On Aug. 20, more than 600 healthcare leaders and entrepreneurs gathered at the Omni Nashville Hotel for the inaugural Health:Further conference.
Sponsored by Parallon, the meeting of medical minds was the brainchild of Nashville-based Jumpstart Foundry – a healthcare-focused, mentor-driven accelerator challenging entrepreneurs to ‘Make Something Better™.’ To date, 47 companies have graduated from Jumpstart Foundry’s 14-week program and gone on to raise over $26 million in follow-on capital.
Smart People, Smart Ideas
“Our goal was to bring great individual minds together and showcase innovation across the marketplace,” said Vic Gatto, Jumpstart Foundry CEO and founder. “We wanted to get established players talking to entrepreneurs so our industry can solve problems and deliver better care for patients, taxpayers and individuals.”
Keynote speakers included U.S. Congressman Jim Cooper, FoxFuel Creative CEO Colton Mulligan, Saint Thomas Health’s Chief Experience Officer Dawn Rudolph, Amedisys, Inc. President and CEO Paul Kusserow, HCA Healthcare’s Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Perlin, MD, and Healthways’ Chief Digital Officer Chris Dancy. The event also featured business model and technology breakouts, as well as a friendly debate about ACOs and value-based payments (see separate article.)
A Diverse Industry
Cooper spoke about health policy and innovation and reducing downside risks in a target-rich environment, while Kusserow discussed evolution of the traditional hospital-centric model in favor of home care. A Nashville newcomer, Kusserow praised Gatto and the Health:Further team for producing the sold-out conference.
“If you’re running a corporation, you need to be challenged and see what’s out there on a consistent basis,” said Kusserow.
The nation’s second largest home health provider, Amedisys will move its executive headquarters from Louisiana to Nashville’s Cummins Station in October. “Big providers are dominant here, and it gives smaller players the chance to be a real innovator with you. That’s how it should be in a vibrant economy: the big players nurture the little players … and everyone gets better.”
Community Health TV was among Health:Further’s smaller players hoping to make it big. The Jumpstart Foundry company produces multi-cultural, multi-platform videos including blackhealthtv.com. And on Aug. 20, the company launched latinohealthtv.com.
“Diverse populations are at the highest rate for poor health across the population,” explained Community Health TV President Cary Wheelous. “We produce programs with engaging content that are culturally relevant to a diverse marketplace.”
Health:Further also provided Jumpstart Foundry entrepreneurs like Wheelous an opportunity to pitch their startups to potential long-term investors. While most Jumpstart Foundry companies are just taking root, others are utilizing Gatto’s leadership and mentoring services to take their business to the next level. Such is the case for Life-Links, a Nashville-based company providing care to aging adults and their families. The company has provided consultation services for 13 years but wanted to expand, said CEO Gretchen Napier.
“We wanted to add more technology including virtual consultations for families, and to grow the business across the country,” Napier said. Through Jumpstart, Napier was paired with mentor Stephanie Forsberg, director of marketing and training for Childcare Network. Each week, mentors and participants meet to discuss business challenges and opportunities. “Being a mentor allows me to take the experience in my own career and help someone who’s just starting out,” Forsberg said. “Since I was new to the area, it also helped me make connections and validated my knowledge about what I can bring to others.”
Health:Further is expected to move to the Music City Center for 2016. For more information visit healthfurther.com.
WEB:
Jumpstart Foundry: http://www.jsf.co/
Health Further: http://www.healthfurther.com/