NACCSE
August Member Spotlight : eyiapp, LLC
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What is your business industry category or specialty? Management Consulting, in particular for technology companies and scientists that develop digital health software applications (Apps). Apps allow providers and patients to communicate directly and update each other outside office visits. This is an exciting field because everybody stands to win: providers can give more targeted, personalized care, and patients can be healthier. Insurance companies and investors are interested too because they can cut waste and improve outcomes in a cost-effective manner. Apps and wearables potentially do just that.
How do you describe your job to people outside the industry? I am a scientific lead / advisor helping tech companies and scientists to develop, test, and commercialize software applications that are evidence-based and user-friendly. If an app is not usable, it’s unlikely to benefit a patient. My clients include private companies as well as educational institutions. Sometimes the project involves developing scientific roadmaps; at other times, I set up the R&D department. One client has an application for patients with diabetes to allow the patients to monitor things like daily weight and blood glucose levels using Bluetooth-enabled scales and glucometers. An insurer client asked me to write a protocol on how to test an app with its patients. I have also successfully applied for research grants for other clients.
What are the biggest challenges? My biggest challenge is getting entrepreneurs to understand science and scientists to understand entrepreneurship. The former tend to go too fast, the latter too slowly. Striking a respectful balance can be difficult, and depending on the client’s willingness to learn, you sometimes hit a wall – no matter how hard you try.
Who are your main competitors and what differentiates you from the competition? What makes you unique?
I am a PhD for hire, which is interesting to businesses that do not need or cannot afford a full-time one. Furthermore, most companies or individuals in digital health focus on app usability, which is important, but only half the story in my mind. In medicine, you also need to show that a treatment works and is beneficial, and very few people know how to do that with digital health applications. I’ve been doing this for nearly 10 years now, right when tablets and smart phones first came out.
How was the business started? I quit a well-paying job and used personal savings for starters. My networks at Emory University and Georgia Tech helped create traction. And I watched the field and market for a few years before deciding the time was right to start my business. This was late 2014.
How many employees does the business have? I am the only employee and use my connections to pull in people on a project-to project basis. I very much enjoy teamwork, but am also comfortable working alone.
How did you end up in Atlanta? I ended up in Atlanta for work. I was recruited by Emory after finishing my PhD back home
(The Netherlands).
What is your number one business goal over the next year? My goal is to consolidate growth, and perhaps hire my first employee. I am at the point I have to turn down jobs, which is a good problem to have.
Any other personal information you would like to share, e.g. hobbies, special interests, family etc… I love cooking Indian food, and hiking with my family/friends. Fun fact: We are a trilingual family. I credit the Molenwiek (the Dutch school in Atlanta) for getting our son up to speed when he was little. Even though he is dyslexic, he is fluent in English, French, and Dutch!
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