Building CareCo

CareConference 2026: conference.careco.aiWelcome back to Building CareCo! We kick things off with a candid conversation about the real-world utility of AI agents in business — separating the FOMO hype from what actually delivers results. We dive deep into the creation of "Frankie," our internal AI-powered support agent built to centralize customer data, triage issues intelligently, and reduce the support bottleneck — while being honest about where AI still falls short for complex backend debugging, even with models like Claude Opus 4.6.We then shift to strategy, exploring how a Monaco CRM demo sparked a broader conversation about the Palantir-pioneered FDE (Forward Deployed Engineer) model — and why we believe deploying a white-glove, outcomes-driven approach that includes HIPAA-compliant workflow analysis could be CareCo's competitive edge in the enterprise market. We wrap up with an exciting announcement: CareConference 2026, an invite-only, single-day, single-track "anti-conference" at the Willard Intercontinental in Washington D.C. on March 23rd, featuring fireside chats with CMMI Director Abe Sutton, CMMI Head of AI Jacob Schiff, and other leading voices in care management.Timestamps:00:00:00 - Introduction00:00:13 - AI Agent Utility vs. FOMO00:03:02 - Introducing "Frankie" - Our AI Support Agent00:08:04 - AI's Limits in Complex Debugging00:15:16 - The FDE Sales Approach00:22:17 - Being an Outcomes Company00:22:26 - CareConference 2026 Announcement

Welcome back to Building CareCo!In this episode, we reflects on the transition from the "year of hype" in 2024 to the value-driven landscape of 2026. We discuss the current state of the "AI wars," with the strategic moats of Apple and Google against the shifting leadership at OpenAI and Anthropic. Finally, we discuss why starting a SaaS company today is fundamentally different than in the pre-2022 era and how human adoption remains the final hurdle for autonomous technology.Timestamps:00:00 – Moving from the "year of hype" (2024) to seeing real value in 2026.01:16 – Dealing with "analysis paralysis" and the jarring speed of new AI models.03:34 – Cutting through the "snake oil" and hype bots on social media.04:09 – Why the "vibe coding" era is producing amateur-feeling software.05:35 – How Apple and Google are playing the long game with their "motes".08:14 – The drama behind OpenAI’s exodus and the rise of Anthropic.11:21 – Current AI habits: Switching between Perplexity, Claude, and Grok.12:12 – Rumors of a massive Tesla, X, and xAI merger.14:40 – Why the massive data center build-out is finally hitting daily life.17:14 – Using AI to collapse government red tape and bureaucracy.19:10 – The "flywheel" effect: Why Tesla’s Robotaxi may beat Waymo.23:05 – The broken state of air travel vs. SpaceX orbital flights.25:53 – Why SaaS companies built before 2022 carry "massive baggage".31:51 – The human adoption hurdle: Why you still need to "grab people by the lapel".32:43 – The theory of "indispensable" human roles that AI won't replace.37:46 – Growth update: Scaling to 10,000 additional calls this month.

In this episode, Mendel and Shlomo reflect on a monumental 2025 and look ahead to the healthcare landscape of 2026. They dive deep into the strategic shift from process-driven fee-for-service models (CCM/RPM) to the new CMS "Access" model focused on patient outcomes. The conversation explores the technical and organizational hurdles of scaling a startup, and a radical vision for the future of sales—replacing traditional SDR/BDR roles with personalized AI agents that manage the entire client lifecycle.Enjoy!Timestamps:00:00 — Content Strategy: Knowledge is King 01:08 — What is the "Access" Model? 03:28 — Revamping Previva for Access06:30 — AI & Fast-Track Tech Approvals 08:08 — The End of CCM & RPM?10:02 — CareCo: Outcomes vs. Efficiency 13:17 — 2025 by the Numbers 17:01 — Scaling with AI, Not Headcount18:43 — Replacing SDRs with AI Agents24:40 — Can a Chatbot Build Trust? 29:59 — AI Agents for Every Client 34:54 — Automating Design & Copywriting39:50 — Meet the "Cousin Greg" Agent 49:51 — AI: Can It Close Sales? 55:08 — Looking Ahead to 2026

In this episode, we take a deep dive into a critical strategic question facing modern startups: should you share your innovations publicly or keep them proprietary? The discussion begins with an exploration of how AI coding tools are democratizing software development, making it easier than ever for competitors to replicate your product once they see it. We debate whether the traditional SaaS model is dying as barriers to entry collapse, and whether vertical integration—using proprietary software to power a services business rather than selling the software itself—is the future. Then we discussed how government agencies are increasingly adopting AI (connecting to broader 2025 trends in federal AI implementation), and discuss why CareCo is positioned at the intersection of these trends. Timestamps:00:00:00 - Opening Discussion: To Share or Not to Share Innovation00:00:40 - The Age of the Idea Person: AI's Impact on Coding00:02:05 - Why Traditional SaaS Advantages Are Disappearing00:03:03 - Apple and Amazon's AI Struggles Due to Legacy Structure00:03:40 - The Problem: When Anyone Can Copy Your Idea00:04:12 - Vertical Integration Strategy: Using Software to Power Services00:05:03 - Counterargument: What Competitive Advantages Remain in SaaS00:06:22 - The Four Key Barriers: Distribution, Network Effects, Brand, and Data00:08:11 - Why B2B Distribution Still Matters00:09:35 - Sales as a Fundamental Competitive Advantage00:10:54 - The Reality: Sales Success Depends on Team Quality00:12:29 - When Network Effects Actually Matter00:14:02 - Debunking Product-Led Growth for Enterprise Software00:15:48 - Brand Value in Enterprise Sales00:17:08 - The Long Game: Building Trust and Category Leadership00:19:20 - Government AI Adoption Trends and CareCo's Positioning00:21:43 - Gen 2 Vision: Agentic AI Care Coordinators00:23:44 - The Strategic Value of Open vs. Closed Innovation00:26:13 - Sales Process Deep Dive: Understanding Enterprise Buyers00:28:41 - The Psychology of Enterprise Sales Conversations00:31:25 - Recognizing Buying Signals and Pain Points00:33:47 - The Importance of Pre-Qualified Discovery Calls00:35:11 - Reading Between the Lines in Sales Conversations00:36:42 - Understanding Genuine Interest vs. Politeness00:38:09 - Episode Wrap-Up and Hiring Pitch Practice00:39:33 - First Sales Leader Pitch Attempt00:40:00 - Final Polished Pitch for Enterprise Sales Leader

Welcome to Episode 24 of Building Careco! With Mendel away, Shlomo Wolf (Head of Content) and Shlomo Morozow (CTO) are taking a deep, unscripted dive into their contrasting journeys that led them to the company. Shlomo M. traces the technical path from manually archiving magnetic tapes at JEM to the corporate environment of Vimeo. Simultaneously, Shlomo W. explores his creative timeline, starting from childhood Apple obsession and early YouTube visual effects to launching a music production career. Finally, the two Shlomos discuss the current state of AI: why it’s completely replacing jobs in visual design (like editing product photos in minutes) while only achieving minor efficiency gains for senior software developers working on complex codebases.Timestamps:00:00:00 - Introduction and Defining Roles: Growth vs. Content00:02:41 - The Tech Journey: From Archiving Magnetic Tapes to PHP00:14:22 - Building a Custom Streaming Box with Raspberry Pi at JEM00:18:04 - Working at Vimeo and the Transition to CareCo00:19:37 - Technical Deep Dive: How DRM Blocks Screen Recording00:26:51 - CareCo's Early Innovation with AI Citations00:27:43 - The Creative Journey: From Computer Science to Medicine and Back00:31:12 - Early Days of YouTube, iMovie, and Visual Effects00:37:48 - Music Production, Auto-Tune, and Pitch Correction00:46:36 - The Economics of the Music Industry and Spotify Revenue00:59:40 - Cold Emailing Mendel and Creating the Launch Video01:13:45 - Current State of CareCo and AI Efficiency Constraints01:21:13 - Why AI Replaces Design Faster Than Complex Engineering01:27:11 - Closing Thoughts

Welcome back to Building CareCo! We're back after a several-month hiatus to share to talk about the journey through the ups and downs of bootstrapping a healthcare AI startup. We talk about how shifting to a sales-first approach and completing our communication feature stack—including texting, video calling, ambient recording, and telephony—has positioned CareCo as a comprehensive one-stop shop for care teams. We dive into our ambitious vision for AI-powered healthcare, and our recent product launches that enable CareCo's AI to analyze every patient interaction across all communication channels.Enjoy!Timestamps:00:00:00 - Welcome to Season 2 and Recap of the Break00:02:18 - Finding the Right Rhythm and Sales-First Approach00:03:58 - Achieving Profitability Milestone00:10:46 - Leveraging Every Patient Interaction00:17:29 - The Challenge of Healthcare Fragmentation00:19:46 - Solving Interoperability Problems00:33:57 - Feature Updates: Complete Communication Stack00:36:27 - Closing Thoughts and Season 2 Launch

I discovered you can actually call ChatGPT at 1-800-ChatGPT to practice sales conversations - and it genuinely helped my cold calling game. Shlomo and I dive into this plus the whole AI agent craze that's happening right now. We get into why some things should be automated in healthcare and others definitely shouldn't, share some real business building stories (including a wild Syrian real estate mogul tale), and talk about why successful people never seem that impressed with their own success. Plus we cover everything from Pennsylvania coal history to the psychology of victim mindset versus actual perseverance. Classic mix of practical business advice and random tangents.Learn how AI can amplify your care coordination team at: https://link.careco.ai/Iq2gykTimestamps:00:00:00 - Cold Call Practice Using ChatGPT00:04:13 - Healthcare AI: What Should Be Automated vs What Shouldn't00:11:57 - AI Hype Reality Check00:27:02 - Why Successful People Seem Unimpressed by Their Own Success00:36:20 - Money as a Business Blocker00:44:22 - Victim Mindset vs Real Perseverance in Business

In this episode, Shlomo Wolf, our Head of Content at CareCo, joins while our co-founder Shloime is away in Israel. We dive into some really interesting territory about startup life, including finding "the biggest hill you can climb", what it's actually like building a tech company versus a service business, and I share some lessons I've learned the hard way about chasing big-name partnerships instead of focusing on the people who actually use your product. Also talked about is our recent White House visit, content strategy, and what we're planning for short-form video content, hiring philosophy to delegation, why commission-only sales jobs are usually a red flag, risk taking, being ready for challenges, and why the worst-case scenario pretty much never actually happens. Enjoy!Timestamps:00:00:00 - Introduction00:03:11 - The "Biggest Hill to Climb" Philosophy00:09:48 - Service Companies vs Tech Startups00:21:17 - End Users vs Big Partnerships00:30:52 - Content Strategy and Short-Form Video Hiring Plans00:47:21 - Taking Risks and Embracing the Unknown

In this episode, we talk about our experience being featured at Microsoft's exclusive Health Impact event as the only "pre-Pegasus" startup alongside their elite revenue-hitting companies, the transformative power of public speaking training, and insights from Jack Altman's "Uncapped" podcast where Sam Altman reveals Meta's $100M talent poaching attempts and why even OpenAI feels resource-constrained. We dive into the mental toughness required for startup life, why childhood resilience matters for adult success, updates on our texting platform development, and our take on why most agentic AI applications in chronic care are BS—except for surprising use cases like AI companions for loneliness.Timestamps:00:00:04 - Introduction and Welcome00:00:24 - Microsoft Health Impact Event and Pegasus Program Experience00:04:53 - Speaking Training Transformation and Stage Psychology00:11:05 - Jack Altman's Uncapped Podcast Insights00:12:20 - Sam Altman on Resource Constraints and Meta's $100M Offers00:20:10 - Mental Resilience and Startup Challenges00:23:29 - Childhood Development and Building Resilience00:26:32 - Texting Feature Development and 10DLC Implementation00:31:21 - Agentic AI in Healthcare: Reality Check and Mila AI Case Study00:34:44 - Platform Design Philosophy and User Experience Excellence00:37:50 - Closing Remarks

So the internet basically broke yesterday. I'm sitting in a client meeting trying to demo our dashboard and nothing's loading. At first I'm thinking we screwed something up, but then my phone starts going crazy - dozens of users hitting support all at once. Turns out Google Cloud, Cloudflare, AWS - basically everyone went down at the same time for like 2.5 hours.Honestly though? Once I realized it wasn't our fault, I felt pretty good seeing how many people immediately noticed we were down. Like we actually have users who depend on this thing now.We walk through the whole mess - how Google denied anything was wrong for hours while everyone's freaking out, how we were first to get back online in our space. Then we get into the actually exciting stuff: clients who literally see us as their competitive edge and don't want their competitors knowing about us, this pharmacist team we just built completely custom documentation for, and Shloime's finally making real progress on texting.But then we go down this rabbit hole about AI-first workflows that honestly got me fired up. What if care coordinators could just hit "go" in the morning and we walk them through their entire day? AI triages the simple calls, queues up what's important, maybe even coaches you through difficult patients. It's ambitious as hell but that's where our heads are at right now.Timestamps:00:00:00 - Introduction and Welcome to Building CareCo00:00:33 - The Wild Day: June 12th Internet Outage Begins00:06:43 - Phone System Performance and HD Voice Issues00:14:39 - Texting and Video Feature Development Progress00:15:34 - Large Client Customization Success Stories00:20:40 - Clients Using CareCo as Competitive Advantage00:23:09 - Platform vs. Opinionated Workflow Philosophy00:25:17 - AI-First Workflow Concept Introduction00:38:20 - AI Assistant for Incoming Call Triage00:43:28 - Efficiency vs. Human Connection Balance00:45:14 - Advanced AI Call Management Features00:48:47 - Engineering Team Expansion Plans00:48:55 - Episode Wrap-up and Final Thoughts

We're back from the Jewish holiday of Shavuos and diving into what's been an absolutely massive month for CareCo. We're honestly still processing the numbers - we went from 15,000 patients in April to 35,000 by the end of May. That's over 100% growth in a single month, and we're finally approaching profitability.In this episode, we break down how our bet on building around phone calls and conversations is paying off big time. We talk about the nightmare that is 10 DLC texting regulations (seriously, it's like HIPAA but worse), and some exciting partnership opportunities that could change everything. Plus, I share details about my upcoming trip to DC for meetings with DOGE, the head of CMMI, and Medicare Advantage leadership - no big deal, right? We also get real about the challenge of hiring great engineers when you're competing against Google and Meta, and why our Orthodox Jewish community might actually be our secret weapon.Timestamps:00:00:00 - Welcome Back and Post-Holiday Check-in00:02:20 - May Performance Review: 100% Growth and 35,000 Patients00:03:19 - Current Feature Development: Ambient, Texting, and Video00:04:59 - Holiday Staffing Challenges and Engineering Needs00:05:26 - Product Development Ideas and Texting Potential00:06:27 - 10 DLC Regulations: The Texting Compliance Challenge00:10:31 - AI Automation Limitations and Industry Readiness00:12:33 - Speech-First Platform Philosophy and Voice Interfaces00:19:12 - Patient Topics and Call Guide Development00:23:35 - Three-Month Roadmap: Profitability and Feature Completion00:25:01 - Engineering Hiring Strategy and Talent Competition00:34:09 - Content Strategy: Video Testimonials and User Wins00:38:32 - Upcoming Travel: Microsoft Event and DC Government Meetings00:40:10 - Closing Thoughts and Weekly Wrap-up

In this special episode, we dive deep into Abridge's meteoric rise from a $200M funding round to pursuing a staggering $5 billion valuation in just months, analyzing what this means for the commoditization of AI medical transcription. We then pivot to major tech industry developments, including OpenAI's groundbreaking $6.5 billion acquisition of Johnny Ive's design startup and Google's latest AR glasses that challenge Meta's dominance. Throughout our conversation, we explore the fundamental tensions between Silicon Valley's "go big or go home" VC culture versus sustainable growth strategies, using Epic Systems' decades-long bootstrap approach as a counterpoint. We conclude with a sobering analysis of Apple's post-Steve Jobs decline and Tim Cook's limitations as an optimizer rather than an innovator in the AI era.Timestamps:00:00:00 - Abridge's $5 Billion Valuation and Market Position00:01:57 - AI Medical Transcription Competition and Commoditization00:05:58 - Startup Success Philosophy: VC Culture vs. Sustainable Growth00:08:03 - Epic Systems' Bootstrap Strategy and Industry Leadership00:11:07 - Abridge Revenue Analysis and Company Assessment00:13:23 - M&A Challenges and Human Cost of Corporate Mergers00:15:03 - Johnny Ive and OpenAI's $6.5B Hardware Partnership00:19:29 - Google's AI Announcements and AR Glasses Launch00:20:47 - Meta vs. Google: AR Hardware Competition00:22:12 - Apple's AI Struggles and Market Position Decline00:24:09 - Google's Strategic AI Advantages and Market Dominance00:26:47 - Apple's Post-Steve Jobs Identity Crisis00:30:14 - Peacetime vs. Wartime CEO Leadership Styles00:31:32 - Steve Jobs' Focus Philosophy and Product Strategy

In this episode of Building CareCo, we celebrate a breakthrough week for CareCo. We discuss doubling our patient count to approximately 37,000, launching our new "ambient listener" feature that extends CareCo's capabilities to in-person encounters, and discuss ideas on building a community platform for our users. We also share insights on our successful support team expansion with our new team member from South Africa, explore technical scaling scenarios, and reflect on our path to profitability by July. Enjoy!Timestamps:00:00:00 - Introduction and Welcome00:00:28 - "Schadenfreude"00:03:03 - Doubling Our Patient Count00:03:57 - Ambient Listener Feature Launch00:05:56 - Current Patient Growth Numbers00:07:26 - User Experience and Retention Success00:09:23 - CareCo Community00:19:25 - We Have a New Team Member!00:24:09 - OpenAI's Codex Thoughts00:28:54 - Trump's Middle East Visit and Technology Investments00:36:54 - Technical Scaling Architecture and Strategy00:42:37 - Closing Thoughts and Profitability Goals

Welcome back to Building CareCo Episode 15! We kick things off with breaking news about Trump's executive order to lower drug prices by 30-80% through international price parity. We dive deep into the economics of pharmaceutical pricing, discussing Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drug model and his focus on transparency. Mendel shares highlights from his recent speaking engagement at Jefferson College of Population Health, where our care coordination concepts resonated strongly with the audience - reinforcing our belief that human empathy is irreplaceable in healthcare. Shloime presents his contrarian hot take on AI agents, arguing that artificial intelligence has hit a scaling wall and current agentic tools may be overhyped, comparing it to the dot-com bubble. We explore the challenges of implementing agents safely, the differences between prompting and agentic AI, and why I've only met one person who believes agents will fully replace humans in care coordination.Timestamps:00:00:00 - Introduction00:00:16 - Trump's Drug Pricing Executive Order00:04:09 - Mark Cuban's Take00:06:56 - Free Market vs Government Intervention00:14:17 - Jefferson College Speaking Engagement00:17:23 - AI Hitting the Scaling Wall00:26:43 - AI Dot-Com Bubble00:33:56 - New CareCo Ambient Listener Feature00:37:38 - AI in Creative Industries00:42:30 - Weekly Recap Ideas for Care Coordinators00:44:46 - Closing Remarks

Learn more: https://CareCo.aiIn this episode of Building CareCo podcast, we discuss entering what we see as "chapter three" of our journey after reaching 15,000 patients and projecting growth to 25,000 by May. We reflect on how we've overcome the complexities of building a stable phone system and established a support framework that allows us to scale.We're particularly excited about our recent partnership with the HELIOS platform (owned by Virtual Health), which connects us to 14 million potential patients. We dive into how our startup benefits from building without preconceived notions, allowing us to question everything and create solutions that truly work for our users.Then we get technical and explore the challenges of telephony infrastructure and how AI tools are creating a substantial competitive advantage in our development process. We wrap up by previewing our upcoming features—ambient voice listening, texting, and video capabilities—which will create a comprehensive patient communication platform. Follow if you'd like to see more episodes!00:00:00 - Introduction and Patient Growth Milestones00:00:39 - The Three Chapters of CareCo's Development00:02:04 - Adapting to Different User Workflows00:04:34 - Product Stabilization and Successful Onboarding00:05:36 - Different Perspectives on Company Growth Phases00:07:42 - Exploring Options for Customer Support Personnel00:10:31 - Technical Challenges of Telephony Systems00:19:18 - Current Support Management and Product Stability00:24:53 - AI Tools and Development Efficiency Advantages00:36:46 - Potential of AI in Enterprise Management00:44:52 - Upcoming Features and Epic Systems Discussion

After powering through Passover without a break, we’re back with major updates: new cold inbound clients straight off the website, massive validation of our messaging, and... our latest integration with Elligent/Helios is officially announced. Learn more about CareCo: https://careco.aiTimestamps:00:00:00 - Introduction and Post-Passover Return00:01:28 - Success with Cold Inbound Clients00:05:38 - Peter Thiel's Market Domination Strategy00:07:59 - Mendel's Tesla Full Self-Driving Experience00:13:32 - Tesla's Vision vs. LiDAR Technology Approach00:17:08 - Future of Autonomous Vehicle Economics00:19:20 - Customer Support Expansion Experiments00:24:16 - Upcoming Helios Platform Integration00:26:46 - CareCo's Three Growth Chapters00:31:25 - LinkedIn Poll on Brand Awareness00:34:09 - User Testimonials and Client Enthusiasm00:38:44 - AT&T Porting Difficulties and Dark Web Patterns00:41:45 - May Planning and Brief Tariff Discussion00:47:50 - Closing

In this chat with Dr. Shlomo Saul, we dive into why he picked primary care over specializing and how it lets him catch health issues early. We discuss the lifestyle factors behind chronic conditions in the US and hear some surprising insights about reversing conditions like diabetes. The conversation wraps up with his take on AI medical tools and what docs really want to know about their patients when coordinating care.Ready to transform your Care Coordination? https://careco.aiTimestamps:00:00:00 - Introduction and Welcome00:00:24 - Dr. Shlomo's Background in Primary Care00:00:40 - Why Choose Primary Care Over Specialization00:02:38 - Chronic Conditions in Western Society00:06:05 - Managing and Reversing Chronic Conditions00:07:51 - Critical Age for Health Interventions00:09:05 - Fee-for-Service Healthcare Model00:11:42 - Effective Patient Care Beyond Incentives00:14:35 - Building Relationships and Changing Patient Behavior00:20:35 - Social Determinants of Health00:23:13 - AI Technology in Medical Documentation00:25:51 - Information Priorities for Doctors

In this episode, we're psyched to share that we're close to 1,000 daily conversations on CareCo - a huge milestone for us! We dig into why we decided to build our own phone system (despite the occasional headaches) and how this gives us a real edge over those AI scribes that just handle documentation while we're tackling the entire workflow. We also chat about some cool industry stuff - our advisory board member David Banks just got promoted to CEO at AdventHealth, and Epic Health making a surprisingly casual entrance into social media (their X account is actually pretty funny). We share our thoughts on why we're keeping customer support human-focused when everyone else is rushing to automate everything with AI - our philosophy is pretty simple: automate the tedious stuff that burns people out, but deliberately preserve human connection where it matters most. We wrap up with some quick thoughts on Meta's new Llama 4 model and what it might mean for companies banking on expensive AI models. Enjoy!00:00:00 - Introduction and Welcome00:01:04 - Addressing Product Issues and User Feedback00:04:31 - Building a Phone System vs. Other Approaches00:07:19 - Value Proposition of Integrated Telephony00:08:46 - Platform Ownership and Competition Advantages00:19:48 - Epic Joining Social Media and Healthcare Industry Changes00:25:36 - David Banks Promotion Announcement00:28:51 - Hiring Overseas Support Staff00:33:26 - AI Augmentation vs. Humanization Approach00:40:52 - Meta's Llama 4 and AI Industry Prediction

Welcome back to episode 10 of Building CareCo! The podcast where CareCo co-founders Mendel Erlenwein and Shlomo Morozow talk entrepreneurship, AI, health-tech, and lessons learned on the ground building the worlds best workflow tool for care coordination. This week we discuss breaking tech news about xAI acquiring X at an $33 billion valuation, hot takes on Trump's tariff strategy, and take a deep dive into how AI technology is revolutionizing healthcare coordination, particularly in addressing waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare programs. Timestamps:00:00:00 - Introduction and Welcome00:00:46 - Breaking News: X AI Acquires X00:06:18 - Trump's Tariff Strategy Analysis00:15:35 - Hiring Updates and Talent Search00:26:05 - Analyzing Waste and Fraud in Care Coordination00:36:05 - Using AI to Improve Patient Care Quality00:46:30 - Aligning Patient Care Incentives with Technology00:51:17 - Closing and Sign-off

In this episode of Building CareCo, co-founders Mendel and Shlomo discuss their week of business challenges. They analyze their VoIP telephony infrastructure issues while onboarding enterprise clients, explore how social engineering has become the primary vector for modern cybersecurity breaches, and break down Google's landmark $32 billion acquisition of security startup Wizz. Shlomo provides a practical explanation of AI prompting fundamentals while offering a candid assessment of AI coding tools like Claude and Cursor, revealing that while these technologies offer efficiency gains for routine development tasks, they still struggle with complex software architecture. Recorded over a bottle of Or Haganuz Elima.Timestamps:00:00:04 - Introduction and Welcome00:00:27 - Wine Tasting Discussion00:02:09 - Telephonic Issues at CareCo00:02:56 - Humorous Meeting00:06:39 - Social Engineering and Cybersecurity00:08:29 - Phone System Challenges00:11:52 - AI Scribes and Startup Valuations00:16:29 - AI Prompting Concepts Explained00:28:41 - Google's Acquisition of Wizz Security00:30:26 - AI-Enabled Security Threats and Voice Spoofing00:34:28 - Current State of AI in Programming00:40:11 - AI's Limitations in Complex System Development00:48:27 - The Future of Junior Engineers in an AI-First World

In this episode of Building CareCo, CEO Mendel Erlenwein and CTO Shlomo Morozow discuss CareCo's recent scaling challenges over a bottle of disappointing Israeli wine. They reflect on how system overloads from new clients represent "good problems" despite the stress, and explore the surprising gap between customer complaints and actual satisfaction. The co-founders share their product philosophy of finding the "greatest common denominator" rather than trying to please everyone. After discussing RFK's healthcare policy changes and announcing CareCo's search for a full-stack engineer, the conversation shifts to Tesla's potential dominance in the rideshare market, how perceived intentions shape political discourse, and Gavin Newsom's strategic podcast venture featuring guests from across the political spectrum.Timestamps:00:00:00 - Introduction and Welcome00:00:25 - Wine Tasting: Jezreel Amudim 202100:02:09 - Difficult Week Overview00:03:54 - Technical Issues and System Scaling Problems00:04:21 - Learning to Appreciate the Down Moments00:08:03 - Customer Feedback and Complaints Gap00:12:01 - Product Philosophy and Focus Strategy00:17:33 - Healthcare Program Changes and RFK News00:20:11 - Congressional Guest for Healthcare Trailblazers Podcast00:21:35 - CareCo Hiring Announcement00:28:47 - DoorDash Wine Delivery Story00:30:32 - Uber Car Rentals and Tesla Discussion00:38:33 - Theory on Intentions and Political Discourse00:45:15 - Discussion About Gavin Newsom's Podcast Strategy00:47:33 - Closing and Sign-off

In this episode of Building CareCo, CEO Mendel Erlenwein shares his experiences from the HIMSS healthcare conference with CTO and co-founder Shlomo Morozow over a bottle of Spanish kosher wine. They discuss the challenges of travel, observations about AI scribes dominating the healthcare tech landscape, and insights about Microsoft's new healthcare offerings. The conversation explores why professionals still prefer pen and paper despite AI note-taking solutions, critiques Mayo Clinic's expensive partnership model that favors venture-backed startups, and Mendel reflects on his keynote experience and Samsung booth partnership at HIMSS. A candid look at healthcare innovation, startup realities, and the contrast between substance and hype in the healthcare technology ecosystem.Timestamps:00:00 - Introduction and Wine Tasting02:30 - Travel Nightmares: JFK and TSA Experiences08:45 - Government vs Private Sector Accountability15:30 - HIMSS Conference Overview22:00 - AI Scribes Everywhere: Conference Observations30:15 - Microsoft vs Slack: Bundling Strategies36:30 - The Persistence of Pen and Paper Note-Taking42:00 - Why AI Can't Replace Handwritten Notes (Yet)50:30 - Mayo Clinic's $70K Startup Tax1:02:00 - Substance vs Hype in Healthcare Startups1:10:00 - Keynote Reality Check: Expectations vs Audience1:17:30 - Samsung Partnership and Career Reflections

In this episode of Building CareCo, CEO Mendel Erlenwein is rejoined by CTO and co-founder Shlomo Morozow over Israeli wine. They discuss how client silence is rarely personal, the ways healthcare bureaucracy stifles innovation, and the advantages of flat organizational structures. The conversation explores AI's potential to revolutionize care coordination by replacing traditional care plans with personalized interactions, the benefits of FHIR standards for healthcare integrations, and Mendel's upcoming HIMSS keynote. The co-founders critique EHRs' negative impact on patient care, debate healthcare AI regulation, and consider healthcare reform with fewer litigation barriers plus news of CareCo's Samsung Health partnership and company updates.Learn more about CareCo: careco.aiTimestamps:00:00 - Israeli Wine Tasting02:44 - When Clients Go Silent11:06 - Healthcare Bureaucracy16:44 - Benefits of Flat Teams27:54 - AI vs. Care Plans37:24 - AI Enabling Value-Based Care41:02 - FHIR Integration Benefits48:54 - HIMSS Keynote Prep55:28 - When EHRs Hijack Care1:00:14 - AI Healthcare Regulation1:05:24 - Reimagining Healthcare1:12:44 - Samsung Health Partnership1:14:24 - CareCo Weekly Updates

In this episode of Building CareCo, CEO Mendel Erlenwein welcomes Esriel Rappoport, a business strategist and advisor who has been integral to CareCo's journey. Over a bottle of Malion Reserve wine, they discuss Klarna's AI customer service reversal, contrasting healthcare systems in America and Europe, and the balance between AI innovation and human connection. The conversation explores how America's litigious healthcare environment drives costs up compared to Switzerland's model, the cultural differences in wealth perception, and CareCo's mission to enhance rather than replace human capabilities in healthcare delivery. Esriel shares both his excitement about AI's potential and his philosophical concerns about human purpose in an increasingly automated world.Timestamps:00:00 - Introducing Guest & Wine4:39 - Differences in Money Culture Between America & Switzerland 10:54 - How Waste Leads to Fraud14:45 - The Trap of Polarization16:19 - Klarna Backtracks AI Automation29:58 - Bill Ackman goes after UnitedHealthcare35:39 - Systemic Issues with Healthcare49:06 - Healthy vs. Unhealthy Innovation1:02:08 - How’s the CareCo Investment Been?1:06:14 - Fears of the AI revolution?1:19:33 - Final Thoughts

In Episode 4 of Building CareCo, CEO Mendel Erlenwein and CTO Shlomo Morozow discuss their groundbreaking AI patient demo that could allow care coordinators to practice patient interactions. They explore why replacing human care coordinators with AI isn't the answer, despite having the technical capability to do so. The conversation shifts to a recent meeting with former CMS director Meena Seshamani and the challenges of healthcare regulation, including HIPAA's impact on innovation. They dive into the inefficiencies plaguing major health insurance companies and debate potential solutions. Finally, they explore recent developments in the tech industry, from Elon Musk's government initiatives to the state of AI development at major tech companies. Recorded over a bottle of 2020 Bordeaux from Chateau Grasac.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro & Wine Description2:15 - AI Patient Demo10:35 - People Catching on to AI Bots 12:04 - The Role of Human Empathy16:41 - Interviewing the Director of CMS18:12 - Impacts of RFK Confirmation on Healthcare19:50 - Health Equity vs. DEI22:24 - DOGE’s Effect on Healthcare25:52 - Elon Musk’s Motivations 27:00 - The Chicken & Egg Problem of Health Tech29:28 - Bureaucracy Stifling Innovation35:15 - Could Competition Improve Health Systems39:43 - Is HIPAA Scam?50:42 - AI FOMO & CEO’s Return to Office54:52 - CareCo Week Recap59:59 - Fraud in Healthcare

PlaceholderIn Episode 3 of Building CareCo, CEO Mendel Erlenwein and CTO Shlomo Morozow revisit CareCo's origin story - from the early agency debacle to the weekend warrior coding sessions that launched the company. Then, they dive into CareCo's first system outage and the surprising lessons learned about client relationships. Finally, they explore the concept of social currency in healthcare tech, and why trust and relationships matter more than your pitch deck. Recorded a bottle of kosher wine from Jerusalem's Zion Winery.Timestamps:00:00 - Intro & Wine Description3:33 - Dealing with Fires7:10 - Your Smallest Clients Are Your Worst10:32 - Social Currency12:54 - CareCo Origin Story18:44 - Pitfalls of Too Much Demand22:42 - In House vs. Agency Quality24:06 - Your Train is Moving25:56 - The Solution is Always There27:00 - The Chicken & Egg Problem of Health Tech32:44 - Kicking Open Doors35:42 - Learning from Failure37:00 - Flat Organization Structure44:21 - Fractional Roles55:16 - The Trap of Too Much Capital

In Episode 2 of Building CareCo, we discuss the emergence of DeepSeek and its implications for the AI industry, while exposing the often misleading media narratives around venture funding and startup 'success' stories and why it strengthens our conviction that modern startups might be better off staying lean and autonomous. Recorded over Shiloh Secret Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Learn more about CareCo: ⁠careco.ai Follow Mendel: ⁠LinkedIn Follow Shlomo: ⁠LinkedIn 00:00 - Introduction 02:52 - Time Management, & Flow State 19:32 - Screw Fear, Saying No 25:00 - AI Won't Replace Software Engineers 36:16 - Will Talent Develop in the Age of AI? 40:36 - What Makes a 10x Engineer? 42:44 - DeepSeek 44:12 - NVIDIA Stock Price 47:57 - DeepSeek Controversy, Being AI Agnostic 56:51 - Bootstrapping, Dangers of VC Investment, Funding Hype

Join CareCo founders Mendel Erlenwein and Shlomo Morozow as they explore the intersection of AI and healthcare over a glass of wine. This week they discuss Trump's $500 billion Stargate AI announcement and Larry Ellison's focus on using AI to cure cancer, why tech CEOs are suddenly appearing at Trump events, debate if patients will ever accept AI doctors, and share their vision for augmenting rather than replacing human care coordinators. Recorded over Herzog Special Reserve wine from California's Alexander Valley. Learn more about CareCo: careco.ai Follow Mendel: LinkedIn Follow Shlomo: LinkedIn 00:00 Introduction & Building in Public  03:40 Trump's AI Infrastructure Announcement (Stargate)  09:08 Larry Ellison’s Cancer Cure  15:26 Fee-For-Service vs Value-Based Care 19:45 Will AI Replace Human Care? 39:32 Inauguration Recap & Tech CEOs Turn MAGA 51:55 HIMSS Healthcare Conference Announcement 55:18 What is CareCo? 01:04:25 Impact of UI/UX on User Engagement