Black health care startup founders in Chicago who work at the national level to change the care culture

When Ashlee Wisdom launched an early version of her health and wellness site, more than 34,000 users – most of them black – visited the platform in the first two weeks.

“It was not the most well-functioning platform,” said Wisdom, 31. “It was not sexy.”

But the launch was successful. Now, more than a year later, Wisdom’s company, Health in her nuance, connects black women and other colored women with culturally sensitive physicians, doulas, nurses, and therapists nationally.

As more people search culturally competent care – the recognition of a patient’s legacy, beliefs and values ​​during treatment – a new wave of Black tech founders that Wisdom aims to help. In the same way that Uber Eats and Grubhub revolutionized food delivery, Black tech health startups across the United States aim to change how people exercise, how they eat, and how they communicate with physicians.

Inspired by their own and their parents ‘and grandparents’ experiences, black entrepreneurs launch startups that aim to close the cultural divide in healthcare with technology – and create profitable businesses.

“One of the most exciting growth opportunities across healthcare innovation is to support under-represented founders who build healthcare businesses with a focus on underserved markets,” said Unity Stoakes, president and co-founder of Startup Health, a San Francisco company that has invested in a number of healthcare companies run by colored people.

He said these leaders have “a substantial and strong understanding of how to address some of the biggest challenges in healthcare.”

Platforms created by black founders of black people and colored communities continue to flourish because these entrepreneurs often see problems and solutions that others may miss. Without different voices, entire categories and products would not exist in critical areas like health care, business experts say.

Kevin Dedner, whose mental health startup Hurdle mates patients with therapists who “honor culture instead of ignoring it.”

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“We’re really talking to a need,” said Kevin Dedner, 45, founder of mental health startup Hurdle. “Mission alone is not enough. You have to solve a problem. “

Dedner’s company, headquartered in Washington, DC, pairs patients with therapists who “honor culture instead of ignoring it,” he said.

He started the business three years ago. Several people approached Hurdle after the murder of George Floyd.

In Memphis, Tennessee, Erica Plybeah, 33, is focused on providing transportation. Her company, MedHaul, collaborates with providers and patients to ensure cheap trips to and from doctor visits. Caregivers, patients or providers fill out a form on MedHaul’s website and Plybeah’s team will help them plan a trip.

While MedHaul is for everyone, Plybeah knows colored people, everyone with low incomes and rural residents are more likely to face transportation barriers. She founded the company in 2017 after years of watching her mother take care of her grandmother, who had lost two limbs due to type 2 diabetes. They lived in the Mississippi Delta, where transportation was scarce.

Erica Plybeah’s MedHaul startup works with providers and patients to secure rides for medical appointments.

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“For years, my family struggled with our transportation because my mother was her primary carrier,” Plybeah said. “Trying to plan all of her doctor visits in relation to her work schedule was just a nightmare.”

Plybeah’s company has recently received funding from Citi, the banking giants.

“I’m more than proud of her,” said Plybeah’s mother Annie Steele. “Every step surprises me. What she does is going to help people for many years to come.”

Health in Her Hue was launched in 2018 with only six doctors on the list. Two years later, users can download the app for free and then scroll through around 1,000 providers.

“People are constantly talking about black women’s poor health outcomes, and this is where the conversation stops,” said Wisdom, who lives in New York City. “I did not see anyone build anything to strengthen us.”

Wisdom draws inspiration from friends like Nathan Pelzer, 37, another Black tech founder who has launched a company in Chicago. Clinify Health works with local health centers and independent clinics in underserved communities.

Nathan Pelzer, 37, who launched Clinify Health in Chicago, who works with local health centers and independent clinics in underserved communities.

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The company analyzes medical and social data to help doctors identify their most vulnerable patients and those they have not seen in a while. By focusing on getting them preventative, doctors can help them improve their health and avoid trips to the emergency room.

“You can think of Clinify Health as a company that supports triage outside the emergency room,” Pelzer said.

He said he started the company by printing online slideshows he had made and throwing them in the trunk of his car.

“I was driving around the South Side of Chicago, knocking on doors and saying, ‘Hey, that’s my idea,'” Pelzer said.

Wisdom got her app idea from being so stressed while working on a job during high school that she broke out in hives.

Ashlee Wisdom: “The last thing you want to do when you walk into the doctor’s office is feel like you’re going to put on armor and feel like you’re fighting the person or, as you know, being in conflict with the person. , which is supposed to help you on your health journey. ”

Kolin Mendez photography

“It was really bad,” Wisdom said. “My hand just wanted to swell and I could not figure out what it was.”

The outbursts also confused her allergy sufferer, a white woman, who told Wisdom to take two Allegra every day to deal with the discomfort.

“I remember thinking if she was a black woman, I might have shared a little more about what was going on in my life,” Wisdom said.

The moment inspired her to build an online community. Her idea started small. She found health content in academic journals, searched for eye-catching images that would complement the text, and then posted the information on Instagram.

Things picked up speed. In the fall, Health in Her Hue launched “care squads” for users who want to discuss their health with doctors or with other women interested in the same topics.

“The last thing you want to do when you walk into the doctor’s office is feel that you have to put on armor and feel that you have to fight the person or, as you know, be on edge with the person who supposed to help you on your health journey, “said Wisdom.” And that’s often the position that black people and, moreover, black women have to deal with when navigating health care. And that just should not be the case. “

As Black tech founders, Wisdom, Dedner, Pelzer, and Plybeah are looking for ways to support each other by trading advice, chatting about financing, and looking for ways to get along. Pelzer and Wisdom met a few years ago as participants in a competition sponsored by Johnson & Johnson. They reconnected at an event for Black founders of technology companies and decided to help each other.

“We are each other’s therapists,” Pelzer said. “It can get lonely out here as a black founder.”

Plybeah wants to offer transportation services and additional assistance to people caring for aging family members. She also hopes to expand the service to include handing out customers for grocery and pharmacy runs, training in gyms and other basic errands.

Pelzer wants Clinify Health to make healthcare tracking more fun – possibly with incentives to keep users engaged. He is developing plans and wants to harness the competitive energy that fitness companies do.

Wisdom wants to support physicians who are trying to improve their relationship with colored patients. The company plans to build a library of resources that professionals can use as a guide.

“We are not the first people to try to solve these problems,” Dedner said.

Yet he and the other three feel the pressure to succeed for more than just themselves and those who came before them.

“I feel that if I fail, it will potentially close the door on other black women trying to build in this space,” Wisdom said. “But I try not to think too much about it.”

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism on health issues.