Finding Your Place in the Healthcare Ecosystem

Bill Snyder is a seasoned healthcare executive with over a decade of leadership experience. Upon graduation, Bill started at Humana, where he gained a comprehensive understanding of the healthcare business. Eventually managing the Chicago office, a $600 million operation, he learned a lot about healthcare nuances, including provider contracting and commercialization. But Bill always had an entrepreneurial drive, spending his weekends and evenings working on personal projects. After Humana, he joined an early-stage diabetes company focused on health plan partnerships. Then, he recognized a critical gap in digestive health and decided to pursue it.

Bill has personally witnessed the distress of GI tract diseases from his family and friends. He knew that patients suffered from frustrating, non-specific symptoms, and a complex and expensive diagnostic process. “Often, these conditions are misdiagnosed and mistreated, leading to unnecessary procedures and ongoing symptoms,” says Bill. The problems also aren’t discussed as freely, due to the stigma around talking about what happens in the bathroom. So conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), GERD, Crohn's, and ulcerative colitis are often dealt with in silence. Yet, one in four Americans suffer from chronic digestive conditions. That makes 70 million Americans, which is twice as many as those suffering from diabetes. Deciding to be a part of the change, he joined Vivante Health in 2019.

Vivante's mission is to “revolutionize digital gut health”, as Bill puts it. Their digital platform GIThrive is designed to deliver care for those suffering from chronic digestive issues. It’s a comprehensive virtual program designed to provide accessible and personalized care. Through the platform, they are addressing difficult diagnoses, reducing the associated costs, and aiming to mitigate feelings of isolation. 

GIThrive offers patients online queries to understand each unique situation and their risk factors. In turn, they create personalized, evidence-based care plans prepared by a team of physicians, dietitians, and health coaches. Patients can also find ongoing support and get the right type of guidance when and where they need it. The on-platform physicians can diagnose, prescribe, and order tests as needed. In the broader picture, Vivante also offers educational content and behavioral health modules to provide comprehensive support. 

“The long-term plan is to be available to people on the individual level through their plan sponsor. But today, it's a little bit more targeted towards larger employers,” Bill explains. The company is currently operating on a business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) model, meaning they reach their users through self-funded employers and health plans. 

Thanks to their targeted approach in this massive market, Vivante is experiencing tremendous growth. Counting over 100 employees, Bill has recently closed their series B funding with an impressive $31 million.

Key Learnings From Bill’s Experience

• As a digital health company, you have to know where your product or service fits in the overall healthcare ecosystem. That way, you know how to interact with other providers and consumers, and in turn, you can connect the dots for your end-users about the precise role you play in the care they receive. 

• Ensure your product is financially accessible for adoption. That requires you to understand different plans and regulations and demonstrate your product’s clinical efficacy and potential for cost savings. Target customers that you can create a clear win-win situation for. 

• Show your progress to build trust with potential investors. Network and communicate with them on a regular basis. Focus on sustainable growth and understand your business’s unit economics in detail so you can articulate and justify your decisions.