Venture Capitalist Jon Medved's Battle with ALS and Tech Innovation
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Jon Medved never imagined the health tech startups he championed would one day become his lifeline. As a pioneering venture capitalist in Israel's "Startup Nation," his bold bets on innovation took a deeply personal turn when a devastating ALS diagnosis forced him to confront his own mortality—and lean into the very technologies he'd helped fund.
From California Dreamer to Startup Nation Pioneer
In his twenties, Jon Medved left the sunny shores of California for the bustling energy of Israel. Fresh-faced and full of ambition, he dove headfirst into the tech scene, founding and selling several companies that put him on the map as a serial entrepreneur. Israel in the 1980s and 90s was raw potential—a nation of innovators scrapping for breakthroughs in a tough neighborhood. Medved thrived in that environment, building businesses that solved real problems with cutting-edge tech.
By the early 2000s, he'd pivoted to investing, channeling his experience into spotting the next big thing. But it was 2013 when he truly disrupted the game. Frustrated by the gatekept world of venture capital—where only the elite got in on the ground floor—Medved launched OurCrowd. This wasn't your grandfather's VC firm. OurCrowd pioneered crowdsourced venture capital, opening limited partnerships to any accredited investor worldwide. Doctors, lawyers, everyday professionals from Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America flooded in, building a network of 240,000 investors across 195 countries.[1]
The model was revolutionary. Traditional VCs hoarded deals; OurCrowd democratized them. Within years, the firm backed heavyweights like Anthropic, Beyond Meat, and Lemonade. By 2025, OurCrowd had invested in about 500 portfolio companies, notched 74 exits—including a fresh $525 million sale of infrastructure startup Locusview to Itron—and cemented itself as a "significant player" in global tech.[1] Medved's vision turned investing into a movement, empowering ordinary people to fuel extraordinary companies.
The Shadow That Changed Everything
October 2025 hit like a thunderbolt. Medved, the hoarse-voiced force behind OurCrowd, announced his immediate retirement. ALS—Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, the cruel neurodegenerative disease that stole baseball legend Lou Gehrig's life—had struck. "This has come rather sudden," he told TechCrunch in what might have been his last interview, his voice strained by the illness's early grip.[1]
The early days of his diagnosis echoed the scrappy startup grind he'd mastered. At first, vague symptoms nagged him—"feeling a little weird," as he put it. Doctors couldn't pinpoint the cause. Weeks in the hospital blurred into a nightmare of tests, ending with the gut-wrenching verdict: ALS. No cure. Progressive paralysis. A ticking clock on speech, movement, everything.
For a man who'd built an empire on betting against odds, this was the ultimate pivot point. Israel's startup ecosystem, battered by regional conflicts yet resilient—raking in $15-16 billion in venture funding that year alone—offered unexpected solace.[1] Medved had long backed health tech, making 60-70 investments in AI-driven diagnostics, genomics, and chronic care management. Companies like OncoHost, which uses AI to match patients with effective immunotherapies, and next-gen sequencing firms suddenly weren't abstract portfolio lines. They were potential saviors.
"I tell you now as a once-healthy person [who took health for granted] I felt human pain and disease, but once you are actually engaged in one of these nasty diseases, it changes your perspective."
—Jon Medved[1]
The challenges were immediate and brutal. Stepping down from OurCrowd meant handing over the reins to a firm he'd bootstrapped into a powerhouse. Public life faded as symptoms advanced. Yet Medved refused to fade quietly. "I'm far from over, ok? I want to continue to contribute, both to OurCrowd and the overall ecosystem," he declared defiantly.[1]
Milestones in the Fight: From Diagnosis to Digital Twin
Medved's journey post-diagnosis unfolded like a startup's product roadmap—hitting milestones amid uncertainty. First came the tech lifeline: a hyper-realistic digital twin. OurCrowd portfolio company D-ID, specialists in AI agents and avatars, teamed up with voice AI leader ElevenLabs and the ALS-focused Scott-Morgan Foundation. The result? An avatar capturing Medved's face, voice, and mannerisms with eerie precision. During a Zoom call with another ALS patient using the tech, Medved witnessed its power firsthand.
- First milestone: Avatar activation. The digital twin preserves his voice for when ALS silences it, turning a personal tragedy into a showcase for portfolio tech.
- Portfolio pivot to personal use. OncoHost's AI for immunotherapy selection, genomic sequencing tools, and chronic condition managers moved from boardroom slides to daily reality, validating years of bets.
- Ecosystem resilience test. Despite Gaza conflicts and global scrutiny, Israel's scene surged—$800 million invested in one week in November 2025—proving the "Startup Nation" grit Medved helped forge.[1]
- Recent exit validation. Locusview's $525 million sale just weeks before his announcement underscored OurCrowd's enduring momentum.
No first customers or revenue pivots here—this was Medved's life as the ultimate case study. Early "traction" meant hospital beds and hoarse interviews; "scale" was scaling hope through tech he'd funded. No massive revenue windfall, but the human ROI was profound: tech extending dignity and connection.
Lessons from the Trenches: Medved's Founder Wisdom
Medved's story distills hard-won insights for indie hackers and early-stage founders grinding through their own battles. Here are three practical takeaways, drawn from his decades in the arena.
- Democratize access to build unstoppable networks. OurCrowd's crowdsourcing lesson: Don't gatekeep opportunity. Invite the world in—240,000 investors strong—and watch your ecosystem explode. For bootstrappers, this means open-sourcing betas, building communities early, and turning users into evangelists. Scale isn't just funding; it's collective momentum.
- Bet on sectors that intersect life—yours included. Health tech wasn't a random pick; it was prescient. Founders, align investments with universal pains. Medved's ALS fight shows how "nice-to-haves" become must-haves. Validate by living the problem, or at least empathizing deeply.
- Resilience trumps resources—never go quietly. Facing incurable illness, Medved vows to contribute. Startups fail, markets crash, founders burn out. His mantra: Pivot personally, stay in the game. Early struggles? Use them as fuel. Measure success not by exits alone, but by impact that outlives you.
These aren't platitudes. They're battle-tested from a man who's sold companies, built a VC unicorn-slayer, and now stares down ALS with avatar in tow.
A Legacy That Speaks—Even When He Can't
Jon Medved's tale is the Startup Nation at its core: innovation born of necessity, community over isolation, defiance against the inevitable. From California transplant to ALS warrior, he's woven his life into Israel's tech fabric. OurCrowd marches on, its health tech bets now carrying a personal torch. Medved remains proud: "In a small way, even though all we are is investors, to be part of this movement."[1]
As he integrates more portfolio tools—AI diagnostics, voice preservers—his story inspires founders everywhere. Health tech isn't just a sector; it's a mirror to our vulnerabilities. Medved's fight fuels not just his life, but a reminder: Build what matters, because one day, it might save you.
What is your biggest takeaway from Jon Medved's journey? Have you backed or built tech that turned personal? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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