# Veeraj Shah

> Veeraj Shah is the co-founder and CEO of Vitalize (YC W23), a San Francisco company building software to fix hospital operations, starting with staffing and scheduling. A 2021 Gates Cambridge Scholar who walked away from a Cambridge PhD to run the company full-time, he is a three-time healthcare founder whose earlier work spanned the U.S. Surgeon General's office, IBM Watson Health, and the National Cancer Institute. Vitalize is now live across more than 20 hospitals.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at Vitalize
- **Organizations:** Vitalize (Vitalize Care), Chat Health, Public Health Beyond Borders
- **From:** Severna Park, Maryland, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. (Summa Cum Laude), dual degree in Biological Sciences (neurobiology & physiology) and Individual Studies (self-designed Health Policy and Technology), University of Maryland, PhD in Public Health and Primary Care (Gates Cambridge Scholar; left early to lead Vitalize), University of Cambridge (St Edmund's College)
- **Known for:** Co-founder and CEO of Vitalize (YC W23), live in 20+ hospitals, 2021 Gates Cambridge Scholar (one of 24 selected nationally; UMD's fourth), Finalist for the Rhodes, Truman, and Marshall Scholarships

## Career timeline

- **2019** — Research assistant studying graduate student health plans and physician pay equity; cancer research at the National Cancer Institute and Johns Hopkins
- **2020** — Co-founded Chat Health; built a COVID-19 prevention chatbot that reached 4,000 Marylanders. Launched Vitalize App for healthcare worker wellness
- **2021** — Graduated UMD summa cum laude; named a Gates Cambridge Scholar; interned with the U.S. Surgeon General and IBM Watson Health
- **2023** — Vitalize goes through Y Combinator (Winter 2023); named UMD Outstanding Young Alumnus
- **2024** — Vitalize pivots toward hospital operations - staffing and scheduling optimization
- **2025** — Vitalize live across 20+ hospital systems and scaling revenue rapidly
- **2026** — Recognized on a Forbes 30 Under 30 Healthcare & Science list (Asia)

## Achievements

- Co-founder and CEO of Vitalize (YC W23), live in 20+ hospitals
- 2021 Gates Cambridge Scholar (one of 24 selected nationally; UMD's fourth)
- Finalist for the Rhodes, Truman, and Marshall Scholarships
- University of Maryland Outstanding Young Alumnus (2023)
- Authored multiple peer-reviewed papers in clinical and health-services research
- Entrepreneurs' Organization GSEA Finalist (United States)
- Named to a Forbes 30 Under 30 Healthcare & Science list

## Latest updates

- **2025-06** — Vitalize reported being live across 20+ hospitals with rapidly scaling revenue, reframing itself as the OS for hospital operations starting with staffing and scheduling.
- **2026-05** — Recognized on a Forbes 30 Under 30 Healthcare & Science list (Asia), highlighted by Gates Cambridge.

## Links

- Website: https://vitalize.care
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/veeraj-shah-125563125/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_dnmio8psI

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/veeraj-shah
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-21