The Next Wave of Australian Healthcare and How Startups Can Engage with Large Organisations

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Healthcare in Australia is undergoing structural transformation. Rising demand, constrained system capacity, and a public increasingly comfortable with digital care have created both challenges and opportunities for innovation. To better understand this transition, we spoke with Rob Deeming, a leader who has operated in both a startup (Billy) and within Medibank, where he helped advance the company’s shift from insurer to health company. His experiences highlight practical lessons for founders and areas of opportunity within the Australian market. Rob is also a limited partner in Archangel Ventures.

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From Commercial Entry to Patient Impact

Many enter health from a place of passion; in this case, the starting point was commercial. While exploring inefficiencies in aged care, he joined aged-tech startup Billy. What began as a commercial venture quickly became mission-driven when the product was shown to save lives. That experience underscored the sector’s unique potential: innovations in healthcare directly improve outcomes for people and society.

Advice for Startups on Partnering with Large Healthcare Organizations

Startups often view large corporates as critical partners, but the reality is complex. His guidance was pragmatic:

• Consider carefully if it is worth the effort. The majority of conversations do not lead to material outcomes.

• Structure pilots properly. Pre-agree on commercial terms and success metrics, with successful pilots automatically converting into contracts.

• Leverage existing vendors. Entering through a corporate’s incumbent technology providers can create more efficient access pathways.

  
  

Advice He Wishes He’d Received at the Start

Three personal reflections emerged from his time in startups:

• Maintain a healthy skepticism of your product. Avoid defensiveness; use “no” as a learning mechanism.

• Recruit through purpose. Healthcare attracts highly capable, mission-driven talent willing to make sacrifices for impact.

• Build investor relationships early. Engage with investors before you need capital, allowing time for relationships to develop organically.

Opportunities in Australian Healthcare

Looking ahead, systemic changes are creating new openings for founders:

• Primary Care: A likely transition to capitated funding models will require new tools that enable cross team care collaboration and effective use of technology.

• NDIS Growth: With the program expanding rapidly, there is demand for solutions that track efficacy, reduce costs, and better match providers with clients.

• Interoperability: The lack of secure, scalable data infrastructure remains a constraint. Building a “Plaid for health” could unlock patient-centric innovation across the sector.

  
  

Driving Digital Transformation at Medibank

At Medibank, the mandate was clear: transform an established insurer into a health company. Several initiatives illustrate how this was pursued:

• Virtual Hospital (South Australia): A new model of care delivering 150 concurrent beds virtually in partnership with the state government, as well as a parallel 75-bed “hospital-in-a-hotel.” These initiatives relieve pressure on emergency departments and hospital beds while enabling effective care at home.

• Telehealth Service: Built to complete an omni-channel primary care strategy, this platform is supporting thousands of consultations per month and delivers primary care services for Medibank’s overseas student customers.

• Digitisation of Claims: By shifting the majority of claims to digital channels, Medibank was able to free up capacity in its physical branches and improved efficiency.

Closing Thoughts

Healthcare innovation in Australia will not be driven by incremental improvements alone. It will come from rethinking service delivery, re-architecting data flows, and ensuring that new models of care scale nationally. For founders, the opportunities lie in addressing the system’s structural needs: enabling capacity, improving outcomes, and building the infrastructure that underpins them.

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Archangel Ventures backs Australia's most ambitious founders at the earliest stages, providing the capital and support they need to scale globally.

If you're a founder looking for a partner in your journey, or an investor interested in accessing a diversified portfolio of Australia's best early-stage opportunities, get in touch with us.

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