By: Carol Vercellino, CEO & Co-Founder
You probably know that many of the world’s most recognizable businesses, like Apple, OculusVR, and Under Armour, started as side hustles.
One of the things we love about the health tech and biotech industry is that most of the founders we work with have a really impressive – and often demanding – main gig.
We’ve partnered with neurosurgeons, leading experts in swallowing disorders, and even a tech entrepreneur who studied under John B. Goodenough – the guy who invented the lithium-ion battery.
We’ve had the opportunity to work with incredible people and watch as they scale their passion projects into successful software businesses. So, if you’re looking for inspiration or motivation, watch our video to learn more about their projects or continue reading for a short summary of each.
THXRx, health and wellness app for physicians
THX Rx, originally WellSpent MD, is a health and wellness app for physicians. Founded by two neurosurgeons at the Department of Neurosurgery at Duke Health, the app provides positive news, a time-banking program, access to wellness resources, and wellness data collection to boost positivity in the workplace.
We remember when we first started developing the app, it was originally going to only be used to track engagement within the Department of Neurosurgery at Duke Health. But, now, with the release of version 2.0, the app can compare pre-COVID-19 data with current data.
Vitalflo, remote respiratory monitoring
Vitalflo is a remote patient monitoring app that helps to prevent asthma attacks before they happen.
The company was founded by Luke Marshall, who studied under John B. Goodenough – the inventor of lithium-ion batteries. Marshall pulled the tech out of North Carolina State University to bring it to market. Our team has a lot of North Carolina State grads, so it was interesting to see that tech pulled out of NC State and get to help them at the beginning of this project.
Florida Dysphagia Institute, resources and educational courses
The Florida Dysphagia Institute (FDI) is one of our favorite clients to work with. We always need to leave about 10-15 minutes at the end of the call for jokes.
Even though swallowing disorders are awful for the sufferers, there’s a small community of researchers who strive to ensure better treatment and evaluations.
FDI offers resources and educational courses that provide solutions for swallowing disorders. We help them with mobile and web development, which they use as a tool to further their mission.
Conclusion
For anyone who’s here looking to start a software side gig, check us out at Oak City Labs. You can even schedule a free consultation to run your idea by us, and we’ll let you know what we think.
**The above interview has been transcribed for clarity and brevity.**
