Nick Myers and Brett Brooks are co-founders of RedFox AI, a Madison, WI-based startup using innovative conversational AI technology to guide and troubleshoot patients through home diagnostic tests and medical devices while simultaneously helping the providers and manufacturers of home diagnostics be there at the point of care.
THE MISSION
Nick and Brett strive to fill the communication gap between manufacturers of home diagnostics and devices and the patients who use them. Often, instructions for at-home diagnostic tests are written using technical language to meet FDA and other regulatory requirements, but the instructions aren’t always easily understood by patients.
THE PROBLEM
Nick experienced this problem first-hand at the age of eight, needing at-home injections as part of the chemotherapy treatment for childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). He often would watch his parents struggle on the phone for 60 minutes (or more) to talk with a professional who could help them with the process.
RedFox AI was founded in February 2020, right before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Very quickly, the demand for home-based care products spiked due to the pandemic, and both the need and demand from millions of patients continues to be present. According to Nick, the market for home healthcare is expected to increase exponentially by 2030 as both patient and provider expectations change in the wake of the pandemic.
With the rise of other consumer conversational AI-powered platforms like ChatGPT, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple Siri, Nick knows that RedFox is well positioned to tackle this growing problem now that millions of people have been exposed to capabilities of conversational AI-enabled tech.
Accomplishments with Southwest WI SBDC
- Grant application
- Resource introductions
- Business plan
- Pitch deck
- Financial projections
THE ASSISTANCE
In April of 2021, Nick and RedFox AI joined StartingBlock Madison, a community of entrepreneurs, startups, investors, accelerators, and entrepreneur support organizations, for office space and assistance. He also turned to the Southwest Wisconsin Small Business Development Center (SBDC) where he works with Nora Roughen-Schmidt, the former Executive Director of StartingBlock and a current SBDC small business consultant. “Nora helped with our business plan and pitch deck, and she connected us with Wisconsin-based investors. She introduced us to the SBDC’s Capital Access Clinic to help us build formal financial projections to aid in fundraising. She also connected us with a variety of resources and even helped with our application for the Main Street Bounce Back program. Prior to working with Nora, I had no idea how many different resources the SBDC offers to WI-based entrepreneurs and small businesses owners, and I highly recommend that any person starting a business reaches out to them,” Nick said.
THE OBSTACLES
One of the obstacles Nick and his team have faced is simply getting the word out about their organization and technology and breaking into the tight-knit healthcare network in the state. “We have found that attending healthcare-specific events is an effective way for us to showcase our technology and how we can help solve the communication gap problem for providers, product manufacturers and patients,” Nick said.
Other methods to spread the mission of RedFox AI include participating in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night executive committee. Light the Night is a chance for people to come together as a community to celebrate, honor and remember those touched by blood cancers.
THE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Nick and RedFox AI are active voices in the Wisconsin business community and startup ecosystem being members of the Wisconsin Technology Council, BioForward Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Startup Coalition – three statewide organizations which have afforded him opportunities to build awareness of the problem facing home diagnostic testing and the solution that RedFox AI offers.
For the past three years, Nick has been involved in the Open Voice Network, an international open-source community of the Linux Foundation that is working on establishing standards for conversational AI technology. He currently serves as the Moderator for the organization’s data privacy and security workgroup. He also serves as a committee member for Capital Entrepreneurs, a Madison-based group for startup founders.
THE FUTURE
“We have a lot of exciting things coming up over the next 12 months. We want to complete our seed fundraising round and grow our customer base, as well as hire a few employees. We are looking forward to being published in a few different publications to help get the word out about us. We are already taking any opportunity we can speaking to the public and our potential customers about how technology in healthcare is changing,” Nick said. He loves seeing the impact of what he and RedFox AI are currently working on and helping solve the problems facing home healthcare, and he hopes to continue building awareness each day.