Flax Health Raises $3.5 Million to Automate Skilled Nursing Workflows
Flax Health (Salt Lake City, UT) raises $3.5M pre-seed from Sorenson and Pear to automate skilled nursing workflows, underscoring Utah’s rising profile as a healthcare AI hub.
Money
Salt Lake City, Utah — September 5, 2025
Utah is carving out a reputation for healthcare and AI innovation, and Flax Health just added fuel to that story. The Salt Lake-based startup raised $3.5 million in Pre-Seed funding, co-led by Sorenson Capital (Lehi/Palo Alto) and Silicon Valley’s Pear VC, to automate the painful workflows dragging down skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).
Flax was co-founded by entrepreneurs Trent Hazy and David Kartchner. Hazy previously built AI and automation products at Microsoft, bringing deep experience scaling enterprise-grade systems. Kartchner earned his PhD in AI for healthcare from Georgia Tech, where he focused on extracting insights from clinical documentation — the core challenge Flax is tackling.
Together, our team combines deep healthcare domain knowledge with cutting-edge technical expertise to build tools that are both powerful and practical.
“We’re proud to partner with Trent and David, experienced second-time founders who bring an enterprise-grade product and deep healthcare research expertise to improving administrative workflows,” said Mar Hershenson, Founding Managing Partner at Pear VC. “Skilled Nursing Facilities play a critical role in caring for patients after hospital discharge or surgery, yet have historically been underserved when it comes to modern technology. Equipping these facilities with AI can meaningfully improve patient outcomes while strengthening operational sustainability - both essential to the health of our system. We’re excited for Flax to bring cutting-edge generative AI to the workflows of these vital care providers.”
Utah is increasingly becoming known for healthcare AI. With Intermountain Health anchoring the state’s medical ecosystem and a talent pipeline from University of Utah, BYU, and Utah State, startups like Flax are finding both willing customers and engineering talent in-state.
Sorenson Capital, one of Utah’s marquee venture firms, has doubled down on AI-driven enterprise solutions. Their involvement here signals confidence in both the local founding team and Utah’s ability to generate healthcare-first unicorns.
“Flax Health is tackling real operational pain points with a solution that’s easy to adopt and delivers immediate impact,” said Eric Hilton, Partner at Sorenson Capital. “The team’s mix of healthcare domain knowledge and AI expertise, paired with strong early traction, makes them well-positioned to lead in this space. We’re excited to support their next phase of growth.”
Skilled nursing facilities face staff shortages, rising costs, and regulatory hurdles. Under the PDPM reimbursement model, even small documentation gaps mean lost revenue. Staff lose 30+ hours a week wrangling referral packets, intake forms, and claims—time that could be spent on patients.
Flax Health’s AI platform automates admissions, intake, and claims workflows by ingesting clinical data, extracting insights, and flagging risks like costly meds or behavioral factors.
Early traction is strong:
- 11 hours saved per staff member weekly
- Referral decisions made 40% faster
- Thousands in weekly revenue recovery
Co-founder and CEO Trent Hazy, a Stanford GSB alum with Utah ties, says the mission is simple: “We’re giving staff back time and helping facilities stay financially sustainable.”
- Sorenson Capital (Lehi, UT & Palo Alto, CA)
Product-first B2B investor with deep Utah roots; focuses on AI, cybersecurity, and SaaS. Writes $1M–$10M checks and prides itself on hands-on founder support. - Pear VC (Menlo Park, CA)
One of Silicon Valley’s most active seed firms; specializes in AI, healthcare, and SaaS. Known for heavy engagement at the pre-seed stage.
Together, they’re betting on SNFs as an underserved market and on Utah’s talent pool to scale the solution.
Competitive Pressure
Flax is entering a crowded space.
- CoreCare (YC): Referral evaluation for post-acute care.
- Skypoint.ai: ROI-focused AI agents for SNFs.
- Alita Health: Chat-based hiring automation.
- Aiva: Voice assistants for patients and staff.
Larger AI players like Suki, Abridge, and Ellipsis Health dominate hospitals but show how fast this category is moving.
Flax Health—backed by local capital in Sorenson and leveraging national expertise from Pear—is staking a claim as the SNF workflow leader. If they succeed, it will be a win for skilled nursing and it will reinforce Utah’s position as a serious healthcare AI hub.
To learn more, visit flax.ai.
