Saving Lives, Funding Innovation, and Reinventing Health - S3 E15

On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we sit down with Darnell Adler, Founder and CEO of Lifeline AI and Red Bull Basement World Champion 2026; Felipe Gurgel, Principal at Actions Capital; and Ziv Lautman, PhD, a researcher, entrepreneur, and educator working at the intersection of human physiology, wearable technology, and artificial intelligence. Darnell Adler is the Founder and CEO of Lifeline AI and the Red Bull Basement World Champion 2026. His mission is bold but simple: to become the global standard for how people call for help. Through Lifeline AI, Darnell is reimagining emergency reporting infrastructure from the ground up—building technology that is discreet by design, immediate by nature, and focused on making the world safer for everyone. Raised in San Francisco and educated at the University of Southern California, Darnell developed a passion for solving real-world problems through innovation. Surrounded by builders, entrepreneurs, and visionaries, he embraced the challenges of entrepreneurship and learned the resilience required to turn ambitious ideas into reality. Today, he is combining technology, purpose, and perseverance to build solutions that have the potential to save lives on a global scale. Felipe Levi Gurgel is an investor, operator, and startup enthusiast with a passion for helping founders build and scale transformative companies. He is currently a Principal at Actions Capital, where he invests in startups across AI, healthcare, and fintech. Before transitioning into venture investing, Felipe spent more than a decade building and growing startups, including serving as one of the earliest employees at Wellhub (formerly Gympass), one of the world's leading corporate wellness platforms. Originally from Brazil and now based in the Bay Area, he brings a unique perspective shaped by both operating and investing, with a strong focus on connecting founders, investors, and opportunities that drive innovation. Ziv Lautman, PhD, is a researcher, entrepreneur, and educator working at the intersection of human physiology, wearable technology, and artificial intelligence. He completed his doctoral training in the lab of Michael Snyder at Stanford University, where he developed personalized, interpretable AI models that leverage continuous biometric data for early disease detection and dynamic health monitoring. Ziv currently teaches Stanford's popular Engineering Wellness course (CHPR 267) and is a recipient of both the Stanford Human-Centered AI Fellowship and the Stanford Graduate Fellowship in Science and Engineering. Prior to Stanford, he co-founded an environmental health technology company focused on large-scale air quality prediction. Following its acquisition by Google, the company became a global leader in air pollution modeling, building partnerships with Fortune 500 organizations and helping bring air quality insights to billions of devices worldwide. This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact! Follow us and listen to all our episodes on: 🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68L4RPfMizjxnKBsmcFb1J 🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/silicon-valley-impact/id1776876823 📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@siliconvalleyimpact Silicon Valley Venture, LLC, the parent company of Silicon Valley Impact, is proud to partner with MoralesHR, STAK Ventures, and 1900 Broadway Tower Oakland. Visit https://moraleshr.com/ and https://stakspace.com/ to gain access to one of the world's largest full-stack venture ecosystems. With more than 1.2 million square feet dedicated to Live, Work, Play, and Go, the platform provides innovators, investors, senior executives, institutional partners, and global talent with the access, alignment, resources, and relationships needed to accelerate growth and gain a competitive advantage. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the host and guests on Silicon Valley Impact are for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial advice or a solicitation. Listeners are encouraged to consult with qualified professionals before making any financial, investment, or business decisions.