Long before he became a celebrated healthcare AI entrepreneur, Shiv Rao was, and still is, a practicing cardiologist at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute. Medicine was never a stepping stone for him—it was a calling.
After earning his undergraduate degree at Carnegie Mellon University, Rao completed his medical training at the University of Michigan and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. While medical school often tests endurance and memory, Rao found meaning in its humanity. Cardiology, in particular, offered him something rare in modern life: continuity.
“You grow old with your patients,” he has often reflected. In cardiology, you don’t just treat symptoms—you accompany people through the arc of their lives.
Colleagues consistently emphasize one thing: before he was a founder, before he was an innovator in artificial intelligence, Shiv Rao was—and remains—an exceptional physician.
Shiv Rao: The Problem That Wouldn’t Let Him Go
Every evening, like countless doctors across the country, Rao would sit down to complete documentation. Hours of dictation followed full days of listening, diagnosing, and caring.
The irony was painful. The most meaningful part of medicine—the human conversation—was buried under administrative weight. Physicians were burning out not because they disliked patients, but because paperwork was suffocating the practice of care.
That frustration became the seed of Abridge.
Founded in 2018, Abridge uses ambient AI to convert doctor-patient conversations into real-time, structured documentation integrated directly into Electronic Health Records. Rather than forcing physicians to type or dictate notes long after appointments, the technology listens, understands, and organizes clinical information instantly.
It was a simple idea with profound implications: let doctors focus on patients, not paperwork.
From Startup to Healthcare Powerhouse
What began as a bold experiment has evolved into one of healthcare’s most closely watched AI success stories.
By early 2026, Abridge was live across more than 200 major health systems and on track to process approximately 80 million clinical encounters annually. That scale is not incremental—it is transformational.
Investors took notice. In mid-2025, Abridge raised a $300 million Series E round led by Andreessen Horowitz, pushing its valuation to approximately $5.3 billion. The company’s rapid ascent placed it at the center of the healthcare AI boom, yet its growth was rooted in something more grounded: solving a real problem physicians face every single day.
Strategic partnerships accelerated adoption. Integration with Epic Systems embedded Abridge directly into existing clinician workflows, eliminating friction. In early 2026, Rao announced a partnership with Availity to automate prior authorization in real time during patient visits—addressing one of healthcare’s most frustrating administrative bottlenecks.
Each milestone reinforced a singular truth: Shiv Rao wasn’t just building software. He was redesigning the rhythm of medicine.
Shiv Rao: Thinking Like Rick Rubin
Shiv Rao’s inspiration does not come solely from medicine or technology. In one memorable conversation, he spoke about wanting to meet legendary music producer Rick Rubin. At first glance, the connection seemed unusual.
But for Rao, it made perfect sense.
Rubin is known for helping artists discover their truest sound. He doesn’t impose; he reflects. He draws out what already exists and amplifies it.
That philosophy mirrors Abridge’s mission.
Just as Rubin reflects artists at their best, Abridge reflects physicians—capturing their conversations, preserving their insights, and returning time and clarity back to them. It’s not about replacing doctors with AI; it’s about amplifying their humanity.
Rao often describes technology as an ingredient. Inject the right components, in the right sequence, and something magical happens. That belief even led him to bring unconventional collaborators into Abridge’s orbit—from designers who craft immersive spaces to technologists with artistic backgrounds.
In his world, creativity is not a distraction from medicine. It is medicine’s ally.
Two Paths, One Vision
As a teenager growing up in Pittsburgh, Shiv Rao did not fit the stereotypical image of a future cardiologist. He skateboarded. He immersed himself in outsider music. At Carnegie Mellon, he lived at the intersection of computer science and art, DJing in museums and experimenting with virtual synthesizers.
Then came a lecture by architect William McDonough, who spoke about the idea that we are all designers of the world. Rao heard a story about an ophthalmologist who revolutionized cataract surgery, restoring sight to millions through a process innovation. Medicine, he realized, could be creative. It could be design.
He saw two paths before him: art and science.
He chose both.
That duality defines Shiv Rao’s career. As a cardiologist, he treats individual hearts. As an entrepreneur, he addresses systemic strain in healthcare itself.
Leadership Built on Curiosity
Abridge’s leadership team reflects Rao’s interdisciplinary mindset. Early collaborators included professionals who bridged technology, art, and academia. The company culture was not built on rigid hierarchies but on curiosity.
Rao’s previous role leading the provider-facing investment portfolio at UPMC Enterprises further sharpened his perspective. He invested in health-tech startups and funded machine learning research at Carnegie Mellon University, developing a nuanced understanding of both clinical needs and technological possibilities.
When he finally founded Abridge, he wasn’t guessing. He had studied the ecosystem from every angle.
That preparation paid off during the difficult early years. Healthcare institutions can be slow to adopt change, and AI in medicine was once met with skepticism. But perseverance, timing, and the accelerating AI wave converged.
Today, doctors casually say, “I’m going to Abridge my conversation.” When a company name becomes a verb, cultural adoption has arrived.
Recognition and Responsibility
Recognition followed innovation. Shiv Rao was named to the TIME100 Health list and recognized as one of the most influential leaders in healthcare and AI.