OpenAI Snaps Up Health Startup Torch Days After ChatGPT Health Launch

TLDR

• OpenAI acquired health-care startup Torch for $60 million to $100 million in January 2025
• Torch was building a unified medical memory system that combines patient health data from multiple sources
• Torch’s four-person team will join OpenAI to work on ChatGPT Health
• The acquisition comes days after OpenAI launched ChatGPT Health, which lets users connect medical records to the chatbot
• Torch co-founder Ilya Abyzov previously co-founded Forward Health, which shut down in 2024 after raising over $400 million

OpenAI purchased Torch, a small health-care technology startup, for a reported price between $60 million and $100 million. The company announced the acquisition on Monday, January 12, 2025.

Torch had been developing technology to consolidate patient health information from various sources into one location. The startup called its product a “unified medical memory” for artificial intelligence.

The system was designed to pull together data from doctor visits, lab tests, wearable devices, and wellness apps. All of this scattered health information would be combined into what the team described as a “context engine.”

Torch’s entire team of four employees will move to OpenAI. They will work on OpenAI’s newly launched ChatGPT Health service.

ChatGPT Health allows users to connect their medical records and wellness applications directly to the AI chatbot. OpenAI unveiled this feature just days before announcing the Torch acquisition.

The company also released several enterprise products aimed at health-care organizations. Large health systems like HCA Healthcare are among OpenAI’s initial partners.

Background on Torch Team

Torch co-founder Ilya Abyzov wrote on X that he couldn’t imagine a better outcome than putting their technology in the hands of ChatGPT’s hundreds of millions of users. He noted that many people already use ChatGPT for health-related questions each week.

Abyzov and his team previously worked together at Forward Health. Forward operated AI-powered doctors’ offices through tech-enabled “CarePods” that conducted patient visits.

Forward was a direct-to-consumer primary care business. The company raised over $400 million in funding during its existence.

Forward shut down operations in late 2024. The closure happened suddenly and without much advance warning to customers.

OpenAI’s Acquisition Strategy

OpenAI hired Albert Lee from Google in December 2024 to lead corporate development. Lee’s hiring suggested the company planned to pursue more acquisitions.

The Torch deal represents OpenAI’s continued efforts to compete with rivals like Google and Anthropic. The company has made several purchases in 2025.

OpenAI acquired Jony Ive’s AI devices startup io for more than $6 billion in May 2025. This was one of the company’s largest deals.

One source familiar with the Torch deal stated that OpenAI paid roughly $60 million. Another report from The Information cited an unnamed source saying the price was $100 million in equity.

Neither OpenAI nor Torch disclosed the official terms of the acquisition. The exact purchase price remains unconfirmed by either company.

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