Kevin Dedner founded a mental health startup that pairs patients with therapists. Health in Her Hue connects women of color with culturally sensitive medical providers. Nathan Pelzer's health analyzes data to help doctors identify at-risk patients. MedHaul arranges transportation to medical appointments.
Starboard & Port Creative is owned by Kevin Dedner.
More than 34,000 people visited the platform in the first two weeks after it was launched by Wisdom.
Wisdom says it wasn't the most functioning platform. It was not sexy.
The launch was a success. Black women and other women of color are connected to culturally sensitive doctors, therapists and other professionals through Wisdom's company, Health in Her Hue.
As more patients seek culturally competent care, a new wave of Black tech founders like Wisdom want to help. Black tech health startup want to change how people exercise, how they eat and how they communicate with doctors in the same way that food delivery companies did.
Black entrepreneurs are launching startup businesses that aim to close the cultural gap in health care with technology and create profitable businesses at the same time.
People miss seeing problems and solutions.
StartUp Health, a company based in San Francisco that has invested in a number of health companies led by people, says that one of the most exciting growth opportunities is to back underrepresented founders building health companies focusing on underserved markets. He says that the leaders have an understanding of how to solve some of the biggest challenges in health care.
The platforms created by Black people and communities of color continue to blossom because those entrepreneurs often see problems and solutions others might miss. Experts in business say that without diverse voices, products would not exist in critical areas like health care.
Kevin Dedner is the founder of the mental health startup Hurdle. Mission alone is not enough. You have to find a solution.
Dedner's company pairs patients with therapists who honor culture instead of ignoring it. He started the company three years ago, but after George Floyd's death, more people turned to him.
In Memphis, Tenn., a woman is focused on providing transportation. MedHaul works with providers and patients to get people to and from their medical appointments with low-cost rides. Patients or caregivers can fill out a form on MedHaul's website, then the team at Plybeah's helps them schedule a ride.
People of color, low income people, and residents of rural areas are more likely to face transportation hurdles because MedHaul is for everyone. She founded the company after watching her mother take care of her grandmother who had to have both legs amputations because of diabetes. They lived in the Mississippi Delta, where transportation options were not plentiful.
"My family struggled with transportation for years because my mom was the primary one," she says. She had to schedule her doctor's appointments around her work schedule.
The company received funding from Citi.
Annie Steele says she's more than proud of her. Every step amazed me. She is helping people for many years to come.
In three years, there will be six doctors and 1,000 health providers.
Health in Her Hue had just six doctors on its roster. Users can download the app for free and scroll through a lot of providers.
Wisdom says that people are constantly talking about Black women's poor health outcomes, and that's where the conversation stops. I didn't see anyone building anything to help us.
Wisdom draws inspiration from her friends, such as Nathan Pelzer, a Black tech founder who has launched a company in Chicago. Community health centers and independent clinics are supported by Clinify Health. The company helps doctors identify their most at-risk patients and those they haven't seen in awhile by analyzing medical and social data. Medical providers can help patients improve their health and avoid going to the emergency room if they focus on getting those patients preventive care.
Pelzer says that the company supports triage outside of the emergency room.
Pelzer started the company by throwing online slideshows in the trunk of his car. He says that he knocked on doors on the South Side of Chicago and said, "Hey, this is my idea."
Her experience as a patient gave her fresh perspective.
Wisdom got her idea for an app from being so stressed out that she broke out in hives.
Wisdom recalls that it was really bad. I couldn't figure out what it was because my hand was swelling up.
Wisdom's allergist told her to take two Allegra every day to manage the pain from the breakouts. Wisdom says that if she were a Black woman, she might have shared more about her life.
She wanted to build an online community. Her idea was small. She found health content in academic journals, searched for eye-catching photos that would complement the text and then posted the information on social media.
Things took off from there. Health in Her Hue launched "care squads" for users who want to discuss their health with doctors or other women interested in the same topics.
The last thing you want to do when you go to the doctor's office is feel like you have to fight the person or the person who is supposed to be helping you on your own. Black people and also Black women are having to deal with that position as they navigate health care. It should not be the case.
We're each other's therapists.
Wisdom, Dedner, Pelzer, and Plybeah are looking for ways to support one another by trading advice, chatting about funding, and looking for ways to come together. Pelzer and Wisdom met a few years ago when they were in a competition. They decided to help each other after they met at a different event.
Pelzer says they're each other's therapists. It can be lonely as a Black founder.
In the future, Plybeah wants to offer transportation services for people caring for aging family members. She wants to expand the service to include dropping off customers for grocery and pharmacy runs, workouts at gyms and other basic tasks.
Pelzer wants to make tracking health care more fun. He wants to tap into the same competitive energy that fitness companies have.
Wisdom wants to support physicians who want to improve their relationships with patients of color. A library of resources that professionals could use as a guide is planned by the company.
Dedner says that they are not the first to try to solve the problems. He and the other three feel the pressure to succeed more than just themselves.
"If I fail, that's going to shut the door for other Black women who are trying to build in this space," Wisdom says. I try not to think about that too much.
Kaiser Health News is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation. KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
