Data-driven Health: Building the API Powering the Future of Preventive Medicine

In this episode of The CTO Show, Mehmet Gonullu interviews Marco Benítez, founder and CEO of Rook, about how data infrastructure is reshaping preventive healthcare.

They explore Marco’s journey as a founder, the evolution of the wearable ecosystem, and how clean, standardized data combined with AI is enabling real-time health insights. The conversation also covers Rook’s integration with over 400 devices, the shift from fitness tracking to Medicine 3.0, and the critical role of compliance (HIPAA, GDPR) in health tech scalability.

Marco also shares lessons on the future of medicine, the intersection of biomedical engineering and human behavior, and what startups need to succeed in the health data space.

Topics covered in this episode:

• How ROOK connects over 400 wearables through a single API

• The shift from fitness tracking to Medicine 3.0 and preventive care

• Why data standardization and regulatory compliance (HIPAA, GDPR) are essential

• How AI transforms wearable data into meaningful health insights

• Marco’s entrepreneurial mindset: discipline, transparency, and execution

• Lessons on raising capital in the U.S. digital health ecosystem

• The role of engineering and human behavior in designing health platforms

• Challenges of scaling health infrastructure globally