Fierce Healthcare Senior Writer Anastassia Gliadkovskaya returned to the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Monday morning to shine a spotlight on the 2026 class of Fierce 15 honorees.
Gliadkovskaya, in a NYSE TV interview, spoke with host Kristen Scholer about key gaps in the healthcare space, 2026 honorees’ focus on demonstrating their ability to address those issues and the technology they’re using to do so.
“We received hundreds of nominations this year, so it’s a very popular process, and we have a strong history of selecting companies that ultimately go on to become very successful healthcare companies,” Gliadkovskaya said. “This year, we were really looking for companies that are bringing fresh, unique ideas to the table and gaining ground in the market. We want to see that they are demonstrating a clear impact—and so these 15 honorees, we believe, are doing that.”
Check out the video here or above, and read through a transcript of the interview below.
Kristen Scholer: What are the problems these honorees are solving?
Anastassia Gliadkovskaya: As we’ve talked about, there are a lot of gaps that remain in this system. We have the rural areas that don’t have enough providers, we have inefficiencies that bog hospital systems down, we have administrative burdens and providers spending hours documenting instead of treating patients. All of these things combined, our [Fierce 15] founders are really focused on bringing the tech element to the healthcare element and solving for those issues.
KS: So one company, Wisp, is working to break down barriers in women’s health. I know you referenced women’s health earlier. Since we are speaking here after International Women’s Day, why was that thread important to Fierce in putting together this report?
AG: Well, Wisp is a very unique company in that they are offering kind of end-to-end women’s healthcare. It’s something that we see a lot—there’s point solutions that are being offered to address, maybe, menopause care or reproductive health, but it’s rare to see a company virtually offering the broad spectrum. And that’s what Wisp is all about, bringing a holistic approach to women’s health.
We just need more solutions that address women’s health in this space, and Wisp was a unique company because they’re one of the few honorees this year that are actually almost entirely bootstrapped. So, they didn’t raise a lot of venture capital, they’ve been profitable for five years and are approaching $100 million in revenue, so it really speaks to how much this product is resonating in the market.
KS: AI is part of every business conversation we’re having here at the NYSE, every single weekday. Safe AI adoption is obviously important, especially when it comes to very personal, private matters like one’s health. How is Fierce protecting that, that safe AI adoption?
AG: Yeah, so several AIs are actually all about safe and responsible AI adoption. Qualified Health … their entire model is a governance layer making sure AI is being deployed safely and responsibly in health systems. We also have Hyro, which is an AI agent that supports administrative workflows like patient registration, FAQs and prescription refills, and they’re doing that in a way that’s safe, and protects patient privacy, and doesn’t necessarily touch care delivery. … And we even have Neuroflow, an honoree that is focused on behavioral health integration into primary care and the hospital setting. We know providers are strapped for time, so they are allowing providers to practice at the top of their license while their AI helps assess, triage and refer patients to behavioral healthcare services.
KS: How important is the founder in the success of these companies that you look at [for] at Fierce?
AG: It’s very important. These founders are visionaries, and more importantly, they have lived experiences with these challenges. This is not someone who’s coming in from an outside market and trying to chisel their way in. The founders on this year’s list, they really understand the ins and outs. They have lived through aging parents, they have dealt with complex chronic care journeys, and so what they’re building is really based on their own understanding of how complicated the system is.
KS: So it’s a diverse group of companies that have made this year’s special report. Is there one common thread that connects them all?
AG: I would say technology, and that these founders are all really focused on outcomes. There’s a lot of conversation about, how can we focus on value over volume? How do we bring something really meaningful—and demonstrate return on investment—to the table? That’s really important when you’re approaching investors or potential partners, or even patients or end users. You have to make a convincing case, and the way you do that is demonstrating you really are managing costs and getting good outcomes.