A lot of smart investors are betting on artificial intelligence, said Dick Flanigan, telling a crowd gathered Thursday at Digital Health Day that even if AI doesn’t turn every startup that uses it into a multi-million-dollar company, the technology still will fundamentally reshape health care.
“It’s transformational,” said Flanigan, CEO of Digital Health KC and veteran healthtech innovator, predicting a slow, but perfected progression toward AI-infused tools. “It’s the most important technology shift certainly in my lifetime.”
Attendees of Digital Health Day gather for the presentation of the 2025 Lumi Award winners from Digital Health KC; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland
His remarks came as a packed house at The Abbott in Kansas City’s East Crossroads eagerly awaited presentation of the 2025 Lumi Awards — spotlighting leaders in research, entrepreneurship, and investment — as well as updates on the region’s digital health ecosystem.
Since launching, Digital Health KC programs have engaged more than 1,000 participants, and related companies have raised more than $50 million in early-stage capital, the organization reported.
“This ecosystem is chipping in at so many different ways of helping these companies grow, and the reason we’re doing this is we want to create great companies, we want to create wealth for founders and investors, and because healthcare needs that help,” said Flanigan.
Lumi Award winners — honored Thursday in the award program’s second year — showcase the companies, ideas, support, energy and legacies that power Digital Health KC’s vision, he added.
“Once you start to shine the light on all the great companies and the great talent that you have here in Kansas City, everybody says the same thing: ‘You’re right, you do have something special,’” said Sarah Hill, founder of Healium and winner of the 2024 company growth award. “So our job with Digital Health KC is to shine that light and to link arms with all the partners around the city to activate this digital health cluster and have the best cluster in the world.”
2025 Lumi Award honorees included:
Impact and Influence Award: Darcy Howe, KCRise Fund
Dick Flanigan, Digital Health KC, Darcy Howe, KCRise Fund, and Tammy Buckner, WeCode KC, pose together after Howe was awarded the Impact and Influence Award during the Lumi Awards at Digital Health Day; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
Darcy Howe, founder and managing director of the KCRise Fund, received the Impact and Influence Award for expanding early-stage capital access in the region and supporting more than 50 portfolio companies.
The fund connects regional investors with high-growth startups, helping keep talent and innovation rooted in Kansas City.
“Our average wage in our portfolio companies is $127,000,” Howe said. “These companies, these founders have created more than 1,000 jobs. How can we not pay attention to that in a region and feel super great? I get so jazzed up by that.”
“The Kansas City Region owns digital health in the United States,” she added. “We already have the talent, so let’s figure out how to help founders as a community.”
Corporate Visionary Award: Mike Valentine, Netsmart
Dick Flanigan and Liz Shaffer, Digital Health KC, present Mike Valentine, Netsmart, center, with the Corporate Visionary Award during the Lumi Awards at Digital Health Day; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
Mike Valentine, CEO of Netsmart Technologies, was recognized as Corporate Visionary for leading the Overland Park-based company through tenfold growth over the past decade.
Netsmart provides electronic health records and technology solutions for behavioral health, human services, and post-acute care providers.
“Reflecting on where Netsmart is now versus where we were 14 years ago, almost everything has changed in a very dramatic and positive way,” Valentine said. “There’s more collaboration than there is competition. It’s a rising tide theory. We all get better because of it.”
Company Growth Award: Jessica Lea, Tria Health
Dick Flanigan, Digital Health KC, Jessica Lea, Tria Health, Sarah Hill, Healium, and Liz Shaffer, Digital Health KC, stand on stage at the Lumi Awards after presenting Lea with the Company Growth Award; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
Jessica Lea, founder and CEO of Tria Health, received the Company Growth Award for expanding her company from a three-person team to more than 100 employees.
The Kansas City-based business partners with employers and health plans to improve chronic disease management through pharmacist-led care.
“Polypharmacy is a very expensive problem in the United States, and one way to solve that is to put pharmacists in the role of assisting a physician and a patient in making that medication regimen simple for them,” Lea said. “Every couple of years we adapt and change, and we’re stronger and better because we listen.”
Digital Pioneer Award: Dr. John Spertus
ick Flanigan, Digital Health KC, presents Dr. John Spertus with the Digital Pioneer Award during the Lumi Awards at Digital Health Day; photo by Tommy Felts, Startland News
Dr. John Spertus, cardiologist and UMKC School of Medicine professor, was named Digital Pioneer for his global leadership in patient-centered outcomes and his efforts to translate scientific discoveries into practice.
His research has shaped how providers worldwide measure the value of treatments, and his entrepreneurial work has brought new tools into the hands of patients and clinicians.
“Technology has completely transformed the way we interact with patients and understand how they’re doing,” Spertus said. “Entrepreneurship is the way that a scientist who’s made an important discovery can allow that discovery to actually be used by patients, providers, others in the healthcare system.”
Check out a photo gallery from Thursday’s Digital Health Day below.
