For Cassie Choi and Neil Batlivala, co-founders of Pair Team, participation in the 1501 Health cohort has provided a network of insurers, providers, industry experts and other entrepreneurs.
"As community builders, Cassie and I like to meet other kindred spirits,” said Batlivala. “Everyone [within 1501 Health] is in it for impact. They’re looking at innovative ways to help improve patient care and actually make a difference.”
From the beginning, Batlivala and Choi have surrounded themselves with other founders. “We have a lot to learn,” Choi said. Being with other like-minded and passionate businesspeople has provided them with insights on fundraising and held them accountable to growth goals.
Through Pair Team, Choi and Batlivala are on a mission to improve underserved patient communities. According to Batlivala, “we’re one of the first-tech enabled care teams to enable safety net primary care systems for the Medicaid and Medicare patients that they serve.”
“We really accelerated our learning right at the beginning of when we started Pair Team, which I am very grateful for,” Choi added. “I think learning is very important for entrepreneurs… constantly being humble about what you don't know and seeking out the opportunity to learn from others and continuously asking questions.”
Batlivala sees the partnership between CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield (CareFirst) and LifeBridge Health as a key benefit from the cohort. “Both have impact on the undeserved communities in the DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia areas,” he said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be in a position where you can learn from the folks doing the work. That’s incredibly impactful.”
“We've also benefitted from our cabinet advisers introducing us to other healthcare operators, people who know the strategies and the right things to do,” Batlivala said. From his perspective, best practices are easy to write on paper. “The hard part is executing.”