Jawad Popalzai’s journey into healthcare technology didn’t begin with software. It started in the clinic, where he spent years as a hematology-oncology physician, witnessing the friction between quality patient care and the outdated systems behind it. While medicine was advancing rapidly in diagnostics and treatment, the operational side of billing, coding, and claim denials remained stuck in the past.
That disconnect became impossible to ignore, and when Jawad gained access to a large set of claims data, the patterns were clear. What began as curiosity quickly turned into conviction. He partnered with longtime collaborators Sam Khan, a veteran systems architect, and Mohamed Chaouchi, an AI expert and author, to co-found DataRovers. Together, they set out to bridge the gap between clinical care and financial operations.
We sat down with Co-Founder Jawad Popalzai to learn more about how his clinical background shaped the company’s mission, how DataRovers is applying AI to real-world healthcare problems, and what he sees on the horizon for the future of health tech.
How did you become interested in the healthcare technology industry?
JP: While healthcare has seen remarkable advancements in diagnostics and treatment, the operational side—billing, coding, and administration—has remained outdated. There’s also a significant divide between clinical care and financial operations. We saw a clear opportunity for technology to help bridge that gap. The more we explored, the more potential we uncovered, and that’s what drew me in.
What inspired you to co-found DataRovers?
JP: I’ve spent most of my career in healthcare, primarily on the clinical side. As claim denials became a more widespread and frustrating issue, it started to hit home. Early on, we gained access to a large set of claims data from a health system and began analyzing it. What we discovered not only validated the problem, but it also gave us ideas of how to solve it. And we’ve been building ever since.
Tell us about your team: Who’s on it, and how did you meet?
JP: We’re a three-person core team—a blend of deep healthcare and tech expertise. I’m a hematology-oncology physician. My co-founder, Sam Khan, brings decades of experience as a systems architect with tech leaders like Microsoft and IBM. And Mohamed Chaouchi is the AI brain behind our platform—he’s also the author of Predictive Analytics for Dummies (which I once read as a “dummy” ). I’ve known both of them for years and trust their ability to turn big ideas into real-world solutions.
There’s also a significant divide between clinical care and financial operations. We saw a clear opportunity for technology to help bridge that gap.
Where do you see healthcare tech headed in the future?
JP: Healthcare is finally beginning to move past its dependence on legacy systems, especially in the revenue cycle space. More CEOs and CFOs are now open to leveraging advanced technologies. It’s an exciting shift, and one that’s gaining momentum.
What does success look like to DataRovers in the short term and long term?
JP: In the short term, our focus is clear: deliver real, measurable value to our early customers. Their satisfaction is our biggest indicator of success right now. Long term, we’re building something much broader. Denials management is just the starting point. Our vision is to develop an end-to-end revenue cycle platform that redefines how hospitals and health systems approach financial operations.
Find out more about DataRovers at datarovers.com. Are you a startup based in or looking to relocate to Kentucky? Keyhorse’s current quarterly investment cycle is open! Apply now.
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