With the uncertainty surrounding implementation of the Affordable Care Act, there are plentiful opportunities for investors and entrepreneurs in the health care space. Capital has been rushing into digital health solutions area in particular, with $6.5 billion invested in digital health alone in 2014. (Startup Health Annual Insights Report) But this investment is not yet being turned reliably into solutions that drive costs down for consumers, and often the solutions being developed are not patient- or consumer-centric.

Seattle’s technology sector is robust and growing, and Seattle companies in the Fortune 1000 possess an uncanny knack for anticipating their customer’s needs and delighting them with service. Cambia Grove co-founders Rob Coppedge and Nicole Bell saw in Seattle all the ingredients needed to create a vital and thriving health care hub. I’m part of the Cambia Grove team’s efforts to help Seattle transform health care in the same way Seattle companies have revolutionized online retail, coffee and technology.

We can do that by providing a local space where entrepreneurs can convene with health plans, providers and large employers to build the solutions and start the businesses we need in the new health care economy.

Our anchor partners have all agreed to engage in or sponsor one pilot per year with innovative health care companies. These pilots are valuable to early stage businesses, giving entrepreneurs the opportunity to:

• Land a first customer with a reputable name
• Test and refine their early stage Minimum Viable Products
• Generate feedback and early revenue

We opened our doors March 12-13. More than 600 guests – including senior industry leaders, media, local entrepreneurs, investors, providers, large employers and health plans in the region – were invited to use the Cambia Grove to meet like-minded health care innovators and solve problems together.

As we build out our programming, we’ll be adding new community partners, hosting events and providing access to resources the start-up and technology communities need to develop solutions that move the needle on health care transformation.

If this piques your interest – if you are passionate about our regional health care sector and about the potential for transformation in our health care system – we invite you to connect with us at one of our upcoming open houses:

• Wed., 4/8 – 1:00-3:00 p.m.
• Mon., 4/13 – 10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
• Fri., 4/24 – 11:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m.
• Wed., 4/29 – 9:00-11:00 a.m.

We’ll know we have succeeded collectively when Seattle is capable of rivaling health care hubs in well-established clusters like the Bay Area, Nashville and Boston.