57 - Interview with John Klepper - Spotting the Hidden Disease in Hospitals: A Founder’s Mission

Shownotes

Episode Title: Spotting the Hidden Disease in Hospitals: A Founder’s Mission Guest: John Klepper, Co-Founder & CEO of PIPRA Host: Jakob (Capricorn Connect)

Episode Summary: In this episode of Capricorn Connect, we dive into a silent yet serious issue in healthcare: delirium — a condition that affects 1 in 4 patients over 60 and is often overlooked until it’s too late.

Our guest, John Klepper, is a serial entrepreneur with two successful exits behind him. Now, he’s leading PIPRA, a Zurich-based healthtech startup using AI to help hospitals predict, prevent, and manage delirium.

John shares how personal experience, dyslexia, and a deep drive to solve human problems shaped his journey as a founder. With a rare blend of technical insight and human empathy, he discusses how PIPRA’s mission is making hospital care smarter, safer, and more humane.

Topics Covered:

• What delirium is and why it's so often missed
• The staggering cost and impact of delirium on patients and health systems
• How AI can help clinicians detect and prevent delirium early
• John’s personal motivation and experience as a family caregiver
• How dyslexia influenced his creative problem-solving and entrepreneurial path
• Lessons from founding and scaling multiple startups in health tech
• The intersection of technology, purpose, and patient care
• The future of predictive healthcare and personalized prevention

Key Stats Mentioned:

• 1 in 4 patients over 60 are affected by delirium
• 70% of delirium cases go undiagnosed
• 38% of patients never fully recover
• Delirium adds 60% more cost to the healthcare system than diabetes

Quotes to Remember: "You go through life constantly thinking; how can this be better, faster, simpler? Dyslexia forced me to find other pathways and tap into creative problem-solving. In a way, it became my superpower." – John Klepper