If you build it, they will come.
That’s the case for Wellconnected, a company that’s created a web-based platform for community-based organizations.
The software aims to be an all-in-one technological solution to bridge communication gaps in health care and improve collaboration between community members, funding agencies and community-based organizations.
The business, a partnership between Duane Conners, Jamie Bono and Healthy Community Alliance, started in spring 2021 as a spinout company from Connors and Bono’s experience with Rprt, their consultancy business focused on technology, analytics and development in healthcare.
"Being mission-driven, we are a high-tide-raises-all-boats kind of organization," said Conners, CEO.
By fall 2021, Wellconnected launched a Beta version and in April 2022 its current version went live. Since then, the startup has signed on four 211 call centers that cover multiple regions in New York state.
The business has also started four pilot programs with health care organizations.
“I think we have the right toolset and mindset and being mission-driven kind of lends itself to our industry,” Conners said. “That’s really where we’re at: scale.”
The startup has raised about $550,000 of its pre-seed round, expected to do a final close by the end of the year with a $750,000 total. Investors include the Buffalo Innovation Seed Fund and Launch NY.
Previously, the founders also invested close to $1 million in Wellconnected.
The company will use the pre-seed funding to focus on community engagement and engineering – including adding to its team.
The startup currently has four workers and is onboarding an engineer and social media intern. Conners expects to add one or two more team members by the end of the year.
“Our entire platform is … designed for that flexibility to scale,” he said. “The goal is to just start adding tens of agencies and hundreds of users over the next few years.”
Wellconnected is one of 30 local companies to acknowledge a private, growth-oriented round of funding this year. The list includes Torch Labs ($40 million), Centivo ($30 million), Circuit Clinical ($29 million), Kangarootime ($26 million), SparkCharge ($22 million), CleanFiber ($8.5 million), PostProcess Technologies ($5 million), VeriTX ($4.5 million), HELIXintel ($4 million), Blockfusion ($2.6 million), ShearShare ($2.3 million), Azuna ($3 million), Patient Pattern ($2 million), OneBridge Benefits ($2 million), BetterMynd ($1 million), Empire Hemp Co. ($1 million), CaHill Tech ($1 million), Buffalo Film Works ($750,000), FavorDrop ($725,000), Ellicottville Greens ($300,000), Swift Rails ($255,000) AireXpert ($125,000), Arbol ($110,000), Lemma Labs ($100,000), Timberhut (undisclosed), Flox (undisclosed), Ognomy (undisclosed), Vicora/Ampullae (undisclosed) and Wellconnected ($550,000).
