How CoachLinq from InHealth Is Redefining Health Coaching for the People Who Need It Most
StartUp Health community members Aubrey Sawyer and Michelle Alencar, PhD, are translating a decade of clinical proof into a first-of-its-kind certified AI health coaching platform. Their goal is to close the widening gap between what health plans and employers invest in and what people actually use, driving meaningful engagement, outcomes, and access at scale.
For nearly ten years, StartUp Health community members Aubrey Sawyer, CEO & Co-founder of InHealth and CoachLinq, and Michelle Alencar, PhD, Chief Science Officer & Co-founder, have pushed forward with a simple belief. If a solution is truly needed, it will survive. Today, that perseverance is paying off in the form of CoachLinq powered by InHealth, the world’s first certified AI health coach and delivery platform.
The Crisis Behind the Innovation
The United States spends more than four trillion dollars on healthcare each year, yet fewer than one in ten employees engages with offered wellness or chronic-care programs. The result is a costly engagement gap where resources exist, but people do not activate them. CoachLinq is built to close this gap by guiding people to the right support at the right time and sustaining engagement through to measurable outcomes.
“Activation is where the problem starts,” says Michelle. “If we can bring more people in at the top of the funnel and keep them engaged through the journey, the outcomes scale.”
Science Built for Scale
CoachLinq is not emerging from a lab. Its foundation is a decade of clinical credibility from InHealth, including randomized controlled trials, peer-reviewed publications, national board accreditation, and CDC recognition that validated quality at a population level.
“We built our academy so every coach carries the same evidence-based standards,” says Michelle. “That science is now encoded in the platform.”
The core philosophy has always centered on evidence-based health coaching delivered by trained professionals. Now, that human expertise has been translated into an intelligent platform that scales engagement while preserving the qualities that make coaching impactful.
Engagement as First-Line Therapy
CoachLinq integrates certified AI health coaching with optional human support, creating a flexible model for care delivery. It can guide members independently when appropriate, then transition them to a human coach when deeper support is needed. This approach unlocks a future where every individual can access a trusted coach, regardless of location, benefit literacy, or previous experience with preventive care.
“CoachLinq is the technology layer and a certified health coach in its own right,” says Aubrey. “It can drive outcomes on its own and direct people back to human coaching and other trusted solutions when that’s the best fit.”
For employers, payers, and life-science partners, CoachLinq acts as an intelligent front door to benefits and clinical programs. When people understand what is available and are coached to take action, engagement becomes first-line therapy that improves outcomes and lowers avoidable costs.
Built on Grit and Growth
This progress follows years of hard-earned lessons. Early in their journey, the founders made a contractual decision that slowed their ability to scale and raise capital.
“The biggest lesson we learned early on was never do a deal when you’re desperate,” says Aubrey. “Have legal eyes on everything, and do not take the first offer on the table.”
They kept going. They built proof instead of hype. They invested in the long game. Today, unshackled and aligned with the right partners, they are entering the strongest chapter of their mission.
What Comes Next
CoachLinq is preparing for launch with critical milestones underway, including new employer health plan relationships, a growing pipeline of clinical research collaborations, technology validation with enterprise customers, and expansion of a national delivery channel that will move certified AI health coaching into the hands of people everywhere.
A formal rollout is planned for early 2026, with opportunities for early adoption now open.
“We’re solving the engagement crisis so people actually use what’s already available to them,” says Michelle. “That’s how you scale impact across every population you serve.”
Aubrey and Michelle want every organization investing in health equity, chronic condition management, or preventive care to consider a simple question: If your benefits and interventions are not reaching the people who need them, what is your engagement strategy? CoachLinq is designed to become the infrastructure layer that makes these investments work.
A Future Built on Perseverance and Partnership
As they look ahead, the founders reflect on both the milestones behind them and the mission in front of them. Their team, their data, and their technology have never been stronger. Their motivation has never been clearer.
CoachLinq represents a defining moment for InHealth’s hardworking founding team that has stayed committed for nearly a decade. “If a solution is truly needed, it will find a way to stay in the world,” says Aubrey. “You just keep going one step at a time.”
That mindset has guided their journey, and StartUp Health has been proud to support them through the long arc of building real change in healthcare. “We know how impactful it is to work with StartUp Health,” Aubrey shares. “You help connect us to a mission-aligned network so we can reach the people who need this most.”
Today, CoachLinq is bringing a new generation of trusted coaching to the people who too often fall through the cracks, turning healthcare’s investments into real, measurable human impact.
Organizations that believe engagement is the first step toward better outcomes are invited to connect and explore partnership opportunities.
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Published: Nov 7, 2025
Produced by Nicole Kinsey
