StartingBlock's Lunch with a Founder - featuring Chris Fernandez

These part educational, part networking events are the perfect way to meet other founders in the region, learn from other people's entrepreneurial journeys, and get plugged in to the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Wisconsin.

sponsors this FREE in-person event. Everyone is welcome & lunch will be provided.

Featuring , Co-founder, Executive Chairman, & CRO of

is the Co-founder, Executive Chairman, and Chief Research Officer at , where he works at the intersection of applied artificial intelligence, machine learning, distributed and parallel cloud computing, and large-scale data—from terabytes to petabytes—to design and clinically validate the company’s Waveform AI engine.

Waveform AI plays a critical role in improving patient access to care, enhancing outcomes, elevating the patient and provider experience, reducing healthcare costs, and advancing scientific knowledge and research methodologies for understanding health and disease.

Chris led the development of EnsoData’s first product, EnsoSleep, an AI-powered platform that assists clinicians in diagnosing sleep apnea by automating the analysis of both in-lab and home sleep studies. EnsoSleep delivers a simplified, streamlined, and interoperable diagnostic workflow in the cloud. It is FDA 510(k) cleared, MDSAP certified, ISO 13485 certified, Health Canada approved, Colombia INVIMA approved, HIPAA compliant, HITRUST certified, and SOC 2 audited.

EnsoData is currently expanding its product suite with new AI applications aimed at improving global access to affordable, high-quality care.

Chris’s work and leadership have been recognized widely. He is an alumnus of Forbes 30 Under 30 in Healthcare (2021), Inc. Best Places to Work (2021, 2022, 2023), InBusiness 40 Under 40 (2021), and several prominent accelerator and fellowship programs including Dreamit HealthTech (2019), Healthbox Studio (2017), Y Combinator Fellowship (2015), and Gener8tor gBETA (2015).

His academic background includes degrees from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Biomedical Engineering (MS ’15, BS ’14), and affiliations with the WID AI and Machine Learning Optimization Lab, UWSMPH Honorary Associate Program, and the NIMH Conte Research Fellowship. Chris is also a member of the UW Iron Cross Society and has contributed to over 40 peer-reviewed publications in sleep and healthcare AI, with more research forthcoming.This is a FREE and in-person event. Open to all. Lunch will be provided.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

StartingBlock Madison, 821 East Washington Avenue, Madison, United States