SecondMarket CEO Barry Silbert.

So you never managed to get your hands on any Facebook shares ahead of the social media giant's IPO, and given some of the prices paid in the secondary markets, maybe that's not such a bad thing.

You’re fascinated by the rapid advances in health care IT, maybe, intrigued by the notion that thousands of startups will be taking advantage of mobile, or big data, to disrupt the incumbent players—incumbents with deep pockets to buy up the most promising entries.

Ah, but where to start. You’re not a venture capitalist, you’re just an accredited investor looking for the kinds of outsized returns that stocks and bonds aren't getting.One idea: SecondMarket.

The company, perhaps best known for providing a platform to buy and sell pre-IPO shares in Facebook, has a problem that parallels that of the intrigued but uninformed investor.

SecondMarket is in the business of providing liquidity for lightly traded assets—whether that means the stock in private companies or Lehman Brothers bankruptcy claims. Sometimes, that means assets that investors don't understand—and might find scary.

“Investors will tell us, ‘It’s interesting, but I’m not sure I really get the sector, or the thesis,’” said Jeremy Smith, SecondMarket’s chief strategy officer in a phone call with Betabeat. “That will always be the case for us, because we offer unusual investments. So we decided, maybe we need to develop some sort of education program.”

One solution: What Second Market calls its themed-month program. SecondMarket chooses an asset class, commissions a white paper on investing in the area, curates a collection of research and journalism, and hosts a webinar on the subject. Then the company offers investors a selection of investment opportunities in the given field.

When the program debuted last month, SecondMarket focused on film finance, partnering with Slated—an online marketplace for investing in movie production—to introduce investors to investing in independent film.

For December, SecondMarket is focusing on health tech, working with  accelerator StartUp Health to guide investors through the new space. (While rules governing the way that financial firms can market themselves prevented Mr. Smith from giving us the skinny on specific health tech month investments, he said that the opportunities include individual companies and funds that invest in portfolios of startups.)

By pairing the education component with investment opportunities, SecondMarket’s themed months fit neatly with the company’s broader narrative. The way the company likes to tell it, a series of events over the last 20 years have made it harder for smaller companies to raise money in equity markets. First, online brokerages began to obviate the need for the sales staff that marketed small cap stocks directly to investors; then exchanges started listing pricing in decimals rather than fractions, making smaller companies less profitable to brokers.

SecondMarket has long posited itself as a source of liquidity for growth-sized companies. With its themed month program, the company isn't replicating analyst research on smaller companies—but in the case of health tech, at least, it's stepping into a void on that side of the equation.

The program also provides a reminder that the company is in its post-Facebook period. When the time SecondMarket launched its private stock market in 2009, the company became closely associated with secondary trading in shares of the social media giant. By one measure at least, SecondMarket is surviving Facebook’s IPO, with total transaction volume through the first three quarters of 2012 down a respectable 3 percent from last year

For now, the themed month program is relatively small. Mr. Smith told us that more than 2,000 investors interacted with the film finance materials, and that SecondMarket received “a couple million dollars” of expressed interest in the investments.

That may change as the Securities and Exchange Commission completes rule-making on regulations that govern the way that investment firms can market themselves, which Mr. Smith said will let the company expose more investors to the program.

In the meantime, the size of the audience doesn’t make the project any less fun. Mr. Smith thought better of revealing future topics for the program, but noted restaurants, education technology and peer-to-peer loans as some potential areas.

"Every month I think I can't get more excited about something,” he said. “It’s like, ‘I'm quitting SecondMarket and going into ed tech, no, I'm quitting and going into health tech. Even community banks, it's really fascinating what's going on in that business."

Mr. Hamadeh

Betabeat first met Zeel, a Zocdoc-type appointment-booking service, last month when the mentoring program Startup "Don't Call Us An Incubator" Health announced its inaugural class. The New York-based company vets alternative healthcare providers like specialized massage therapists, chiropractors, registered dietitians, acupuncturists. Users can search listings by price, location, years of experience, and certification.

The company makes money if you book an appointment through Zeel. Service providers are charged a 12 to 13 percent fee, inclusive of credit card fees, which ends up netting Zeel about $9 per transaction. Zocdoc, on the other hand, makes money by charging physicians to be listed on its site.

Today, Zeel announced a second tranche of investors in a seed round that TechCrunch reports totals $1.5 million. The latest infusion of capital was led by  Prolog Ventures, VC firm focusing in life sciences and healthcare, along with Shopwell.com CEO Brian Witlin, an entrepreneur-in-residence at IDEO, angel investor Ritesh Veera, as well FAO Ventures founder Farooq Oomerbhoy.

With providers offering massages and acupuncture treatments, we weren't sure if this was supposed to be about pampering or actual healthcare. (After all, the tagline at the top of the site mentions "beauty.") CEO Samer Hamadeh, a former EIR at Lightspeed Venture, who cofounded Zeel with his wife, assured us it was the latter. "We're tilted toward what I like to say is the more medically-oriented nature of health and wellness," he explained over the phone. "Unfortunately there’s no terminology in this space that’s accepted across the board or approved by everybody. It’s very annoying! I’m going to have us lead the effort to name what this industry is. Doctors call it integrated medicine. The NIH calls it complementary and alternative medicine, which they shorten to CAM. Some people call it healthy living. It’s just nuts."

Although there are yoga and pilates instructors on the site, he said, "they actually have these extra certification for arthritis, sports injury, neck pain, and more medically-oriented modalities. The preponderance of our customers have issues that they’re dealing with and were referred to by a doctor."

Since launching in January, Zeel has expanded from listing 1,000 practitioners up to 2,300 in 11 different cities. Because they started in New York, about half are located here. Thus far, Zeel has managed to sync up about a third the providers' schedules and plans on adding more. That's vital to the service because it makes booking appointments easier. Mr. Hamadeh pointed out that Zeel actually has an easier time with this than Zocdoc since doctors typically use one of the 1,400 different practice management software systems, which are often client-server based, rather than the dozens of internet-based scheduling calendars out there like Google Calendar, Schedulicity or Genbook.

"Zocdoc has been very clever in creating the illusion of realtime availability, but they aren’t really synching. They’re painstakingly trying to get doctors to actually be online," he said, in some instances writing code to surface when doctors are available rather than being able to easily automate the process. However, he acknowledged that that may be changing. With the Zocdoc's newfound power in the market and recent regulations about modernizing healthcare infrastructure, Mr. Hamadeh said he heard Zocdoc was able to convince some of the practice management software providers to assist with realtime scheduling.

Thus far, the most popular services on Zeel have been the ones that "don't require the consumers to do any work," said Mr. Hamadeh. "Massage--I like to joke that you’re just lying down on the table and it’s kind of nice, as opposed to yoga or personal training where you’re tying to improve an injured joint."

"There are customers on our site who just want a really nice massage in their hotel room or home," he said. "Some people are like, 'Hey, I can get a better massage than at Bliss Spa.' And they really can." But Zeel was designed to help customers who have pain or chronic conditions and are booking appointments every week. "We don’t turn away the luxury customers, but they have a lot of options. They can go to a spa or get a Groupon." Patients with fibromyalgia, he said, don't have those choices.

In the month or so that Zeel has been working with Startup Health, the program has already been helpful in making introductions with the heads at consumer innovation at the all the major insurers. With rising healthcare costs, Mr. Hamadeh noted, insurers are "very motivated" to get in front of the notion of consumers taking charge of their own health.

"I have a slide in my pitch deck that I keep refining showing that the average back pain patient has insurers and employers spending $10,000 to alleviate back pain with surgery and drugs, and it isn't working." With alternative healthcare, he claims, " You can literally spend $3,000," and get better results.

"If we do our job right," said Mr. Hamadeh, "Insurance companies are going to work with us and say, 'Here’s a pot of money that our members at Aetna or Oxford can spend on these practitioners.' And we hope they’ll choose us to sort of build that platform for them."

(flickr.com/katerha)

Healthcare startups have a rough go of it. They don't generate the buzz and excitement of a new private photo-sharing app or a virtual pinboard for moms, and they're taking on one of the most tangled, frustrating, illogical industries around. The premise of Startup Health is to support healthcare companies by putting them in a class with their peers and then providing them with resources and advice as needed.

Right now, Startup Health's mentoring program, or "academy," has no campus and no roster of splashy name mentors. But ideally, the program will encourage innovation and growth and give the entrepreneurs moral support. 

Startup Health is building a campus in New York City, but the ten companies in the program starting March 26 will be phoning it in for a while. "The peer-groups meet once per month as a group virtually and then in person once per quarter in NYC for a in depth workshop and customer and investor demo days," cofounder Unity Stoakes said in an email. "This is not an Accelerator or Incubator model where people move somewhere for 12 weeks to launch an idea.  We are helping support the business through years of growth (which is required in Health Care)."

Startup Health just announced its first class of companies yesterday. According to a press release, they're all "highly accomplished and are operating companies at various stages of the growth lifecycle" and all have received funding or are generating revenue. They are evenly split between the East and West Coasts. Startup Health plans to run four such classes throughout the year.

Mr. Stoakes believes New York is becoming a health tech hub. "With BluePrint Health and Health 2.0 now in the city too there is significant collaboration and momentum going on. Many companies that we once based in Boston or West Coast are coming to NYC now," he said. (Health 2.0, based in San Francisco, just opened a New York office.) He also noted that the Bloomberg administration has been very supportive of healthcare tech companies. "All these forces are working together and at the same time," he said. "We are working hard to bring the entire ecosystem together so we can innovate faster."

The companies, which were chosen from 400 applicants:

• Sundeep Bhan is a serial entrepreneur on a mission to revolutionize the way physicians and patients leverage lab testing to make better decisions leading to improved health. Sundeep is CEO of Medivo, which he co-founded with Jason Bhan, MD, and Destry Sulkes, MD, and is headquartered in New York City. The company recently raised $7 Million in a Series A from Safeguard Scientifics. Sundeep’s previous company Medsite was acquired by WebMD in 2006.
• Veer Gidwaney is a serial entrepreneur on a mission to improve people’s health through daily behavior change. Veer is CEO of DailyFeats, which he co-founded along with Morley Ivers, President & COO, and Vinay Gidwaney, Chief Product Officer, and is headquartered in New York City and Cambridge, MA. DailyFeats is profitable and growing rapidly with numerous partners including Walgreens and Cigna. Veer’s previous company Control-F1 was acquired by Computer Associates in 2005.
• Samer Hamadeh is a serial entrepreneur on a mission to make it easier for people to find and book appointments with alternative healthcare and wellness practitioners ranging from acupuncturists and chiropractors to massage therapists, physical therapists, and personal trainers. Samer is the Founder and CEO of Zeel Networks, headquartered in New York City. Zeel has raised over $1.5 million in seed funding from angel investors including Esther Dyson, Ravi Mhatre, Tim Kendall, and Matt Ocko. Samer was recently EIR at Lightspeed Venture Partners. Samer’s last venture, career site Vault.com, was acquired by private equity firm Veronis Suhler Stevenson in 2007.
• Nadeem Kassam is a serial entrepreneur on a mission to reinvent how people track and manage their health. Nadeem is the Founder and Chief Alliance Officer at Basis, which he manages with Jef Holove as the CEO, and is headquartered in San Fransisco. The company has raised $9 Million in a Series A from Norwest Venture Partners & DCM. Jef was previously CEO at wireless photo card maker Eye-fi and spent almost a decade at Logitech.
• Hesky Kutscher is a serial entrepreneur on a mission to revolutionize and simplify the way families manage their children’s health. Hesky is Founder and CEO of MotherKnows, headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. MotherKnows has raised $1.7 Million in a Series A from First Round Capital, Charles River Ventures, Giza Ventures, and Band of Angels. Hesky’s previous company Shoplocal was acquired by Tribune and Gannett in 2004. Hesky is also Chairman and founder of High Gear Media, a leading automotive content network.
• Bill Scott is a Board Certified Neurotherapist on a mission to revolutionize therapeutic treatment options by giving clinicians the ability to easily and cost-effectively use neurofeedback to help patients train their brains to be more adaptive and healthy. Bill is CEO of BrainPaint, which he co-founded with Cora Scott, President, and is headquartered in Malibu, CA. BrainPaint is profitable and growing rapidly with over a 125 customers including Promises treatment centers and hospitals in 35 states and 7 countries.
• Bronwyn Spira is a physical therapist on a mission to deliver mobile applications for physical therapists that transform the delivery of care. Bronwyn is co-founder and President of FORCE Therapeutics, which she founded with her husband Mark Lieberman, a serial entrepreneur and technology executive, and is headquartered in New York City. FORCE Therapeutics has raised seed funding from prominent CEO investors including Thomas Layton, John Pleasants, Joseph Varet, and Randall Winn.
• David Wong, MD, PhD, is a dermatologist on a mission to make it easy and affordable for anyone to get online access to board-certified dermatologists and get immediate assistance in the diagnosis and management of skin diseases. David is CEO of Direct Dermatology, which he co-founded with Rajnish Gupta, MD, PhD, and is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. Direct Dermatology has received funding from California HealthCare Foundation and angel investors.
• Faheem Zaman is a young entrepreneur who recently left Harvard University to become one of the first Thiel Fellows and pursue his dream of rethinking healthcare by leveraging technology, data, and elegant design to make quality care more accessible. Faheem is founder of a “stealth mobile health company,” which he co-founded with Ilya Vakhutinsky, and is headquartered in New York City. Ilya brings expertise in contextual design and data visualization from his work at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Faheem is a recipient of $100,000 from Peter Thiel and the Thiel Foundation’s “20 Under 20” Thiel Fellowship program.
• George Zamanakos, PhD, is an entrepreneur on a mission to make it easier and more affordable for pregnant women to get remote care from anywhere in the world. He is heading up a “stealth mode” initiative backed by some of the biggest visionaries in the ecosystem, and is headquartered in San Diego, CA. George has a PhD in Physics from Caltech, was an associate principal at McKinsey, and previously worked with Johnson & Johnson’s leading strategy and product development in diabetes.

More in-depth bios of the founders are here.

Betabeat: Bringing you the finest in tech and startup news from these fine machines since before we were born. (BuzzFeed)

BLAST FROM THE PAST. Now, thanks to BuzzFeed, you can show all your friends how vintage chic your technology was—before it was cool. Prompted by the fairly recent Facebook timeline, BuzzFeed has introduced a Facebook app that lets users retroactively post images to their timeline. Checkout the "What Was Your First Computer?" question and reminisce about the nineteen eighties like it's the 2020's. The launch of this new app is probably just the beginning of a trend we'll see as Facebook prepares to unveil its new timeline backdating ability.

CLICK CLICK FLASH. Pixable, the photo sharing complement for social networks is rolling out a couple big features. First, is a hashtag feature that allows users to tag their photos or their friends’ photos for an easier experience when recalling and organizing snapshots. #drunkenregrets?

At the same time Pixable is being integrated into the Facebook timeline technology. Users will be able to share their photo viewing and tagging activity in the Facebook ticker just like when listening to tunes on Spotify.

HERE'S THE MAIL, IT NEVER FAILS... MailChimp, the easy-to-create email newsletter service has just acquired TinyLetter, another easy to use newsletter creation engine. Today, TinyLetter 2 is launching with cool features that allow you to see who has read your newsletter, who's sharing it and how many shares it has. PR's unanswered questions, answered.

WHAT'S ON... THE INTERNET? Onswipe just introduced cool new technology that will let tablet computer owners seamlessly browse and view related reading material from various publications just like changing channels on a TV.

ANGELIC. Check out Angel Guru, the new resource that "seeks to help new and emerging angel investors" from the always-ambitious Oren Bennett.

GET AROUND. If you just got a smart phone or don't already have a transit app for some other reason, Roadify is here for you. The newly updated app won the NYC BigApps contest last year and allows users to access official transit schedules, delay and service notifications, maps and anything else a savvy traveler's heart desires from one screen.

HEALTHY STARTUPS. AT&T is "providing scholarships to StartUp Health Academy for promising mHealth startups who are interested in leveraging the new AT&T Developer Center." Apply here.

EDUCATION. General Assembly is offering course deals on startup management lead by Justin Kan of Justin.tv and intellectual property from Bill Reinisch of Paladin Capital . Sexy stuff. Use promo code "_INSIDER_" to get 10 percent off and don't forget to check out the other GA course offerings.

TRABAJANDO. Bitly is now hiring for an application engineer, front-end developer, sales rep. and systems administrator.

Acclivity NYC needs a Cocoa UI developer, Python back-end developer and UI/UX designer. Polish up that CV and send it here.

Internet data company What's Watched needs a sales director. If this job is in your future, email Burr.

Inside Startups is searching for a web developer intern for a top secret project. Send your edited, spell-checked, grammatically correct cover letter to Ali.

This week in New York start-ups:

TO DO LIST: Maker Faire at Etsy, tonight at 6:30. Get together and talk about doing. Behind on your mainstream? The Social Network is screening at Pier 63. Hack and Tell at Meetup, tomorrow. There will be electronic fireflies! More hacking to be had at Red Bull Creation, this weekend at McCarren Park. And last but not least in the hands-on hacking category, submissions are now being accepted for World Maker Faire.

General Assembly is hosting a Selling to Middle America class, in which the co-founders of Jump Ramp Games will talk about how to get people to use Foursquare and Turntable.fm in Missouri, etc. Seems relevant, but they could have given it a less-condescending name. Selling to Customers Who Make Up the Vast Majority of the Consumer Web Market and Are Essential for Many Start-Ups to Succeed, perhaps?

The first Startup Health Roundtable announced for next week, at Meetup.

CH-CH-CHANGES. HopStop, menaced by Google Transit, launched a new site. Can the two co-exist? Google has the world to cover; HopStop, a local start-up, is betting they can at least do New York better. Background Check App for the Android launched (for instant recon on those potential dates you're scoping on HowAboutWe's recently-launched app)). "The appropriately named “Background Check App” is the first of its kind for Android and users are responding enthusiastically." SeamlessWeb is also about to get more seamless.

FIRST RESPONDERS. LocalResponse is hiring someone team-oriented to be lead software engineer. Bessemer Venture Partners, the oldest venture-capital firm in the U.S. according to itself (they invested in Carnegie Steel!), is hiring analysts. Job-seekers with an interest in education should also look at Knewton and Drop the Chalk, both hiring.