The education and healthcare sectors are being transformed by a new crop of entrepreneurs—individuals who aren’t only producing products, but also redefining what innovation and leadership actually are. Two stories from the past year stand out as particularly inspiring examples of the vision, determination, and strategic acumen required to leave a lasting impact in these critical areas.
Let’s start with Michaela Horvathova. Raised in Slovakia, Michaela didn’t exactly fit the bill in terms of the conventional school system. Rather than allow that to hinder her, she gravitated toward tennis and earned a scholarship to study in the U.S. She went on to graduate from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. From there, Michaela’s path became motivational—she consulted with the Prime Minister of Slovakia and co-founded Beyond Education, an edtech startup that specializes in guiding schools through the challenge and opportunity of the AI age.
Michaela’s tale is a classic case of making adversity an opportunity. Recently, she described that it takes more than an excellent product to create an innovative company. “It takes becoming a thought leader,” she said. Real change, she said, occurs when entrepreneurs take a stand to drive and shape the discussion in their space. Acceptance by Beyond Education into the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs Accelerator—a zero-equity, virtual, high-potential startup program run by Harvard alumni—is a testament to the potential for the company to revolutionize learning in an AI-based future.
Shifting to healthcare, OncoveryCare (previously VivorCare) is taking center stage with a daring brand overhaul, a strategic alliance, and a $4.5 million seed round. Their vision is simple and imperative: to bridge the cancer survivorship care gap. As survival rates for cancer rise, the number of survivors in the United States will double from 11 million in 2008 to 22 million by the year 2030. But with that advancement comes new challenges—survivors tend to develop complications such as cardiotoxicity, fatigue, multifaceted monitoring requirements, and mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
Survivorship care is still fragmented and incoherent today. OncoveryCare is changing that with a structured, one-stop-shop approach to providing the day-to-day support survivors require but all too frequently don’t receive.
But innovation wasn’t enough to differentiate themselves in the saturated healthtech arena. Knowing this, OncoveryCare hired MAG PR to create a focused media plan to elevate their message. Their strategy was strategic: embargoed press releases to key reporters, followed by targeted pitching in order to land thought leadership pieces. The outcome was significant—coverage in respected publications such as Fortune, Crunchbase News, The Wall Street Journal, and Modern Healthcare. This media coverage not only generated traffic to their site once relaunched but also helped position OncoveryCare as a budding power in cancer care.
This type of strategic communication is more than heading off headlines. It’s about narrative shaping, credibility building, and establishing the company as an authentic category creator. By remaining visible and participating in industry dialogue, OncoveryCare has opened doors to new partnerships and growth opportunities, positioning the stage for even broader impact.
What unites these two narratives is visionary leadership combined with wise strategy. Whether Michaela Horvathova is reinventing education for the age of AI or OncoveryCare is revolutionizing cancer survivorship, one fact is certain: changing the world takes more than a great idea. It takes courage to lead, discipline to communicate, and unrelenting drive to break boundaries.
