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Forward, San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty, StudioRoma-biz/Getty, Tyler Le/BI
The innovative healthcare startup Forward has staked its future on a futuristic kiosk resembling a spaceship located in Roseville, California.
Founded in 2017 by notable figures from Google and Uber, Forward aimed to revolutionize primary care through technologically advanced clinics. By mid-2023, the company pivoted towards a new concept: an AI-driven medical unit dubbed the “CarePod.”
Equipped with ultraviolet lighting and expansive screens from floor to ceiling, these metallic “CarePods” allow patients to conduct their own medical consultations—performing tasks such as blood draws and DNA sequencing without any direct interaction with healthcare professionals.
“If Elon Musk has his self-driving car, then this is akin to an autonomous doctor’s office,” stated Forward’s CEO Adrian Aoun in an interview with Axios at the end of 2023.
However, as of now, Forward’s inaugural CarePod has vanished. The space where it once stood in the Roseville Galleria mall is marked only by two strips of blue painter’s tape on the polished marble floor.
The startup announced its closure just one year after securing $100 million during a Series E funding round intended for expanding its CarePod initiative. This funding brought its total investment to over $650 million.
A late-night email sent by Forward informed patients that all locations would close immediately; scheduled appointments were canceled and access to their mobile application was terminated. The company mentioned that clinical support would be available via email until December 13 for any remaining patient inquiries.
Before this announcement, eleven former employees shared insights with Business Insider under anonymity due to concerns about potential repercussions from the company. They described a startup that heavily invested in ambitious healthcare technology but had little success within just one year.
A handful of ex-employees noted that fewer patients than anticipated engaged with the CarePods. Logistical hurdles hindered plans for launching these kiosks in major cities like Chicago and New York City.
Technical difficulties compounded issues further; automated blood draws frequently malfunctioned while lab test options were retracted altogether. Additionally, there were reports of patients becoming trapped inside some CarePods.
In November 2023, Forward announced intentions to deploy 3,200 CarePods within a year, yet only five had been launched twelve months later according to reports.
Just prior to shutting down operations completely,
only two locations featuring CarePods remained listed on their website.
The company’s slow growth led them to lay off many employees back in March; seven former staff members confirmed this information. Two individuals indicated that at that time they projected running out of funds within less than a year if conditions did not improve significantly.
This sudden closure highlights challenges associated with high-growth aspirations coupled with an unwavering “tech-first” strategy within an inherently complex healthcare landscape—a classic example where style overshadowed substance fueled by AI ambitions.
Rob Price / BI
The Visionary Behind Forward: Adrian Aoun’s Journey
Adrian Aoun gained recognition at Google as Larry Page’s trusted aide leading special projects after his initial AI venture Wavii was acquired by Google back in 2013.
When he founded Forward four years later,
he envisioned health clinics merging elements typical of both traditional doctor offices and modern tech stores like Apple.
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Pioneering Healthcare Access Through Membership Models
Pioneering Healthcare Access Through Membership Models:
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Rebecca Torrence/BI
The Shift to CarePods: A New Vision for Healthcare
In November 2023, Forward introduced its inaugural CarePod. Founder Adrian Aoun expressed his ambition to revolutionize the healthcare model he had been developing for six years.
“I don’t think traditional doctor’s offices should exist,” Aoun stated in an interview with The Information.
According to eleven former employees who spoke with Business Insider (BI), the company shifted its focus entirely towards promoting CarePods, reallocating most of its marketing efforts and resources away from traditional clinics.
Expansion and Challenges of the CarePod Concept
The first CarePod was launched in Roseville, California, during the summer of 2023. Shortly thereafter, a second location opened in Chandler, Arizona. The startup began offering a membership plan exclusively for CarePods at $100 per month without access to their clinics.
Lea Suzuki/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
Financial Hurdles and Logistical Issues
The introduction of these high-tech pods came with significant financial burdens. Six former employees revealed that each unit cost over $1 million to produce initially. Additionally, securing locations proved difficult as landlords were hesitant about these small-scale clinics lacking proven customer bases.
A planned major launch at Chicago’s Willis Tower faced setbacks due to logistical complications that led to indefinite postponement.
Ultimately, only five CarePods were operational compared to the ambitious goal of launching 25 initially and scaling up to 3200 within a year as reported by TechCrunch.
Rob Price/BI
User Experience Concerns and Technical Failures
The buzz surrounding Forward’s $100 million Series E funding round did not translate into patient enthusiasm according to some former staff members. “People often remarked it resembled something out of ‘Black Mirror,’” one employee recalled.
A few ex-employees noted frequent issues where patients would become trapped inside the pods during early operations between late 2023 and early 2024. Moreover, self-service features like blood draws often malfunctioned or failed altogether.
The blood draw system required users simply place a device on their arm designed for painless extraction but frequently fell short—often failing over half the time due primarily because users placed it incorrectly on their skin according one ex-employee who estimated failure rates exceeded fifty percent during initial months post-launch.
This highlights how critical proper training is when implementing new technology into healthcare settings!
Cultural Impact Within The Company And Market Response
Aoun’s messaging regarding doctors being replaceable left many employees feeling undervalued especially after initial excitement faded away leading sales teams struggling significantly while missing targets consistently throughout March resulting ultimately layoffs affecting four months after launch date!
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The initiative known as the “AI doctor project” reportedly concluded around September.
According to him, enterprises that establish themselves in that atrium usually do not remain for an extended period. The shopping center intends to replace the CarePod with a new playground.
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