Cedar - About Us

About Us

About Us

About Us

Meet Cedar

The idea for Cedar came to our co-founder after a nightmarish personal journey through the healthcare system led to confusion, frustration and disappointment. One thing was clear: The system needed to change. Because when the patient experience is convenient and clear, it leads to significantly better outcomes for providers, payers and the people they serve. Cedar’s mission is to make healthcare more affordable and accessible through our consumer-friendly platform that’s powered by data science, smart product design and personalization.

Co-Founder / Chief Executive Officer

Florian Otto, MD, PhD

An accomplished entrepreneur and former physician, Florian now drives growth and sets overall direction across all facets of Cedar’s operations. Prior to founding Cedar, Florian was an executive at Zocdoc where he drove the commercial adoption of the platform. Florian also founded a daily deal company in Brazil (ClubeUrbano) that was eventually acquired by Groupon. After the acquisition, he became Chief Executive Officer of Groupon Brazil, growing the company to one of Groupon’s top three international markets. Florian began his business career as a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Company within their healthcare practice. Florian holds a M.D., D.D.S. and PhD from the University of Freiburg, Germany.

Technical Co-Founder

Arel Lidow

Arel leads strategy and product development for new Cedar offerings, including products in new healthcare verticals. He has worn many hats since co-founding Cedar in 2016, with responsibilities that encompassed setting Cedar’s product vision and managing product teams. Prior to founding Cedar in 2016, Arel was VP of product at AppNexus where he supervised the development and launch of the company’s flagship products. He was recognized as an honorary founder and received the “Founder Award” for his contributions to the company. Arel began his career as a technology associate at Bridgewater Associates, working on trading systems for the world’s largest hedge fund. He graduated from Princeton University with a B.S.E. in electrical engineering and a certificate in finance.

Cedar people

Work with us

Team-oriented. High-growth. Mission-led. We bring together a deep understanding of data science, technology, experience and design to solve an important healthcare problem in a unique way. Our team includes a diverse group of talented, problem-solvers and change-makers who are building something transformational. If you thrive when pushing boundaries, moving mountains and challenging the status quo, you’ll find your crew here.

 

Work with us

Advisors

Joel Allison

Former CEO, Baylor Scott & White Health

Linda Finkel

President and CEO, AVIA Health

Howard Gold

EVP, Chief Managed Care Business Development Officer, Northwell Health

Dr. Tim Groover

President, Baptist Health

Tommy Ibrahim

President and CEO, Sanford Health Plan

Dr. Steven Johnson

Former CEO, Health First

Bruce Lawrence

Former CEO, INTEGRIS

Jeff Logan

Group Vice President Patient and Market Experience, Providence

Dr. David Lubarsky

CEO, UC Davis Health

Michael McMillan

Head of Managed Care, Ascension Health

James Olsen

Founder and Managing Partner, Concord Health Partners

Joel Perlman, CPA

Former CFO, Montefiore Health System

Lou Shapiro

Former CEO, Hospital for Special Surgery

David Shulkin, MD

9th Secretary, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Investors

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