Aster, a health tech startup founded by two sisters, has been acquired.
The venture was launched after Dr. Lailah Kara-Newton, an obstetrician-gynecologist, experienced undiagnosed preeclampsia during her first pregnancy, according to a press release. She underwent an emergency C-section, and her son was admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit. The experience inspired her and her sister, Fifi Kara, a former health product design manager at Meta, to launch Aster in 2023 with Nacho Vazquez, chief technology officer.
“Six years ago during the birth of my son, I got to experience what it was like being on both sides of the healthcare system, and that changed something in me,” Kara-Newton, chief medical officer, wrote on LinkedIn. “I decided with Fifi Kara to build the tools that could have protected us.”
Aster, which raised $2.8 million from Zeal Capital Partners, Cornerstone Ventures, and more, is described as both an AI-native electronic health record for women’s health and intelligent healthcare software that integrates patient and practice management tools with agentic AI voice technology, according to information shared on LinkedIn. Its use helps clinicians allocate their time more effectively, enabling them to pay more attention to patients.
“With Nacho Vazquez, we created tools that catch what falls through the cracks. Tools that give clinicians what they actually need to care for their patients, not around them. That’s Aster. Purpose-built for the complexity of women’s health. 50% reduction in charting time. 9,500+ automated intake forms. Atlas, our AI voice agent, designed because the physician-patient relationship deserves more than generic templates and eyes on the screen,” Kara-Newton explained on LinkedIn.
In a separate LinkedIn post, Kara, chief executive officer, wrote:
“Myself and Lailah Kara-Newton, MD started Aster with a simple set of ideas. Could we make the act of delivering care far more enjoyable, far more manageable, and ultimately far safer for the patients and families on the receiving end?”
Aster has now been acquired by Elation Health, a “clinical-first AI platform for modern primary care success” that has served 50,000 clinical users and 24 million patients, according to a press release. This marks Elation Health’s second acquisition and comes as it develops “the first agentic operating system for primary care.”
Kara, Kara-Newton, Vazquez, and others on the Aster team will join Elation.
“The Aster team impressed us with their vision and creative inventions to support independent practices,” said Kyna Fong, co-founder and CEO of Elation Health, in the press release. “Like Elation, Aster was founded by siblings with a personal mission to fix healthcare. That shared north star means they understand what we’re building and why it matters. It was clear right away they would significantly add to our capabilities.”
