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ScienceStage was a global, science-oriented multimedia portal that specialized in online video streaming to support communication between scientists, scholars, researchers in industry, and professionals. It was also used by academics and students as a virtual educational tool. Video content ranged from conference recordings, to interviews, documentaries, webinars, and tutorials. ScienceStage also functioned as a 'hub' by creating a meta-layer to enable the networking of both users (individuals and groups) and content (video, audio, and documents), to form an integrated multimedia and social networking platform for scientists.
Website
By creating "Stages" and groups and by uploading content, users could communicate their ideas in a broad network and participate within and across discourses of the global scientific community. ScienceStage thus functioned as a communication platform to serve the advancement of the sciences. Users could also bookmark content they found useful or interesting and create their own media library and playlists for video and audio streaming. Other online communication tools included messaging, blogs, and setting up online video conferences to discuss projects or conduct tutorials. Users could monitor the quality of content posted by other users by posting comments and rating specific content. Through the website, one might also access external online scientific databases, for example, PubMed, the IEEE, and CiteSeer.
Networking
Stages
As users, individuals and organizations created public profiles, called "Stages." By uploading content to their Stage, users could publicly present their research, academic institution, or their company.<ref nameanalytik/> Uploaded content could then be linked to similar content across all media types (video, audio, documents) as well as relevant Stages and groups.<ref nameharvard/>
Groups
When users shared similar interests or expertise, they could join or form a group. A group was often created in order to discuss a particular topic or to collaborate on a specific project.<ref name=harvard/> Unlike a Stage, groups might be either public or private. They could consist of as few as two members who wish to privately share content, to many members who wish to make public their collaborative efforts. For example, if a scientist in Germany has published a paper on landmark-identification using eye-movement tracking, she could upload this paper to her Stage. Once uploaded, the document could be linked to a video posted by a researcher in the U.S. in the same virtual group, and both of these could be subsequently linked to a company or university lab developing new eye-tracking technology presented on its Stage.

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Digital economy and innovation
During the 1990s Le Merle was a director of the San Francisco Partnership that successfully worked to have Mission Bay established as a leading Biotechnology center for San Francisco. in 1999 to 2001 he was an Advisor to the City of San Francisco including working on the formation of the MultiMedia Industry strategy for the City. Between 2002 and 2006 Le Merle was an advisor to the State of California on the future development of the Biotechnology Industry in the state and in each of the four biotechnology clusters in the State: San Diego, Southern California, Sacramento and the Bay Area and to Shanghai Municipality as the city developed its new Life Sciences Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park.
From 2006 and 2008 Le Merle was Co-President of Keiretsu Forum SF/NB (the world's largest angel investor network) in which capacity he was invited in 2007 to speak to representatives of the provinces of China in the Great Hall of the People at Tiananmen Square on the topics of innovation and angel investing. Le Merle is also a frequent speaker on innovation, the Digital Economy, interactive media and entertainment and has been a top ranked speaker at GDC in San Francisco and China.
Since 2006 Le Merle has also been a frequent publisher and speaker on the topic of how prospective Internet regulation may negatively impact innovation and growth in the Digital Economy. He has been invited by the governments of Korea, India, Indonesia, Israel, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, UAE and USA among others to provide expert input and advice on how to stimulate clusters of innovation and digital economy growth.
Honors and Positions
Le Merle is an adjunct faculty member at Singularity University.
He is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS).
Works
;Innovation
* Le Merle, M.C. and Davis, A. (2017) "Corporate innovation in the Fifth Era", Cartwright Publishing
;Investment
* Le Merle, M.C. and Davis, A. (2017) "Build your fortune in the Fifth Era", Cartwright Publishing
Personal life
Le Merle resides in Tiburon, California with his wife Alison Davis. They have five children

Mira (TalktoMira, Inc.) is a digital health platform bringing affordable healthcare to uninsured and underinsured individuals in the U.S.. The company was founded in 2019 by Khang T. Vuong, Mira's current President and Chief Executive Officer. The company was selected by HLTH as one of the 15 most innovative early stage companies in healthcare.
Mira differentiates itself from insurance and online doctor booking platforms by allowing its members to access unlimited urgent and primary care with a [https://www.talktomira.com/signup $25 monthly membership] and a $99 fixed copay per visit, with or without insurance. The company also works with national health plans to compliment catastrophic health insurance as a pre-deductible supplemental plan.
The company is based in Washington D.C. with an office in New York City.
Mission & Vision
Mira's vision is to bring affordable healthcare to everybody regardless of insurance status. Mira is advancing this vision by executing on its mission of bringing an Amazon Prime-like experience to healthcare - predictable price, reliable caregivers, and affordable services.
Customer Segment
There are 86 million Americans without insurance or have insurance but with a high deductible
Pricing Predictability
According to a research by ZocDoc, 65% would go to the ER if they couldn't get in to see a doctor quickly enough, yet 69% are unsure of the costs of an ER visit. In the same study, survey reported 1 out of 4 Millennials and Gen Yx use the Emergency Department as their primary care doctor.
In 2018, Mira conducted a study under a grant sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The team interviewed 120 people across three states and found that <u>"not knowing the cost"</u> was the main factor for 7 out of 10 people in delaying care. In other words, pricing uncertainties paralyze the ability for healthcare consumers to make decisive decisions when it comes to getting medical services.
This finding led to the company's creation of the nation's first value-based global payment model at the visit level.
Partnership With The Urgent Care Association
On October 9th, 2019, Mira and the Urgent Care Association announced that both parties had entered a strategic partnership in which Mira became the preferred partner for the Gateway2Better Network to serve the uninsured and underinsured population.
Within the partnership agreement, Mira will tap into an extensive network of urgent care centers nationally, allowing its members to access medical treatments at the right time and the right place, with or without insurance
How Mira Works
For patients
Mira provides its members with an affordable way to access preventative and urgent care. With a low monthly membership fee, Mira’s members will get access to healthcare services at an all-inclusive fixed price covering a comprehensive list of conditions ranging from flu, women's health, to minor injuries, and wound care.
While Mira does not cover hospitalization, the company’s goal is to help consumers become more proactive in managing their own health and move toward a preventative mindset.
Under the current system, healthcare consumers get access to a provider network with pre-negotiated prices via an insurance policy. But for middle class Americans who do not receive employer-sponsored health benefits, buying in an insurance policy on their own is a financial challenge, especially when the monthly premium cost often exceeds that of renting a house. And for folks who can afford it, the thousands of dollars limit on out-of-pocket deductible deter them from getting care.
For Providers
For providers within the network, Mira brings a first-in-market digital experience that will transform how patients access healthcare, without the complexity of navigating insurance policy or finding a same-day appointment within a narrow network.
On top of that, by simplifying payment, Mira helps providers save a significant amount of time, effort, and overhead expenses, associated with traditional billing and coding. Hence, enabling providers to spend more time with the individual patient, restoring the high touch aspect of healthcare.
Press Coverage
# Uninsured? Need a doctor fast? This growing startup says no problem. - Washington Business Journal
# 30 Million People Are Uninsured. New Startup Wants to Connect Them Directly to Doctors. - Leaps Magazine
# HLTH features 15 innovative early-stage companies with pioneering technologies, products and business solutions - HLTH
# 2019 HealthTech Innovation Challenge Winner - Boston - Accenture
# Mira And the Urgent Care Association to Enter into A Strategic Partnership
# THE TECHNOLOGY of TalktoMIRA, the Uninsured and DPC - Direct Primary Care Journal
# What’s The Future Of Healthcare? 31 Experts Share Their Insights