Dr. Hamed Fesharaki, CEO and Co-Founder of Adra (YC S21), brings a rare perspective to healthcare innovation—a clinician who has lived the operational challenges of dentistry firsthand and is now building AI-driven solutions to solve them. After scaling a multi-location dental operation, Hamed pivoted into entrepreneurship to tackle inefficiencies in clinical data, claims processing, and revenue cycle management.
In this episode, we explore how AI is reshaping dentistry—from automating clinical documentation to improving insurance claim accuracy and reducing administrative burden. Hamed shares insights into bridging fragmented systems, navigating regulatory barriers, and building technology that works in real-world clinical environments.
“We were taking a ton of records every day… data that we never could organize or se in the right way.”
Hamed’s journey began inside the dental chair—not the boardroom. Scaling to 60 dentists and 200+ staff exposed systemic inefficiencies that couldn’t be ignored.
His transition wasn’t theoretical—it was driven by firsthand operational pain.
“We are not creating another dentist… we are creating assistance.”
While many startups focus on diagnostics, Hamed shifted toward automation—where the real impact lies.
From auto-generating clinical notes to building “clean, bulletproof claims,” AI becomes an operational co-pilot.
“We make a clean claim for you that is bulletproof… we send all the measurements.”
The dental RCM ecosystem remains highly manual and fragmented. Hamed’s platform connects clinical data, narratives, and insurance requirements in one workflow.
The result: faster approvals, fewer denials, and improved trust between providers and payers.
“You are the expert in your product… otherwise people will eat you alive.”
Leaving a successful dental career wasn’t easy—but conviction came from deep domain expertise.
Hamed emphasizes resilience, self-belief, and constant iteration.
“Technology is taking off a big load of your hands… even saving two hours a day matters.”
Healthcare innovation moves slower—but the opportunity is massive.
The next wave will be driven by better integration, reduced manual workflows, and pragmatic AI adoption.