Karin Underwood

Major props to Karin Underwood. This girl is the real deal in health tech and social impact. She jumped into the game straight outta college with a biology degree from WashU and an MBA from Stanford, big moves, right? But what’s crazy is how she used that knowledge to actually make shit happen.

She started her career as the third person at mProve Health, a pharma tech startup that got bought by Bracket. That’s where she cut her teeth, learning how startups crush it in healthcare, no bullshit. Then she jumped into the nonprofit world with One Acre Fund, helping over a million farm families in Africa. That’s some serious social impact, showing she’s all about using tech and innovation to lift people up.

Fast forward, she lands at Virta Health, working on patient marketing, basically figuring out how to get folks to stick with their health plans. She’s been in the trenches, making health tech work for real people. But what really sets her apart is her co-founding Verano Health, a Y Combinator-backed nonprofit that’s all about bringing telehealth coaching to underserved Americans on Medicaid, especially for managing chronic stuff. That’s her passion, bridging gaps in healthcare using tech and a whole lotta heart.

But her story isn’t just about startups. She’s also been in the public sector as a Presidential Innovation Fellow at the White House and a team lead at the U.S. Digital Service. She’s been in the room where big policies are made, pushing for health equity and smarter data use. Basically, she’s about making government and healthcare systems better from the inside out.

What’s wild is how she’s combined all this, startups, social enterprise, public service, to build a career that’s about more than just business. It’s about purpose. She’s driven by the idea that health tech shouldn’t be a privilege, but a right. Her process proves that real impact comes from jumping into tough problems, not waiting for someone else to fix them.

So, if you ask me, Karin’s the kind of person who sees a problem and doesn’t just talk, she builds shit that actually makes a difference. She’s been crushing it in both the startup scene and social good, always pushing for health equity and better lives for underserved communities. No cap, she’s one of those rare founders who’s in it for the right reasons and actually makes it happen.