# Julia Hu

> Julia Hu is the co-founder and CEO of Lark Health, an AI-powered virtual care platform managing over 30 million contracted lives. Born in Los Angeles to first-generation Chinese immigrants and raised largely by her father, Hu spent her childhood navigating an undiagnosed chronic condition that would ultimately reshape how she saw healthcare. She dropped out of MIT Sloan mid-MBA to build what is now one of the largest CDC-recognized diabetes prevention program providers in the country, having raised over $257 million and earned recognition from Forbes, Inc., and the UCSF Health Awards Hall of Fame.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Lark Health
- **Organizations:** Lark Health, Cleantech Open, Singularity University, Council for Diabetes Prevention, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, StartX (Stanford)
- **From:** Los Angeles, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** High School Diploma, North Hollywood High School (Highly Gifted Magnet Program), BS and MS, Environmental Engineering and Design Thinking, Stanford University, MBA (left to found Lark Health), MIT Sloan School of Management
- **Known for:** Forbes 'Top 10 Women in Tech to Watch', Inc. Magazine '30 Under 30' Class of 2013, Becker's Hospital Review '17 Female Healthcare CEOs to Know' (2016)

## Career timeline

- **2001** — Won National Science Bowl championship with North Hollywood High School team
- **2002** — Graduated North Hollywood High School Highly Gifted Magnet program
- **2007** — Graduated Stanford University with BS/MS in Environmental Engineering and Design Thinking
- **2008** — Founded EMOD, a smart home startup
- **2009** — Co-founded Cleantech Open, now the world's largest clean tech incubator, scaling it from one region to 30 states
- **2010** — International marketing consultant for D.light Design solar energy company
- **2010** — Enrolled in MBA program at MIT Sloan School of Management
- **2011** — Left MIT mid-MBA to co-found Lark Technologies with Jeff Zira; began with wearable sleep monitor
- **2012** — Advised President Obama on tax policy at age 27
- **2013** — Named to Inc. Magazine '30 Under 30' class; Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Stanford StartX
- **2015** — Lark recognized as one of '10 Most Innovative App Companies'; Apple named it one of '10 Best Apps of 2015'; pivoted to app-only model
- **2016** — Named in Becker's Hospital Review '17 Female Healthcare CEOs to Know'; married Jeff Zira in Los Angeles
- **2017** — Named to Silicon Valley Business Journal '40 Under 40'
- **2018** — Named Silicon Valley Business Journal 'Women of Influence'
- **2021** — Lark Health raised $100M Series D led by Deerfield Management; Hu inducted into UCSF Health Awards Hall of Fame; named EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women North America
- **2023** — Featured speaker at Milken Institute Future Health Summit; Lark contracts to manage 30+ million lives

## Achievements

- Forbes 'Top 10 Women in Tech to Watch'
- Inc. Magazine '30 Under 30' Class of 2013
- Becker's Hospital Review '17 Female Healthcare CEOs to Know' (2016)
- Silicon Valley Business Journal '40 Under 40' (2017)
- Silicon Valley Business Journal 'Women of Influence' (2018)
- UCSF Health Awards Hall of Fame (2021)
- EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women North America Class of 2021
- Business Insider's 30 Under 40 Changing Healthcare list
- Lark named one of '10 Most Innovative Companies in the World' alongside Uber and Airbnb
- Lark achieved CDC Full Recognition - top 8% of 2,400 diabetes prevention providers
- Raised $257M+ total for Lark Health including $100M Series D
- Lark contracted to manage 30+ million lives
- Over 1.9 million users across Lark programs
- Clinical results published in 11 peer-reviewed journals
- Lark named Apple '10 Best Apps of 2015'
- Advised President Barack Obama on tax policy
- Faculty member at Singularity University
- Delivered Lark to all Apple Store shelves after pitching a handmade prototype

## Latest updates

- **2023-10** — Featured speaker at Milken Institute Future Health Summit 2023
- **2021-10** — Lark Health closes $100M Series D led by Deerfield Management
- **2021-09** — Named EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women North America Class of 2021
- **2021-06** — Awarded UCSF Health Awards Hall of Fame

## Links

- Website: https://lark.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/juliahuceo
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ourlark?lang=en
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/ourLARK/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/julia-hu
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-07