Thompson Aderinkomi of Nice
An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with Thompson Aderinkomi (co-founder and CEO) of Nice, which was honored in our:
Tell us the origin story of Nice – what problem were you trying to solve and why?
One fundamental issue of healthcare is that most customers don’t have a choice of where they buy healthcare services, and many don’t know the price of what they have to buy before they buy it. I had a terrible experience at my son’s clinic when he was one year old that ended in four visits and a bill for almost $1000 that should have been one visit and less than $100.
I vowed that no family should be subject to the exorbitant cost and debilitating inconvenience that my family suffered, and it was that experience that fueled the origin of Nice Healthcare.
In July 2017, along with my co-founders, Genevieve Swenson and Allison Santos, Nice Healthcare was legally incorporated.
In October 2017, operations were launched in Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN. Nice Healthcare services began simply with in-home visits, video visits, labs and X-rays, using an off-the-shelf video platform and EMR with the original six nurse practitioners and one care coordinator.
However, the vision was always grand with the goal of leveraging technology to build a category leading national nurse practitioner led clinic that would successfully lower total cost of care and elevate the patient experience.
What was the biggest hurdle you encountered in your journey?
The number one hurdle personally was trying to balance generating income for my family in the early years of starting the company, as doing so was a full time job and major risk. As the company grew, and as we brought on investors, this hurdle was overcome.
What does the future hold for Nice?
The future of Nice looks much like today except we will be larger and in more markets. What will look different is that we will be known across the country as the best way to lower healthcare costs, increase access to care, and provide the most rewarding careers. People close to the company know all of this, but in the future, even people not close to the company will know this about Nice.
What are your thoughts on the local tech startup scene in Minneapolis?
Compared to 14 years ago when I was just starting my entrepreneurial journey, the local startup scene is much improved with more pre-seed and seed investors, more collaboration between founders, more spaces to meet people, and more knowledge sharing.
What’s your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?
My best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to get started and to not stop. These seem to be the only two things separating those that are successful entrepreneurs and those that are not.