessibility and diversity. Hospitals must adapt to support remote monitoring and data collection technologies.

4 | Enhanced patient recruitment and matching.

AI improves how hospitals identify and enroll eligible patients for trials. This reduces delays, boosts trial success rates and ensures better representation.