As we approach our five-year anniversary at the end of 2025, Pearl Health is at an inflection point. We’ve grown from an ambitious idea — to empower physicians with insights and incentives that allow them to deliver better, more proactive care — into a company delivering on this promise at scale and making a real difference in how health systems and physician groups manage care across large patient populations. Along the way, we’ve learned a lot — about our team, our mission, and what it takes to scale while staying true to our purpose.
That’s why we recently took a step back to rethink our core values. Company values aren’t just words on a wall or a website; they serve as our compass, guiding our decisions, shaping our culture, and ensuring that, as we grow, we do so with intention.
After careful reflection, feedback from our team, and an honest assessment of where we are and where we’re headed, we established three values that define who we are today and who we strive to be: Collaborate to Innovate, Trust Through Transparency, and Serious Impact, Big Heart.
Why Company Values Matter More Than Ever
For any company — especially a fast-growing startup — values provide a shared language and framework for making decisions. Research shows that clearly defined values contribute to stronger employee engagement, better decision-making, and more resilient company cultures.
Healthtech, in particular, is a space where innovation, trust and mission alignment are non-negotiable. If we don’t actively nurture a culture that prioritizes transparency, collaboration, and impact, we risk losing what makes us special.
Our New Company Values
1. Collaborate to Innovate
Innovation doesn’t happen in silos. Some of the biggest breakthroughs in healthtech come from interdisciplinary collaboration — engineers working alongside clinicians, data scientists engaging with product managers, and diverse perspectives coming together to tackle complex challenges.
We believe that a strong collaborative culture will help us to outperform competitors in innovation and adaptability over time. In our view, the best ideas come from an open exchange of knowledge, where people feel empowered to challenge assumptions, test new approaches, and iterate quickly. By embracing a culture of continuous learning and teamwork, we can push the boundaries of what’s possible in health technology.
You can see this in action through our annual hackathons, where cross-functional teams prototype bold ideas in just a few days; in the content sharing sessions at our Team Summits, where everyone — from engineering to customer success — gets a chance to present learnings; and through cross-functional initiatives that bring together different disciplines to solve real user needs. One example: a recent collaboration between our Product, Engineering, Data, and Operations teams led to the development of predictive signals to identify patients at risk of medication non-adherence. By creating targeted workflows based on these insights, the teams helped drive earlier interventions — and are already seeing measurable improvements in patient engagement and outcomes.
“This is the most aligned environment that I have worked in. Collaboration is strong and everyone is working together towards a common goal which is amazing to see.”
2. Trust Through Transparency
Trust is the foundation of any successful team, and transparency is the key to building it. Organizations that prioritize transparency experience higher employee satisfaction and engagement, leading to stronger performance and retention. In healthcare and technology, where data security, regulatory requirements, and business ethics are paramount, we must operate with openness — both internally with our team and externally with our customers and partners.
For us, transparency means being clear about our goals, challenges, and decision-making processes. It means ensuring that employees feel informed and empowered, customers understand how we use their data responsibly, and leadership remains accountable. We recognize that trust isn’t given — it’s earned through consistency and integrity.
We build trust by openly sharing updates from board meetings, recording and distributing key internal meeting notes and making space during our Team Summits to discuss tough questions. These habits not only foster clarity but also empower our team to stay aligned and contribute meaningfully.
“One of the things Pearl does exceptionally well is providing regular transparency into the state of the business. There’s a consistent cadence of communication around performance, both the headwinds and tailwinds, as well as the strategies in place to address challenges and capitalize on opportunities.”
3. Serious Impact, Big Heart
Our work isn’t just about building technology — it’s about improving lives. From day one, we’ve been committed to making a meaningful impact in healthcare, and that commitment extends beyond the metrics of business success.
But making an impact isn’t just about what we achieve; it’s also about how we achieve it. We believe that staying true to our mission will help us to be more successful over the long run by attracting and retaining employees who are deeply invested, and we strive to approach our work with empathy, kindness, and a deep respect for the people we serve — whether it’s patients, healthcare providers, or our own colleagues.
We bring heart to our culture through team retreats, Slack shoutouts, Zoom chat banter, and moments of connection during team bonding activities. These experiences remind us that we’re not just coworkers — we’re collaborators in a shared mission.
And sometimes, that heart shines through in the people themselves. Take Danny Wudka, for example. As one teammate shared, “Danny is a trusted partner to many — as sharp as he is funny. During the intense and chaotic growth season, his humor not only lightens the mood but builds connections across teams, making even the toughest challenges feel a little more manageable and a lot more human.”
“We have bold ideas, a strong mission, and a team that’s genuinely committed.”
Looking Ahead
Revisiting and refining our company values was not just an exercise in branding—it was a necessary step to ensure that, as we scale, we continue to operate with clarity and purpose. These values will serve as daily commitments, shaping how we hire, how we build, and how we show up for one another.
We know that staying true to these values will require ongoing effort, but we’re committed to embedding them into the fabric of our company. As we grow, we welcome input from our team, customers, and partners to help us live these values authentically.
Here’s to the next five years — built on collaboration, trust, and impact.
