Mike Feibus
President & Principal Analyst at FeibusTech
Mike Feibus (pronounced FY-bus) is a well-recognized and oft-quoted expert on connected health and fitness, augmented reality/virtual reality, and privacy and security. He is also a regular technology columnist for USA TODAY. FeibusTech has been providing an unparalleled blend of technical depth, market insight and business savvy to the IoT, wearables and mobile client markets and technologies for more than 15 years. Feibus earned a MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Stanford, CA, and a BA in Economics from Tufts University, Medford, MA.
How did you get to become an expert in healthtech?
You might say I’m a tech-first expert, which is different from many of the other analysts and influencers we run into in the health tech space. With our migration from mobile platform technology into wearables and the Internet of Things, it didn’t take long before health tech beckoned us. Our healthcare clients typically turn to us to help them get their arms around the technology landscape, because that’s where our roots lie.
What areas of healthtech are you most passionate about?
No question, I am most passionate about the ground we can gain in caring for patients when they’re outside the walls of healthcare facilities. Because it can be so much better than it is today. Right now, data-gathering, assessment, diagnosis and communication all grind to a halt after a patient leaves the doctor’s office, and it doesn’t pick up again until the patient walks back in the door. It shouldn’t be that way. We’ve got the data gathering and intelligence capabilities to keep tabs, and to make course corrections along the way. And it can make such a difference in our health and our healthcare system. I’m also excited about the potential for genomics to take precision care to the next level. And from a treatment perspective, I think that bioelectronics and regenerative medicine could each give practitioners potent new quivers to their arsenal of care options.
Which healthtech influencers influence you?
There are lots of them! I’ll call out Eric Topol as one of them. Also, Nick van Terheyden, Eugene Borukhovich, Jeroen Tas and Kevin Tracey. In general, I look up to influencers I encounter who have the curiosity, the vision and – just as important – the impatience needed to help push us forward.
Outside of healthtech who else influences you?
Elon Musk, for scaring the automobile industry into the 21st century. Senator John McCain, for trying to rise above the partisan dysfunction crippling American politics. Jimmy Carter, who continues to devote so much of his time and effort to building houses for Habitat for Humanity and other humanitarian causes instead of relaxing on the porch as he so richly deserves. Jeff Jordan, for his experience and insight on the evolving e-tail/retail landscape and Dan Bickley, on the Arizona sports scene – because I wish people would seek out my columns the way I seek out his!
Which brands or products stand out for you in healthtech?
I don’t want to call out specific products. But in general, I have been seeing a rise in technology that could really transform wearables into valuable health and wellness assistants. I’m seeing real advances in accuracy, which is critical. And also the AI to make those accurate devices really useful. The second half of next year, I think, could turn out to be really exciting!
If a brand wanted to work with you, what offline / online activities would you be most interested in?
All of it! Although lately we’ve been doing more written collateral (market briefs, research briefs, eBooks, white papers) as well as video news, reviews and interviews. I just did a tech-focused project for Samsung Business that combined social media, blogs and video interviews. It was a very creative project dreamt up by their Ambassador team called the Road Warrior Challenge. I spent the day in NYC armed with nothing but Samsung’s new Galaxy Book convertible PC and the Galaxy S8+ smartphone. Check out #AskMikeF on Twitter, my YouTube channel and the FeibusTech blog for more.
What would be the best way for a brand to contact you?
You can email me on mikef@feibustech.com or send me an Inmail on my LinkedIn page.