The founder of a health care startup is considering moving his company out of Louisville.
Dr. Kwane Watson is the founder of Kare Mobile, a fleet of mobile dentistry vans and software that creates more accessible dental care. It also provides vans, software and consulting on a white-label basis to other dental practices.
CincyInno, a sister publication to LBF, reported Tuesday that Watson was relocating his startup from Louisville to Cincinnati. I followed up with Watson who did not confirm the move, but said it was a strong possibility.
“We are actively pursuing all opportunities that advance us and help us raise more capital, but I haven’t packed my bags yet,” Watson said.
Kare Mobile’s lead investor, Lightship Capital, is based in Cincinnati. Watson said Kare Mobile is having conversations with different Cincinnati entities to raise more capital.
The story says Kare Mobile will be the first entrepreneur welcomed at the Boulter House, a new hub for entrepreneurs in Cincinnati. Kare Mobile is one of a handful of Lightship portfolio companies that officials are hoping to lure to town.
We'll likely have more on this story as it unfolds.
New push into Detroit
I initially contacted Watson to speak about a recent partnership Kare Mobile started with Ford Motor Co. to increase access to dental care in southwest Detroit. Motor City Kares is a $500,000 initiative meant to boost minority-led dental operations. My Community Dental Centers and Hygiene on Wheels are the recipients of the funding.
Kare Mobile is one of three partners in the project, along with Delta Dental of Michigan and the Ford Motor Co. Fund.
The Louisville company will perform vehicle upgrades to equip the dental practices and provide a two-year operating license for each business and offer management and administrative services and support. Watson said the program follows Kare Mobile’s mission in increasing health care equity in primarily metropolitan and rural communities and promoting business ownership for dental care providers.
The vans will be upgraded in Louisville, and Watson said he will travel to Detroit to train them on processes and systems.
Kare Mobile has about 10 vans, some licensee models and others independent providers, in Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Texas and Kentucky – and, by the end of the year, Michigan.
On Nov. 12, Watson said Kare Mobile is launching a crowdfunding campaign through Wefunder to raise another $1 million. Total funding to date is $1.1 million.
Earlier this year, Kare Mobile received $250,000 from Louisville-based venture firm Render Capital. It was also named 2020 winner of the Vogt Awards, a program for early-stage companies in Louisville.
Moving forward, Watson said Kare Mobile is looking for partnership opportunities with other institutions to increase access to care in rural communities in Kentucky.
In August, Watson was named one of Louisville Business First's Health Care Heroes.
Kare Mobile burst onto the local scene in 2019 when XLerateHealth, a Louisville-based accelerator for health care startups, selected it as one of nine companies from across the country for its 2019 program.
