Neil here.

Amid Bitcoin’s record-smashing $50,000 value, ongoing stimulus check debates in the House, and massive waves of unprecedented winter weather, it’s been a hectic week for headlines.

But when you strip back all of the chaos, there’s one issue that’s been top-of-mind for just about everyone around the country – and the world: A COVID-19 vaccine.

In the United States, numbers are measurably improving. On Monday, the country reported its lowest single day case count since October, and both cases and hospitalizations continue to decline.

But despite the good news, the vaccine rollout has been markedly slow.

As of this week, around 4% of the country has rolled up their sleeves. Dr. Anthony Fauci recently pushed back his estimate for when the vaccine will be generally available until closer to the summer.

These rollout efforts have faced several problems. Over the last couple of months, for example, several reports have come in of doses sitting unused in freezers due to technical difficulties and issues with distribution.

With new variants of COVID-19 spreading around the world, it’s more imperative than ever that vaccine rollout and distribution pick up the pace.

But one thing’s for sure… efforts to get the vaccine out will be even more effective if governments rely on the agility and innovation of none other than startup companies.

Startups in the healthtech space (and other sectors) are already hard at work to get the ball rolling.

There are over 150 different vaccines in the works right now, many coming from startup companies like Series B Codagenix (which launched a human trial last month).

There are even more companies working to tackle significant distribution pain points like delivery, tracking, storage, and data management. For example, I recently read a story about Zipline, a Series E company which is working to deliver COVID vaccines more efficiently and equitably to rural areas.

Not to mention, these health-focused companies are joined by other tech companies working to keep our day-to-day lives running smoothly and virtually. (In fact, one expert predicts there are five specific companies right now in the public markets getting ready to experience an anticipated $353 billion economic event over the next 17 months. Check them out here.)

You know, it’s hard to say when the entire world will be vaccinated and we can get back to life as we knew it just one year ago.

Overall, though, I see this rollout effort as an incredible opportunity for startups in the healthtech space… and their investors. It represents a red-hot industry that’s already seen massive growth over the last decade, COVID-19 or not. The global digital health market is expected to hit over $500 billion by just 2025, and I think it’s safe to say that COVID-19-inspired startup innovation has pushed the sector’s growth forward by at least five to 10 years.

But ultimately, I don’t think that this COVID vaccine effort will be nearly as successful as anyone hopes without startup companies.

Without corporate red tape and large overhead costs, startups are nimble enough to take care of massive undertakings – like this – quicker and more effectively than large institutions. I think it’s in every government and institution’s best interest to partner with these smaller companies that are still making an incredible impact.

We’ll have our ears to the ground for any great opportunities that come our way. Over at Angels & Entrepreneurs, we’ve already featured a couple of companies working directly in the COVID-19 space…

  • One of them is using automated manufacturing to support U.S. healthcare workers.
  • Another uses drones to screen for potential COVID cases.
  • And yet another uses virtual assistant technology to monitor ongoing patient symptoms and reduce hospital readmission.
It’s clear to see that the healthtech landscape is ripe with innovation and opportunity. But it’s not the only sector I’m eyeing.

Because even when we’ve all rolled our sleeves up for the vaccine, I think the paradigm shifts we’ve experienced over the last year will be far reaching. Shifts like remote work have completely changed the fabric of American life, and I doubt that’s going to disappear.

In fact, this expert has pinpointed five tech companies in this space with valuations he expects to soar by an incredible $353 billion. He’s breaking the details down stock-by-stock today.

Just click here for all the information.

I’ll be back soon with another update.

Until next time,


Neil Patel