Cathie Woods’ ARK makes its first lead investment in startup Lucra — and it isn’t AI; Esther and Anne Wojcicki join new healthcare accelerator

Cathie Woods’ ARK makes its first lead investment in startup Lucra — and it isn’t AI; Esther and Anne Wojcicki join new healthcare accelerator

From TechCrunch Startup News by TechCrunch

April 23, 2026 · 11 min

About this episode

The episode discusses ARK's investment in Lucra, a startup focused on corporate loyalty programs through eSports, along with insights into new healthcare accelerators.

Lucra offers corporate loyalty programs reimagined as interactive eSports. But winning ARK as a lead wasn't easy. Also, Mary Minno launches early-stage startup accelerator program, Treehub, and an early-stage firm, AI Health Fund, aimed at backing startups working at the intersection of healthcare and AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Guests: Esther Wojcicki, Anne Wojcicki

Topics covered

  • corporate loyalty programs
  • eSports
  • healthcare
  • startup accelerator
  • investment

Keywords

  • ARK
  • Lucra
  • eSports
  • corporate loyalty
  • healthcare
  • Treehub
  • AI Health Fund

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: ARK, Lucra, Treehub, AI Health Fund

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