Shiv Rao

Co-founder and CEO, Abridge

Industry: Clinical AI & Documentation
Based in: United States
Company funding: $460M raised
Region: North America

Practising cardiologist who founded Abridge out of a health system innovation group.

Scaled ambient documentation across large academic health systems.

Shiv Rao, MD, is the founder and chief executive of Abridge, an artificial intelligence company that structures and summarises medical conversations. A practising cardiologist at UPMC, he previously led the health system's provider facing investment portfolio before founding Abridge.

Abridge in the startup database Company website LinkedIn

The journey

How Shiv Rao got here, step by step.

2007
Earned his medical degree
Rao completed his medical degree, later training further in cardiology.
2013
Completed cardiology fellowship
Rao finished his cardiology fellowship and continues to practise as a cardiologist at UPMC.
2015
Led the UPMC investment portfolio
He led UPMC's provider facing investment portfolio, backing early stage healthcare technology companies.
2018
Founded Abridge
Rao founded Abridge to build speech and language technology that structures the clinical conversation.
2018 to 2024
Scaled the documentation platform
Abridge expanded its documentation technology across dozens of specialties and languages.
2024
Named to the TIME100 AI list
Rao was recognised among TIME's hundred most influential people in artificial intelligence.
2025
Abridge valued in the billions
Abridge raised substantial new funding that valued the company in the billions of dollars.