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Advancing a New Reality in Healthcare

Wellovate, Rahul Patel

Title / Role: Vice President
Location: Boone, North Carolina
Formed in: 2016
www.wayahealth.com
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What do you do?

We develop virtual and extended reality technology for healthcare. Our solutions provide new approaches to improving patient care, lowering costs, and expanding care access across multiple clinical settings.

What inspired you to start your business?

As physicians, we were intimately familiar with the numerous difficulties in providing safe, quality, and cost-effective care to our patients. Much of our traditional resources to keep up with patient care demands, though certainly helpful, often became counter-productive – whether it was utilizing more drugs, more visits, or more equipment. With the significant technology leaps in VR/XR, it was abundantly clear that here we have an entirely non-pharmaceutical, non-invasive, and tune-able medium that is low-cost and reproducible. So then our task became: how do we leverage the medium to achieve our collective goals as clinical providers, patients, and healthcare institutions?

What's special about your business?

Our company is founded by board-certified physicians who design and develop the technology from the ground up.

What have been the high and low points of being a business owner?

I imagine it similar to many tech start-ups with big ambitions! Lows-There are times when it does feel the odds are stacked against you, whether it be from capital needs to unexpected delays to "almost" getting the client. The frustration of being "so close" but being so far is nearly always in the back of your mind. And the knowledge that there are things beyond your control (e.g. COVID) that will also always through you a curve ball, regardless of the best-crafted plans or flawless execution. Highs-Sometimes good fortune does land on you unexpectedly! A current valued healthcare client created an enormous buzz using our VR solutions helped us expand into 4 new health systems and set up a pipeline of new projects in a matter of months. It was an incredible boost to the company. Not a "high" per se, but there is also a background solace in knowing that our team is solid, willing, and passionate about being in the trenches with you. And converse to the lows, when you DO pull through knowing the odds are against you -- it's absolutely glorious.

What is your relationship with SCORE? SCORE client What influenced you to seek help from SCORE?

Our expertise was squarely in the clinical and technology realm. We needed and wanted perspective on the various elements of developing a scalable and sustainable business. It made natural sense to reach out to experts that have succeeded in this path before. SCORE offered an incredible venue to do just that.

How SCORE helped.

As a start-up, our initial goals were three-fold.

  1. Refine our company and product positioning;
  2. Create a business plan in order to acquire outside funding;
  3. Establish an advisory board to help guide us into the future.

The SCORE team had the right expertise to enable us to reach these goals. We now have a new website and product descriptions that have elevated our brand. The business plan is complete and we are well on our way to obtaining funding and establishing an advisory board.

What's great about my mentor?

Incredibly supportive, available, and responsive. They helped nurture positive, forward-thinking in times of ambiguity. They were very proactive in their assistance for which we are incredibly grateful.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of starting a small business?

There is no shortage of “great ideas.” Everyone has a great idea. The question is what are you going to do about it? A mediocre idea with excellent execution is better than a great idea with no execution. - Know that the needs of your customer may not initially (or entirely) align with your “great idea.” Be flexible. Commit yourself more to the values of the customer than the convincing others of the value of your idea. - Learn the pain and pleasure points of your customer. Speak that language.

What would you tell a fellow business owner about SCORE?

Seek advice from the experts and with SCORE you receive just that. Professional mentoring -- free for the asking. 

What have you learned from your experiences as a business owner?

It's a longer and more tortuous road than you would think. It is of the utmost importance to have a team that can persevere in the long game.

Additional media
Wayahealth Solution
My mentors
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