Israel's famed VC Jon Medved, diagnosed with ALS, backed the tech that will improve his life | TechCrunch

"Years ago, when venture capitalist Jon Medved took an interest in backing various health tech startups, he had no idea that one day, he would need them to improve his own quality of life. Israel tight-knit startup community received a blow in October when Medved, one of its most famous VCs, announced he was retiring immediately. He was forced to step down from the firm he founded, OurCrowd, after he was diagnosed with the debilitating disease of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS,) also known as Lou Gehrig's disease."

""This has come rather sudden," he told TechCrunch in an audibly hoarse voice - a symptom of ALS - on what could be his last interview. "I had been feeling a little weird before and they didn't know what was ailing me," he explained. "I was in the hospital for several weeks recovering, and that's when they tested me and said, 'You've got ALS,' which is a horrible disease, the worst you can imagine.""

"ALS is a condition that degrades the brain's motor neurons, leading to loss of muscle control, eventually impairing walking, talking, eating, and breathing. He didn't have the classic symptoms, as his voice was attacked first, not his extremities, he said. But he knows that the condition will worsen, and there is no cure, only therapies."

Jon Medved retired immediately after receiving a diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a degenerative disease that destroys motor neurons and progressively impairs movement, speech, swallowing, and breathing. His initial symptom was hoarseness and voice impairment rather than loss of limb function. Medved spent weeks in the hospital before testing confirmed ALS. He founded OurCrowd in 2013, pioneering crowdsourced venture capital by opening limited partnerships to accredited investors and attracting global limited partners. Medved emigrated from California, founded and exited several tech companies, and played a central role in growing Israel's startup ecosystem. There is no cure for ALS; only therapies can manage symptoms.

Read at TechCrunch