Forward Raises $100 Million to Deploy AI-Powered Healthcare Pods Across U.S.

CarePods to Offer Self-Service Diagnostics for $99 per Month, Aiming to Make Healthcare More Accessible

Adrian Aoun, founder of health tech startup Forward, has raised $100 million to deploy 25 AI-powered healthcare pods, called CarePods, in malls across the U.S.
The CarePods, which are eight-foot-by-eight-foot cubes, allow patients to perform diagnostics such as heart and blood tests on their own, with the results sent to doctors at Forward for interpretation.
Access to the CarePods will cost $99 per month, and Forward does not accept insurance. The company currently operates 17 medical clinics in nine states and Washington, D.C., which charge $149 per month for virtual and in-person primary care.
Forward's investors include Khosla Ventures, Founders Fund, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, and Samsung’s corporate venture arm Samsung Next. The company was valued at more than $1 billion in 2021.
Despite the move towards automation, Aoun insists that the CarePods are not meant to replace human doctors, but rather to make healthcare more accessible and efficient.