How Skin Angels Backs Dermatology's Next Innovators, With Ross Levy, MD

Skin Angels, the dermatology-focused angel investing network featured in a LEADderm 2026 panel, has evaluated more than 300 companies, with a portfolio spanning over-the-counter products, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.¹ The group positions itself as more than a source of capital, pairing check-writing with clinicians who lend hands-on experience to founders navigating regulatory and commercial hurdles.

Members help move ideas from concept toward a minimum viable product and beyond, offering perspective and hands-on experience few venture networks outside dermatology can provide. Panelists noted an idea often starts as a simple pain point a clinician sees in daily practice, well before it becomes a formal business plan. Dermatology remains one of few specialties without an investment network solely dedicated to skin-focused innovation.

Venture investment in artificial intelligence within dermatology has accelerated over the past decade, reshaping both clinical workflows and how lean a startup team needs to be to launch a new therapy.² A wave of startups is also harnessing specific areas of the immune system in topical formulations, aiming for targeted results with lower systemic risk to patients. Ross Levy, MD, a dermatologist at Endeavor Health specializing in cosmetic and surgical dermatology, discussed these shifts alongside fellow panelists Manju Dawkins, MD, Buu Duong, MD, Peter Lio, MD, and Ross Lane Pearlman, MD.

In the following Q&A interview, Levy spoke with HCPLive at LEADderm 2026 in Newport Beach, California, about the Skin Angels model, practical advice for early-career dermatologists, and where he expects dermatology innovation to head next:

HCPLive: Is Skin Angels the first dermatology-focused angel investing group, and can you describe it?

Ross Levy, MD: Sure. We're a loosely connected, affiliated group of dermatologists and people in industry interested in dermatology, really anybody who wants to learn more and develop skills with respect to investing in early-stage companies, which is what angel investing is. We're not just composed of people writing checks. We also have a group of people who lend their experience, since industry sometimes needs partners to improve or understand the clinician experience. We're trying to make it more than just an angel group, more of a real community of people who invest in and support the next generation of companies, but also help them get from the idea stage to the actual MVP stage and beyond, as well as act as a resource within dermatology. There are a number of these groups around, but none are solely focused on skin and dermatology, and there's a ton of innovation occurring in our field. That's kind of where we wanted the offering to land.

HCPLive: What's one practical step a resident or early-career dermatologist can take to help shape the field rather than just follow it?

Ross Levy, MD: I love the idea stage. We all have ideas, right? Essentially, an idea, when it comes to a business or a startup, is just a solution to a problem, a pain point we have or somebody else has had. Many times that idea is the result of a simple pain point, and many of us just chalk it up and move on with the rest of our day. What I hope is people say, I'm here at the front lines in medicine, there's a problem I see, it's either a problem for me or a problem for my patients, and I have a way to solve it and help out the world and my community. Those ideas are important, that's how these things start. Certainly there's a huge way to go between having an idea and a successful product and company, but it's got to start somewhere, and we want to position ourselves as a place where people can bring those ideas and move them forward, as well as see companies that have had those ideas and support them.

HCPLive: Looking ahead, what do you hope to see from the next generation of dermatology innovators in 5 to 10 years?

Ross Levy, MD: That's a great question. Obviously AI is the tool everybody is talking about, specifically how it integrates and makes current practices quicker, faster, and better. There's a whole area of improving clinical efficiency and day-to-day work and administration, but there's also another area of increasing our ability to develop new chemicals and new treatments, and I think that's going to accelerate this process. The role of AI in shaping and moving companies forward is amazing too. What used to require 10 people to start an idea and a company can now be very lean, with one or two people getting it started. I'm really interested to see how AI and machine learning shape the industry in both of those areas. From a particular standpoint within dermatology, I'm excited about how there are so many new developments related to the immune system. You see a lot of startups now harnessing certain areas of the immune system in a fashion that's topical, so there's less risk to the patient, but the treatment is still very directed, and we still get good results.

Editor's Note: This transcript has been edited for grammar and clarity using artificial intelligence tools. Levy had no relevant disclosures of note outside of his own involvement in Skin Angels.

References

1. Lio P. Skin Angels and the atopic dermatitis pipeline, with Peter Lio, MD. HCPLive. Published August 31, 2026. Accessed September 4, 2026. https://www.hcplive.com/view/skin-angels-atopic-dermatitis-pipeline-peter-lio-md.

2. Ramachandran V, Jairath NK, Orlow SJ. A Decade of Venture Investment in Artificial Intelligence in Dermatology Amidst Macroeconomic Shifts and Technological Advancements. J Invest Dermatol. 2024;144(8):1685-1688.e1. doi:10.1016/j.jid.2024.02.024.