Where Are They Now? Hackovate Health Winner Liam Ryan

Liam Ryan, founder of GetHealth.

It’s been about 5 months since the Hackovate Health Finale in Kansas City and many people are starting to wonder: where are the winners now?  Back in February, Hackovate named four innovation competition winners.  One of those winners was Liam Ryan of GetHealth.  So where is Ryan today and how has GetHealth progressed since February 2013?  Think Big held a question-and-answer session with Ryan (all the way from Ireland!) to find out:

THE HIGHLIGHTS:  Since the Hackovate Health Finale, GetHealth has made new high-level partnerships across the world, was chosen to participate in GE’s healthymagination, was featured in TechCrunch, plans to establish and US base in New York and has launched a public funding raise for accredited investors. 

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TBP:  It’s been about 5 months since the Hackovate Health Finale in Kansas City.  How has GetHealth progressed or changed since then?

LIAM:  Since our amazing experience in Kansas City, where we were awarded first runner up in the Global Hackovate Healthcare Innovation Competition, things have been moving non-stop for GetHealth. One of our key goals coming out of that competition was to turn that success into real, tangible traction with clients: to build relationships and get real results. With this in mind, we have been on-boarding a number of big clients over the last few months and seeing fantastic progress. We are now working with Aer Lingus (one of Ireland’s largest employers), VHI (with over 1.5 million customers), Centric Health (a primary care provider) and Spafinder in the US, to name a few.

TBP:  What successes have you had seen since Hackovate in February?

LIAM:  One amazing success was when we were chosen as one of 13 international companies picked as a ‘Healthcare Transformer’ by New York-based programme, StartUp Health Academy. We are now participating in a 3 year programme run by Start-Up Health in partnership with General Electric. The program is part of GE’s healthymagination initiative, a $6 billion global commitment to provide better health for more people by improving quality, access, and affordability of care. Furthermore, we have just last week been selected as the StartUp in Residence in ‘The Irish Times’ – a 154 year old global brand, and Irelands leading newspaper.

TBP:  Congratulations!  Tell us more about the GE’s healthymagination. 

LIAM:  The funding was originally announced on TechCrunch on the 3^rd of April 2013. The real value of the programme lies in the validation it offers for the vision behind GetHealth. We now have the backing and support of one of the largest healthcare companies in the world. In order to get the award, we first showcased GetHealth at the mHealth Summit in Washington D.C. in Dec. 2012 at the StartUpHealth Mobile Health Pavillion. We also had a number of interviews with executives from GE itself and StartUpHealth over a 4 month period.

TBP:  We heard that over 400 companies (from 22 countries) applied for the GE/Startup Health Fund.  What do you think made GE pick GetHealth as one of the 13 companies? 

LIAM:  We were also only one of 2 international companies chosen to join the programme. Right now there are many digital health companies out there who focus on tracking data: counting steps, measuring movement, tracking heart rate, etc. But what we do at GetHealth is more than this. We take this data and focus it on behaviour change of the unhealthy and at risk. We interpret the data and give it back to people in a meaningful and actionable way. GE saw this as a differentiator and were excited to bring us on board. Also, we have a great team of passionate people, with experienced advisors, such as Ted Vickey: a member of the Board of Directors for the American Council on Exercise and a former athletic director in the White House under Bush, Clinton and Bush.

TBP:  How has this opportunity with GE impacted your business?  What direction are you going in now? 

LIAM:  The main change in our business has been in the amount of exposure we now get to industry leaders, on a global scale. Having meetings with the likes Todd Park (CTO of the United States), Jonathan Bush (CEO of Athenahealth), and Toby Cosgrave (CEO of Cleveland Clinic – arguably the most innovative medical centre in the world) is a fantastic opportunity to learn and grow. Knowing that they believe in the impact we can have on the healthcare industry and that they are willing to use and buy our product, is invaluable to us at this stage of growing our business.

TBP:  Where do you see GetHealth at the end of 2013?

LIAM:  Within the next 8-12 months I see GetHealth having over 100 clients and impacting over 50,000 employees across the globe. We will have closed off our round of financing and have grown our team substantially. We are also moving to New York to establish a base in the United States. Overall, I see GetHealth as being established as a world-leader in creating lasting behaviour-change among the unhealthy and at risk.

 TBP:  What are you most excited about for GetHealth?  What new opportunities do you now see after Hackovate?

LIAM:  What most excites me about GetHealth is the opportunity to have an impact on a global level, and not just for employees, but for families, kids, schools and so on. GetHealth can disrupt the healthcare landscape by moving away from the reactive/treatment model to a more patient-centric style of care, where people get proactive about their health and take the steps to prevent the onset of chronic diseases. I want GetHealth to contribute to making the world a healthier and ultimately, a happier place.

Since Hackovate in Febraury 2013, GetHealth launched their public funding raise for accredited investors. Find out more information about how to join their team, visit www.investor.gethealthapp.com or contact their CEO, Liam Ryan at liam@gethealthapp.com.
 And remember, it’s because of launchpads like the Hackovate Health that startups like GetHealth get on the map.  Who knows what the next innovation competition will unveil.  To inquire about hosting an innovation competition of your own and partnering with Think Big Partners to discover the next big thing, contact us at info@thinkbigpartners.com. 

Hackovate Health Finale Recap

After surviving the snowpocalypse of 2013, entrepreneurs, innovators, investors and supporters gathered in the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Board Room at Union Station for the Hackovate Health Finale on February 28, 2013. 

The event opened with a welcome address from Tyler Prochnow of Think Big Partners and Paul Richardson of H&R Block.  After a few words, Master of Ceremonies Ramsey Mohsen took the stage to get the pitches started. 

Group 1 featured finalists My Healthcare Reform Guide by Useagility & eXperient Interactive, ReMARK Health, HealthPlan Select by Strenuus, OKCopay Inc. and NAYA JEEVAN REJUVENATE.  Once all finalists finished their 10-minute pitches and question-and-answer sessions with the judges, a video address from Senator Jerry Moran was played followed by a short “chocolate break” courtesy of Hovey Williams, LLP. 

After the break, Herb Sih of Think Big Partners took the stage where he spoke on innovation and entrepreneurship.  Next, Group 2, consisting of SHHADE, eLuminate Health, Aavya Health, GetHealth, and inAssist Health Management Solutions, gave presentations and answered Q&A. 

Next on the Hackovate agenda, Kush Saxena of H&R Block took the stage to welcome Ned Holland, keynote speaker and assistant secretary for administration for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  At the same time, voting for the Google Fiber People’s Choice Award opened and the votes flooded in (over 500 were calculated in the short 30-minute voting time frame).  Additionally, Herb Sih of Think Big Partners got back on stage to speak about Think Big’s newest (and perhaps most unique) innovation yet: Smart Coffee, the coffee made for entrepreneurs and innovators. 

Next, Phyllis Faulkner-Johnson took the stage to announce the winner of the Google Fiber People’s Choice Award followed by Paul Richardson to announce each of the three cash prize winners. 

To learn more about each of the Hackovate winners, please read below:

GRAND PRIZE WINNER ($15,000)

Tami Hutchison, eLuminate Health

eLuminate Health, based out of Kansas City, Missouri, is a new marketplace for bringing together buyers and sellers of healthcare procedures based on transparency of price, quality and customer satisfaction.  The startup’s open network, reverse pricing platform replaces the current network contracting process between carriers and providers for imaging and surgical procedures.  Health plan payers and members rely on eLuminate Health to improve the value of their healthcare investments. eLuminate’s automated payment process, enabled by pre-established fixed prices, enables healthcare providers to eliminate the current cumbersome claims and accounts receivable management process and guarantees payment within less than 10 days on 100% of both the payer and member portion.

RUNNER-UP ($5,000)

Liam Ryan, GetHealth

The GetHealth mobile app, based out of Dublin, Ireland, is a mobile and online platform that helps people improve their health through social interaction and gameplay with peer-to-peer connections. The app’s beta users describe the company as “Foursquare for Health”, allowing people to check-in to the healthy tasks they do each day (in the categories of Move, Munch and Mind), earn points and motivate their friends to a better healthy lifestyle. 

SECOND RUNNER-UP ($2,500)

Scott Speranza, InAssist Health Management Solutions

InAssist, a startup based out of Torrance, California, specializes in medical protection services for employers, employees and consumers and solves for the problem of hospital overcharges and administrative costs as well as the risks inherent to the medical industry.  With an integrated portal, consumers can log-in to the InAssist system to talk to trained certified claims analysts to better understand what they are getting charged for and gain access to bills, EOB’s medical records, claim denials and total yearly costs.

GOOGLE FIBER PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

Karan Srivastava, SHHADE

SHHADE, based out of Miami, Florida, stands for Supply Home Health Care Alternatives and Dedicated Education.   SHHADE negotiates contracts with insurance companies to reduce expenses caused by patients who frequently visit the ER for chronic, yet manageable medical conditions. SHHADE provides comprehensive primary care services directly at the patient’s home and regularly follows up with patients to better manage the patient’s health. SHHADE case managers are designated to help the patient address and remove any social or cultural obstacles that impede the patient’s goal for a healthy lifestyle. SHHADE identifies which treatments are cost-effective in producing high quality health benefits. Ultimately, SHHADE aims to reduce the burden of costs insurance companies incur by reducing the number of ER visits from high utilizing patients.

The Finale event concluded with applause and cocktails, appetizers and networking in the Sprint Festival Plaza just a few steps from where Hackovate took place.  Media conducted interviews with the winners, each winner sat down to speak about their experience on the Think Big Innovations podcast, and cheers, laughs and new introductions were made by all.

All in all, Hackovate Health opened the eyes of the healthcare and medical industries to the new, innovative products that are being brought to the market.  The innovation competition truly spoke to those companies and startups who were striving to help consumers understand and navigate the challenging healthcare landscape and realize new health benefits.   

Want to see the Finale for yourself?  Check out a recording of the entire Hackovate Health Finale here, courtesy of DEG. 

Think Big and H&R Block Announce Winners of Hackovate Health Innovation Competition

The global health care focused innovation competition Hackovate Health came to a close when it announced four winning business ideas at the Finale event at Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri.  Organized by H&R Block and Think Big Partners, the Hackovate Health Finale brought together innovators, entrepreneurs, healthcare professionals and industry leaders for a half-day pitch fest and awards ceremony.

Ten finalists, four judges and many community leaders, supporters and attendees joined to see innovation and entrepreneurism in action.  At the event, a panel of four Finale judges determined the grand prize winner ($15,000), the runner-up ($5,000) and the second runner-up ($2,500).  Finale judges included Kush Saxena (H&R Block), David Edwards (Cerner), Phyllis Faulkner-Johnson (Google Fiber) and Anna Haghgooie (Sandbox). In addition, attendees had the chance to watch 10 pitches from finalists and vote for their favorite via mobile platform for the Google Fiber People’s Choice Award. 

Tami Hutchinson and her team at eLuminate Health (Kansas City, MO) was announced the winner of the $15,000 grand prize.  eLuminate Health is an online platform where surgeons and patients can easily find one another and compare procedures based on price and quality ratings.  The eLuminate Health platform predicts to save up to 17% on procedures and 5% per year on healthcare costs.  The company solves problems for consumers, payers, administrators and providers while improving healthcare quality and decreasing costs.    In addition to the cash prize, eLuminate Health has been recognized as one of the top startups in the healthcare tech industry.

“We truly appreciated this entire process,” said Tami Hutchison of eLuminate Health.  “Hackovate has helped us think in new ways and we will use this opportunity to get our product into the market and bring value to consumers in the U.S.” 

Karan Srivastava and his team of SHHADE (Miami, FL) was declared the winner of the Google Fiber People’s Choice Award after receiving a majority of the public vote.  SHHADE stands for Supply Home Health Care Alternatives and Dedicated Education.  The SHHADE platform allows for remote patient monitoring, health coaching, care coordination and mobile primary care services.  As the winner of the Google Fiber People’s Choice Award, SHHADE will gain bragging rights and media exposure. 

Liam Ryan of GetHealth (Dublin, Ireland) was announced as the Hackovate first runner-up, receiving a $5,000 cash prize from H&R Block.  The GetHealth mobile app is “Foursquare for health” as it improves consumer health by “checking in” to different healthy activities.  The app incorporates “motifications”, notifications to help consumers improve their health.  GetHealth has already been named an effective WaaS (wellness as a service).

“As a company with a base in New York and Ireland, we are always looking for opportunities to showcase in the United States on a global scale.  Hackovate allowed us to not only do that, but to think big too,” said Liam Ryan of GetHealth. 

In addition, Scott Speranza of InAssist Health Management Solution (Torrance, CA) was announced as the second runner-up and received a $2,500 prize courtesy of H&R Block.  InAssist specializes in medical protection services and solves for the problem of hospital overcharges.  With an integrated portal, consumers can log in to the InAssist system to pay medical bills and better understand what they are getting charged for.  InAssist incorporates TotalCare, which allows for a proprietary method for carriers and doctors. 

In addition to celebrating the announcement of the Hackovate winners, attendees were invited to listen to keynote speakers Ned Holland of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“We are thrilled with the results of the Hackovate Health Finale,” said Herb Sih, co-founder of Think Big Partners.  “Today, we saw a wide range of innovations and ideas that are helping to change the way we think about healthcare.  We hope that attendees, finalists, sponsors, judges and supporters learned something new about the changing healthcare landscape and believe in the innovations that are helping to solve real problems.”