Illuminating Healthcare Horizons: Inlightened’s Expert-Driven Innovation

Founded in 2019 by Shelli Pavone and Michelle Higginson in Boston, Massachusetts, Inlightened has emerged as a transformative force in the MedTech sector. The company’s mission centers on enabling healthcare innovation by connecting businesses with a diverse spectrum of experts, including clinicians, policymakers, scientists, engineers, and industry executives. By emphasizing human-centric and technology-driven approaches, Inlightened addresses the longstanding challenges of knowledge dissemination and strategic insight in healthcare.

The platform operates as a sophisticated Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) ecosystem, providing client organizations with seamless access to on-demand expertise. Through automated vetting, screening, scheduling, and secure payments, administrative friction is minimized, allowing innovators to focus on high-impact decisions. Inlightened’s model has been particularly lauded for enabling rapid market research, advisory consulting, and pilot program testing, thereby accelerating the adoption of new healthcare solutions.

Inlightened’s network, which spans more than 500,000 professionals across over 100 specialties, integrates global perspectives while maintaining a commitment to diversity, transparency, and equity. This expansive reach is further strengthened by affiliations with the world’s largest life sciences organizations, providing clients unparalleled access to the knowledge required to navigate regulatory, operational, and technological complexities.

Tech-Enabled and Human-Focused Solutions

The distinguishing feature of Inlightened lies in its ability to combine human expertise with advanced digital infrastructure. Users can create customized projects and surveys, identify experts in minutes, and manage engagements entirely in-app. This model ensures not only efficiency but also quality, as each expert is meticulously vetted and matched to the client’s unique needs.

Organizations ranging from early-stage startups to growth-stage enterprises and established life sciences firms benefit from Inlightened’s offerings. Entrepreneurs use the platform for feasibility studies and market validation; product developers engage it for UX testing and pilot program management; executives leverage expert insights to craft go-to-market strategies or navigate compliance hurdles. Venture capitalists and private equity investors have found it indispensable for performing rigorous due diligence with access to specialized professional insights.

Driving Meaningful Impact for Experts

Inlightened is equally focused on empowering healthcare professionals. Experts can participate in interviews, focus groups, UX testing, and custom surveys, allowing them to influence innovation while receiving timely compensation. Administrative executives, award-winning academics, technologists, and world-renowned researchers are enabled to translate their expertise into actionable insights, shaping products, strategies, and policies across the healthcare landscape.

The platform’s proactive approach ensures that professionals are matched with opportunities aligned with their unique skills and interests. By democratizing access to high-value projects, Inlightened fosters a culture where knowledge sharing becomes both impactful and rewarding, driving continuous professional growth alongside systemic healthcare innovation.

The Inlightened Difference

Since its acquisition by LocumTenens.com, part of the Jackson Healthcare® family, in August 2023, Inlightened has continued to operate independently. Its growth trajectory underscores the demand for curated, tech-enabled expert networks in healthcare. By streamlining administrative processes, emphasizing diversity and transparency, and providing global expert access, Inlightened differentiates itself as an indispensable partner for organizations seeking actionable insights in a rapidly evolving field.

The company has been recognized in industry circles for its innovative model. Shelli Pavone was included in Forbes’ The Next 1000 list in 2021, highlighting her leadership in redefining how healthcare knowledge is leveraged. Moreover, Inlightened’s acquisition strategy reflects a commitment to scaling impact while maintaining operational independence, signaling a nuanced understanding of growth in the MedTech ecosystem.

Inlightened’s influence extends beyond the transactional, positioning the company as a strategic bridge between innovation and expertise. By integrating a tech-enabled approach with a human-first philosophy, it not only accelerates the translation of knowledge into practice but also sets new standards for how healthcare professionals and organizations collaborate to achieve meaningful outcomes.

 Shelli Pavone, President & Co-Founder

“At Inlightened, knowledge is most powerful when shared, and innovation thrives when expertise meets opportunity.”