The Impact Indicator

Chip Kennedy, Head of Product & Engineering at Guaranteed Health, joins me to discuss the current state of end of life care, what a new model for hospice care looks like, and the role of technology in creating successful care products that work for patients, providers, and our communities In this episode, Chip and I dig into what a successful care product looks like, and most importantly, to whom. We also discuss whether culturally-sensitive care is scalable, Guaranteed’s innovation across both care delivery and the digital arena with telemedicine, and the role of data in improving outcomes in hospice care. Highlights: Chip introduces himself and explains how his background, and specifically his exposure to the world of physical therapy set the stage for his interest in the human side of healthcare  (3:18) How does technology play a role for hospice care (6:40) Meeting families where they are: the challenges when it comes to data and the platform of delivery (10:03) How to make hospice care more equitable (14:25) What a traditional hospice care model looks like and where innovation lies (18:45) Thinking about different communities and a ‘localized’ approach to hospice care (22:34) What it’s like to work at Guaranteed Health (28:39) Links: Chip’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chip-kennedy/  Guaranteed Health’s website: https://www.onguaranteed.com/

Mim Senft and Karina Muller, Co-Founders of Motivity Care, join me to discuss the benefits of a tech-enabled solution with a human component, their competitive advantage working in the employee health and wellness benefits space, and what it means to support gender equity and diversity & inclusion in the workplace. In this episode, Mim and Karina and I dig into just how many hours employees spend on caregiving and the real, financial cost to employers. We also cover how Motivity Care is selling to employers and senior living communities, some of the unique features of the platform, and the biggest perks of joining an accelerator/incubator community. Highlights: Mim and Karina introduce themselves and their unique background across marketing, finance and HR benefits underwriting (1:13) Why is it important to provide a tech and human component (4:56) Motivity Care's key differentiator lies in integrating their benefits product within an existing rewards program (6:25) How to execute a successful employer partnership (8:33) Incentivising and engaging users (13:00) Global trends in the senior living community/real estate market and how Motivty Care is positioning itself (16:24) The importance of self-care for women in the workplace (22:07) The role of product design (25:51) The Boost fellowship, in partnership with Company Ventures and the New York City Economic Development Department (31:38) Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mim-senft/ (Mim) & https://www.linkedin.com/in/karinamuller/ (Karina) Company: https://motivitycare.com/ Boost: https://companyventures.co/boost Company Ventures: https://companyventures.co/ New York City Economic Development Council: https://edc.nyc/

Dana Levin-Robinson, CEO of Upfront, joins me to discuss how she went from cleaning half of the country's childcare data using an excel spreadsheet to licensing her system, a SaaS platform to the state of Maryland and NYC. In this episode, Dana and I dig into how she built (and eventually monetized!) a system that cleans childcare data sets at scale. We also cover the unique challenges of being a VC-backed childcare startup selling to the government, and Dana's thoughts on the Techstars Equitech Accelerator. Highlights: Dana introduces herself and explains how Upfront became the first data company in the childcare space (0:40) Dana lays the foundation for the company and what set the stage for her wanting to hold this industry to a higher standard (3:02) Moving from a service business to a SaaS platform, and pivoting from consumer to government (7:13) Figuring out where the money is (14:21) B2G: Long sales cycles, RFP's and being in the relationship business (19:42) The challenges of being a double outlier (22:54) Setting expectations when going into an accelerator; thinking about your application as a political campaign (26:20) Dana shares some wonderful organizations and communities that are increasing representation in the care category (32:25) Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danalevinrobinson/ Upfront: https://allupfront.com Techstars Equitech Accelerator: https://www.techstars.com/accelerators/equitech FamTech Collaborative: https://www.famtechcollaborative.org/ VC-Backed Moms: https://www.vcbackedmoms.com/ Parenthood Ventures: https://www.parenthoodventures.com/ Anjal Z Techstars Founder Catalyst Program (Early Education and Childhood program): https://eca.gov.ae/anjal-z-homepage/

Alyse Nicole Dunn, CEO of CareCoPilot, joins me to discuss her caregiving journey as well as her company CareCoPilot, and app that rewards you for taking care of your aging parents.  In this episode, Alyse and I dig into how the company got started and some of her key learnings in working with and for caregivers. We also cover Alyse's fundraising journey, her monetization strategies, and how the team is experimenting with cash rewards from a product & design standpoint.  Highlights:  Alyse introduces herself and her journey as a primary caregiver (1:17)   Alyse explains the key differences between CareCopilot and other products on the market (6:09)   Monetization strategies and how CareCopilot is providing value (10:19)  Potential B2B plays CareCopilot is considering (12:13)   What do investors care about? Key learnings from fundraising (16:27)   Using data to inform future product decisions (24:41)  Alyse reveals some key insights from working with and selling to caregivers (28:21)  Links:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alysenicoledunn/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/alysenicoledunn TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alysenicoledunn CareCopilot: https://carecopilot.co/ 

Romanos Fessas, CEO of Jukebox Health, joins me to discuss how his company is addressing a gap in home safety for older adults, and why this problem is so complex and difficult for families to manage in the first place. In this episode, Romanos and I dig into some of the unique aspects of their product. We also cover how Jukebox is creating a streamlined workflow for occupational therapists (OT's), what it's been like selling their solution to families, and some of their expansion plans with home care agencies. Highlights: Romanos introduces himself, his team, and the background story for Jukebox Health (1:12) Romanos outlines the problem he is solving with Jukebox Health (5:32) Why older adults don't have any home modification or accessibility features in their home (8:16) What is Jukebox Health as a software platform and what problems does it solve (12:48) Romanos shares some of his learnings from building a product for Occupational Therapists (14:05) How Jukebox is helping families with financing (19:31) Romanos reveals some unexpected findings of partnering with home care agencies (21:52) Building on the success of past partnerships, as well as Medicare Advantage and Medicaid to demonstrate health outcomes (24:25) Jukebox's journey to finding product market fit (27:57) Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/romanosfessas/ Company: https://jukeboxhealth.com/

Siran Cao, CEO of Mirza, joins me to discuss some of the fundamentals of the care economy, including what it means to build a business that is focused on honoring and valuing a workforce that is so vital to the success of our economy. In this episode, Siran and I dig into the definition of the care economy and why investing in this sector is so important. We also cover how Mirza is solving childcare affordability through zero-interest forgivable childcare financing, how they're selling this benefit to employers, and some of the unique challenges of operating in the childcare space. Highlights: Siran introduces herself and how her background and gender studies degree played a big role in her career (0:45) How Siran defines the care economy and explains why caregiving is the backbone of our economy (2:55) What Mirza is as a software platform and what problems it solves (5:46) Why employers aren't spending more money on care-related benefits and how COVID is changing people's perception (11:43) A glimpse of what it looks like to work at Mirza and how the team carries out its mission (14:55) Siran shares some of the top challenges of working as an operator in the childcare space (21:02) Siran reveals some key insights from working with and selling to employers (24:55) Links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siran-cao Company: https://www.heymirza.com Parento: https://www.parentoleave.com/ Elanza: https://www.elanzawellness.com/