Investor Insights: Building Transformative Companies in Healthcare with Lee Shapiro, Managing Partner at 7WireVentures

Why do we still treat the mouth as if it’s disconnected from the rest of the body?

Lee Shapiro, managing partner at Seven Wire Ventures and former CFO of Livongo, leverages his operator experience to identify and support healthcare innovations that improve consumer experience, demonstrate measurable outcomes, and deliver clear financial returns. Drawing from his work integrating mental health into mainstream healthcare at Livongo, where treating patients’ psychological needs proved essential for managing conditions like diabetes, Shapiro sees similar opportunities in connecting oral and systemic health care delivery.

Shapiro advocates for fundamental changes in how dental care integrates with the broader healthcare system, highlighting the inefficiency of current siloed approaches that lead to $2 billion in emergency room visits for dental pain. He points to promising models in military health systems and Medicaid programs that successfully integrate dental and medical care, while emphasizing the need for aligned incentives, shared health records, and revised licensing regulations to enable dental offices to serve as early intervention points for systemic conditions.

The Think Oral Health podcast dives deep into the profound connection between oral and systemic health. Join hosts Mariya Filipova and Dr. Jonathan Levine as they explore groundbreaking perspectives with pioneering healthcare innovators, researchers, and clinicians.