When Max Cohen and Cameron Behar set out to launch a startup together during the pandemic, they decided to focus on healthcare, the most important sector of the era.
But neither Cohen nor Behar had a healthcare background (previously worked for Google and Facebook), they had to think long and hard about how to contribute to the sector that dominated the national consciousness of the time.
Telehealth was also very popular, but was very popular that year, but the duo realized that not all patients could offer remotely.
So, Cohen and Behar built Sprinter health to fill that gap and provided home prevention services, including blood aspiration, diabetic eye checks and colorectal cancer screening. The startup says the goal is to serve and re-engage patients who are not using their health systems so they can stay healthy for a long time.
The 4-year-old Sprinter is growing rapidly. It currently operates in 18 states (compared to the 5 in 2023), and revenue has increased six times over the past year, Cohen said.
That advancement has helped startups attract a $55 million Series B round led by General Catalyst. Other existing investors including Andreessen Horowitz and University of California Regent, Google Ventures and Accel also participated. Fresh Capital will increase the startup’s total funding to $125 million.
Sprinter Health’s Secret Sauce is a high-technology system that provides the best routes and schedules for cross-trained ph blood specialists as clinical and medical assistants.
“We need to make sure that employees are spending as much time as possible with patients, rather than driving,” Cohen said. The company’s route simulator, which occupy variables such as traffic, weather and parking, helps clinical staff (known as sprinters) serve up to 12 patients every day.
Julie Yu, general partner at A16Z, said: “It’s really hard to build a sustainable and durable business over time unless you have a very tight operating system.”
Yoo, who is on the company’s board of directors, compared the Sprinter Health business to Instacart and Doordash. This is because food delivery companies need to serve as many customers as possible to achieve strong margins.
Sprinter Health’s services are free to members of the company’s health insurance partners, including Medicare and Medicaid.