Publications
Publications
- January 2025
- HBS Case Collection
Summer Health: Raising an AI-First Company?
By: Jeffrey J. Bussgang, Sarah Mehta and Maxim Pike Harrell
Abstract
In October 2023, Summer Health CEO Ellen DaSilva arrived at a defining juncture for her pediatric telehealth startup. Founded in 2021, Summer Health offered parents rapid access to licensed pediatricians via text message. DaSilva, an experienced telehealth executive, launched the company after struggling to reach dependable after-hours care for her children. As her startup grew, the advent of mainstream generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) prompted Summer Health’s leadership to consider how they might incorporate the technology into the company’s platform and capabilities set. Following a partnership with AI company OpenAI, Summer Health’s engineering team developed a pilot to create a new AI medical note summarization tool that proved highly useful to pediatricians. As DaSilva looked forward, she considered whether to integrate AI more deeply at Summer Health, even at the expense of her current product roadmap and company priorities.
Keywords
AI and Machine Learning; Technology Adoption; Entrepreneurship; Leadership; Business Startups; Health Care and Treatment; Business Strategy; Product Development; Health Industry; Telecommunications Industry; United States
Citation
Bussgang, Jeffrey J., Sarah Mehta, and Maxim Pike Harrell. "Summer Health: Raising an AI-First Company?" Harvard Business School Case 825-083, January 2025.