We're building the language layer for healthcare.
A physician and a former Apple engineer, building from San Francisco.
Our story
“I grew up in Taiwan. I barely spoke English when I came to the United States.”
My first class here was U.S. history, and the only words I understood were “hello” and “thank you.” I was young, and eventually I learned. My parents never did. Like many immigrant families, we built our life around the places where they could be understood.
One day, my mom had a medical emergency. We rushed to the hospital, trusting that once we walked through those doors, she would be okay.
Instead, we waited 15 minutes for a phone interpreter, and when it finally connected, parts of what she said never made it across. She was misdiagnosed and sent home on the wrong medication.
Two days later, we rushed her back with severe complications. The doctors told us how close we had come to losing her.
Language should never decide whether a patient is heard, correctly diagnosed, or safely treated. That is why we built Opalite.
Cathleen Kuo, MD · co-founder & CEO
Small team. Enormous standard.
A handful of principles we hold to, in the product we build and the company we keep.
Principle 01
Users first
We move mountains for the clinicians and patients who rely on us.
Principle 02
Impact
We measure our work by what changes for patients, clinicians, and care teams, not just what gets shipped.
Principle 03
Raise the standard
We do not accept “good enough” when better care is possible.
Principle 04
Integrity
We do right by patients even when it costs us and no one would know.
Principle 05
Stay curious, move boldly
We keep learning, question what others accept, and act decisively on what we discover.
Help every patient be understood.
We hire people who feel this mission in their bones, even before we've posted the role.
Every patient deserves to be understood.
See how Opalite connects your providers and patients in seconds, in any language.