Jason Bellet

THE THEATER OF HEALTHCARE. Jason Bellet has always had a flair for theatrics, a passion that has shaped his unique journey into the healthcare industry. As the co-founder of Eko Health, he has channeled his love for storytelling into building a company that is transforming how healthcare professionals detect and monitor heart and lung disease. Eko Health’s digital stethoscopes and AI detection platform, SENSORA™, are used by hundreds of thousands of healthcare professionals worldwide, helping them diagnose with confidence and provide better patient care.

Growing up in a large, blended family in Los Angeles, Jason initially dreamed of a career in acting. Encouraged by his family yet lovingly advised to pursue a more stable profession, he studied theater and political science at UC Berkeley. However, a business course he took during his freshman year sparked a new interest. “I took an Introduction to Business class and immediately fell in love with it,” he expresses. This new passion led him to transfer into the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, setting the stage for his future entrepreneurial endeavors.

The idea for Eko Health emerged during Jason’s senior year at Berkeley. Following a narrow loss at a student body president election, he found himself with more free time than expected. Over lunch, his friend and future co-founder Connor Landgraf shared an idea for a smart stethoscope, likening it to Shazam for heart sounds. “My epiphany moment was that this has to exist. There’s no way that this isn’t already a product,” Jason recalls. He joined Connor in researching the market and talking to cardiologists, leading them to win a student-founder pitch competition that provided $100,000 in funding to build their prototype.

Launching a healthcare startup as a young entrepreneur in 2013 presented unique challenges, particularly as an LGBTQIA+ founder. “Step number one was to surround ourselves with people a lot smarter than we were,” Jason asserts, “But also, healthcare can be a non-diverse space, and in many parts of the country, not as accepting of LGBTQIA+ people.” In the early days of Eko, he felt compelled to hide his identity in certain professional settings. “There’s a little bit of shame in that because ideally, I would have been more on the leading edge of putting myself out there as a queer founder,” he reflects.

Today, Jason proudly embraces his identity and has helped embed a culture of inclusivity at Eko. The company hosts LGBTQIA+ events at major conferences, creating safe spaces for allies and community members to connect. “I’ve had an opportunity to build meaningful friendships with physicians in the queer community, and it’s great for business and personal connections,” he says. Jason’s vision for Eko Health’s future is ambitious. With around 500,000 users in the US, they aim to expand their reach domestically and internationally. “We have the whole world at our fingertips,” he says, highlighting plans to penetrate markets in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The company’s partnerships with institutions like Imperial College London and 3M in Japan are just the beginning of their global expansion.

A PERSONAL CONNECTION. Eko Health’s success is not only measured in numbers but in life-changing stories. One that stands out to Jason is his mother’s battle with cancer. During her treatment, some of her doctors and nurses used Eko’s technology, providing a personal connection to the impact of his work. “Seeing her fight for her life gave me a sense of purpose around this work,” Jason reflects. “I love my startup, but I also love that it ties back into something that ultimately provides better care for my family.”

For aspiring founders, especially those in the LGBTQIA+ community, Jason emphasizes the importance of building a supportive network and leaning into it. “Being a founder can be incredibly isolating, especially in the early days,” he says. “Some founders forget the time it takes to go out and network. The best thing for Eko in its early days was joining accelerators. I never felt alone because I had 15 other founders I could call on. To anyone reading this, I’m happy to be a sounding board or just be someone to talk to as you build your company.”