Elation Health Acquires Aster — Black Women-Founded Health-Tech Startup
Elation Health has announced the acquisition of Aster, a Black-founded EHR focused on women’s health. This acquisition will allow Aster to learn from Elation Health’s expertise in AI agents and expand Elation Health’s development of the first agentic operating system for primary care.
“The Aster team impressed us with their vision and creative inventions to support independent practices,” said Kyna Fong, co-founder and CEO of Elation Health, in a press release. Fong shares that, like Aster, Elation was created by siblings who hoped to change the healthcare system.
“That shared north star means they understand what we’re building and why it matters. It was clear right away they would significantly add to our capabilities,” she adds.
Elation Health acquiring Aster
Aster was founded by sisters Fifi Kara and Dr. Lailah Kara-Newton. Kara’s career includes 10 years of creating consumer and B2B products across the UK, Europe, and the US. She recently supported Meta’s Health & Fitness team, according to the Aster website.
Kara-Newton worked as a Hospital Doctor in the NHS across medical and surgical specialties, including Breast Surgery, General Surgery, Emergency Medicine, and Obstetrics and Gynecology. The company launched in 2023 after raising $2.8 million from Zeal Capital Partners, Cornerstone Ventures, Octopus Ventures, and others. Kara, Kara-Newton, and their Chief Technology Officer, Nacho Vazquez, will all join Elation.
“From the moment we met Kyna Fong, Ashley Rogers, and the Elation leadership team, it was clear we were aligned on what matters most: that clinicians deserve truly incredible software that brings joy back to their practice. Together, we can now bring that vision to millions of primary care patients across the country,” Kara said.
Creating change in the healthcare system
During Dr. Kara-Newton’s first pregnancy, she experienced undiagnosed preeclampsia, which resulted in an emergency C-section and NICU admission for her son. The sisters hoped to develop technology to prevent similar outcomes for women. Subsequently, the AI-native platform for women’s health providers was born.
In the US, Black maternal mortality remains alarmingly high, with rates nearly double those of their white counterparts. Experts attribute this disparity to systemic issues, including healthcare access inequities, implicit bias, and fragmented approaches to care.
What is an EHR that is “AI-native”?
An AI-native EHR means the system’s foundation is built on AI. The system’s architecture is designed to enable AI to be deeply integrated into every part of the workflow.
“It’s different than the ‘AI-powered’ or ‘AI-enabled” terms that typically mean that a healthcare tech vendor has taken an existing system and tacked on AI features without rethinking how the system works as a whole,” according to Athena Health.
Image: Aster
