David Wenger of Bridge Connector
An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with David Wenger, the founder and CEO of Bridge Connector, which was honored in our:
Tell us the origin story of Bridge Connector – what problem were you trying to solve and why?
In 2017, I founded Bridge Connector as an integration platform as a service (iPaaS) company that delivers streamlined integration solutions for healthcare organizations. The problem to solve was, quite simply, interoperability; that is, healthcare organizations’ inability to automatically transfer data between disparate systems via a seamless solution. The entire healthcare industry, and large swaths of the federal government’s healthcare infrastructure and oversight, has been trying to solve interoperability challenges since at least the turn of the century (2000), and the effort has intensified greatly in the last decade. This is due in part to the passage of the HITECH Act and the escalated need to achieve value-based care and put patients more in charge of their own health data, among many other reasons.
For these things to happen, however, interoperability solutions cannot be limited to only the largest enterprise systems. I learned that most small or mid-size organizations were unable to afford integrations, and even for large hospital systems and some of the most innovative technology companies out there, the available solutions were too time-consuming or ineffective. I knew there had to be a better and simpler way to achieve more repeatable, predictable, and affordable integrations in healthcare, and Bridge Connector delivers that for our over 700 customer sites and counting.
What was the biggest hurdle you encountered in your journey?
The most challenging but also one of the most important parts of entrepreneurship is making sure you meet the right people and assemble the best team possible. This includes, but is not limited to, finding the right people for funding who share your vision, the right product and technology leaders to tackle the IP needed to execute on that vision, and the right leaders who understand the markets and unique challenges you are trying to solve and who can ensure your growth goals are also the best strategic fit. While this has been the most challenging area as we’ve continued to grow quickly, I can absolutely say it is also the most rewarding – our success so far is 100% attributed to the team we’ve been able to assemble.
What does the future hold for Bridge Connector?
Our future couldn’t be brighter. This year brought an entirely new focus on healthcare interoperability regulations from the federal government, which only heightens an already acute need for our clients. And while the COVID-19 pandemic is nothing but horrific for everyone, one of the things it has exposed from a health tech perspective is the critical need for EHR solutions to connect and share data more quickly and seamlessly.
What are your thoughts on the local tech startup scene in Nashville?
The explosion of industries being attracted to the Nashville healthcare and tech community has afforded Bridge Connector the luxury of being part of a vast network of young, to mid-cap, to large companies. We get to glean the value of learning from Nashville’s past (major companies and experienced leaders who have been very successful here) while experiencing the present growth. From Nashville’s growing presence as a tech hub, we also get to learn from new, cutting-edge companies and a constant influx of new talent how we can more collaboratively work together in the future.
Perhaps due to Nashville’s “small-town feel” and its vibrant creative community, people seem eager to complement one another’s capabilities – a collaboration over a competition vibe permeates the city. Because of companies like Bridge Connector and then the Center for Medical Interoperability, also based here, I believe Nashville, collectively, has the power to solve interoperability and really cement its reputation in health technology in the coming years.
What’s your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
In the era of big data, there is an overabundance of information. The challenge in this newly cluttered market becomes a question of whether your solution is faster, better, or different. Has your organization adequately identified business problems in the marketplace to make a real impact? B2B companies can lose objectivity, pushing a menu of services without nailing down specific ways to help solve real business problems. So it’s important to keep that strategic focus – even simplicity as a differentiator can be sufficient. Having a product or service that does one thing, but does it extremely well, can be a competitive advantage, particularly if you’re presenting a solution that people genuinely want, or that you’re tackling in a different way (a more simple way, in this case).