SC
The AI Product Going Viral With Doctors: OpenEvidence, with CEO Daniel Nadler
@ Sequoia Capital
03/04/25
Takeaways
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
OpenEvidence is trained on peer-reviewed medical literature, serving as an AI co-pilot that assists doctors in making better decisions at the point of care, which is undeniably beneficial for humanity.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
The rapid adoption of OpenEvidence, with over 100,000 physicians using it in the U.S. alone, demonstrates that doctors are consumers who will embrace effective tools that enhance their practice.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
OpenEvidence's growth is primarily driven by word-of-mouth among doctors, rather than traditional marketing strategies, similar to how Tesla gained traction by creating an exceptional product.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
Medical knowledge is increasing at an unprecedented rate, with new research published every minute, making it challenging for doctors to keep up with the latest information and treatments.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
The half-life of medical knowledge has drastically decreased; today, half of what a doctor learns in medical school becomes outdated within just a few years, necessitating continuous learning.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
OpenEvidence addresses the challenge of finding specific medical information by providing a streamlined way for doctors to access relevant studies and data, improving patient care outcomes.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
Doctors frequently use OpenEvidence to look up rare patient cases they encounter only once or twice in their careers, highlighting the platform's utility in addressing unique medical scenarios.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
The platform's focus on peer-reviewed literature ensures that the information doctors access is credible and reliable, avoiding the pitfalls of unverified online sources.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
OpenEvidence's approach to training AI models is distinct; it does not connect to the public internet, ensuring that the information provided is based solely on vetted medical research. Additionally, OpenEvidence has formed a strategic partnership with the New England Journal of Medicine, which is unique as they typically do not allow AI companies to train on their research.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
The editorial board members of the New England Journal of Medicine were already power users of OpenEvidence, which led to their willingness to collaborate with us.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
OpenEvidence prioritizes the brand and mission of the New England Journal of Medicine, which is a nonprofit organization focused on maintaining the integrity of medical knowledge rather than pursuing commercial contracts.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
By making OpenEvidence freely available, we enabled widespread adoption among U.S. doctors, with 10-20% starting to use it overnight to access new medical studies and improve diagnoses.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
The concept of 'open' in OpenEvidence signifies a direct approach to doctors, addressing their pain points without gatekeepers, and making medical information more accessible.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
OpenEvidence serves not only elite hospitals but also community practices, providing essential medical knowledge to doctors in underserved areas who cannot afford expensive subscriptions.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
We built OpenEvidence by assembling a team of PhD-level scientists from top institutions, focusing on creating specialized AI models trained on peer-reviewed medical literature.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
Our approach to AI in medicine involves using smaller, specialized models trained on peer-reviewed literature that outperform larger models on specific medical tasks, which was a novel insight at the time of development.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
In medicine, hallucinations from AI can be life-threatening, so we ensure our models are trained exclusively on peer-reviewed medical knowledge to maintain accuracy.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
Accuracy and transparency are crucial in AI healthcare applications, allowing physicians to interrogate the sources of information provided by the AI.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
OpenEvidence allows doctors to drill down to the underlying sources of information, fostering a symbiotic relationship with medical publishers by driving traffic to their journals.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
The use of OpenEvidence has already saved lives by helping doctors make better clinical decisions based on accurate medical information.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
OpenEvidence's platform is freely available to all physicians, leading to widespread organic adoption and strategic partnerships with publishers like the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
The ability to efficiently acquire new skills, or high neuroplasticity, is essential for success in AI and other fields, as it allows individuals to adapt to rapidly changing information.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
Elite individuals are drawn to work with other elite individuals, as they seek to challenge themselves and test their limits in a competitive environment.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
The rules of the game in AI have not changed; high IQ, motivated, and neuroplastic individuals continue to be critical for success in building effective AI applications.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
Personalized medicine, which tailors treatment plans to individual patients based on their specific medical cases, is on the horizon and could significantly improve life expectancy.
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Daniel Nadler
03/04/25
@ Sequoia Capital
In an industry where organizations move slowly, 10-20% of all U.S. doctors began using OpenEvidence overnight to find information in new medical studies and improve diagnoses.