In 2020, telemedicine company Teladoc acquired remote patient monitoring company Livongo for a record $18.5 billion, creating a $38 billion entity. Today, the combined company is worth less than a tenth of that.

Rebecca Mitchell, who spent years as a product leader at both companies, reveals how this landmark healthcare deal fell short of expectations despite strong underlying products, and what we can learn from it.

We also get her insights on the need for physician innovators, and how she came to co-found Scrub Capital.

We cover:

💻 The rise of physicians in product management roles at digital health companies

💰 The untold "body and internal organs" story of the Livongo-Teladoc merger

🩺 How incorporating clinician expertise leads to better healthcare products

💼 Scrub Capital's approach to leveraging 700+ clinicians for smarter healthcare investing

🤝 Why healthcare innovators should support rather than criticize each other

🏆 Critical lessons for future healthcare M&A

About our guest:

Rebecca Mitchell began her career in global health as an academic researcher and Fulbright Fellow in maternal health. After receiving her medical degree from UCSF, she served as the medical officer for innovation at HHS before spending a decade in product roles at startups, including Livongo and Teladoc. Rebecca now leads Scrub Capital, an early-stage fund that incorporates the expertise of over 700 clinicians, founders, and operators to invest in healthcare companies.

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The Real Reason the Teladoc-Livongo Merger Went Sideways | Scrub Capital Co-Founder Rebecca Mitchell, MD

The Heart of Healthcare | A Digital Health Podcast