Every chief executive is figuring out how to deal with the coronavirus right now. Running a growing startup during a pandemic comes with unique challenges.
Michelle Davey is CEO of Austin-based telehealth startup Wheel, which can send clinicians into clients' homes for checkups and is testing for coronavirus. While many business leaders stress over whether to cut employees, Wheel is actually adding staff.
On a Zoom call in early April, Davey said the company had 22 employees and was "continuing to grow in pretty much every part of the organization," with additional hires needed in sales, operations, marketing and engineering.
That proved prophetic when, on April 16, Wheel announced two new hires: Chief Technology Officer Chris Norris and Chief Financial Officer Chris Donus. The new hires mean Wheel has now grown its team by 50% since announcing a $13.9 million funding round in late January.
While running Wheel during a pandemic has been challenging, it has also provided a window of opportunity for telemedicine companies to prove their utility. There has been an increase in demand for Wheel's services.
"It's a time where I can really make an impact," Davey said. "For me, it’s about really leaning into this moment and really continuing to make an impact at a whole different level."
Clinicians have also been added to the team every day, many of whom are still getting used to working in telemedicine.
"Our clinicians don’t just work in virtual care," Davey said. "Actually, over 60% of our clinicians still work in-patient during COVID-19."
Wheel's job is to get them accustomed to virtual care, offer them tips in what's called "webside manner" and make sure they feel comfortable treating patients.
Plus, the company has opened up new partnerships to conduct at-home coronavirus testing.
How have Wheel’s priorities changed recently? We couldn’t have predicted that a global pandemic would have come, but it really put that mission front and center. It was like validation, essentially. So, validation to the clinicians that virtual care is a viable path forward and a way to treat patients with the same level if not better quality of care than in-patient visits. And then also for the entire American population, knowing what telemedicine was and how to access it, and how they can find great care.
Has the spread of COVID-19 had an impact on how fast you move toward another funding round? At this time we’re not planning on raising new capital. We raised a fairly big round in Q4, and so we’re well capitalized to accomplish our goals and even continue to grow the team to accomplish even bigger goals.
On a personal note, can you think of a silver lining that has emerged because of this pandemic? I think for me it has just been — and for, I think, a lot of people this is true — has just been getting back to what’s important. Having that space and that time. I think this time has allowed me some space as a human being to just reconnect and say, "These are the things I really love."
What do you miss most about what used to be everyday life? I was supposed to go on a vacation to Hawaii, so I missed a vacation. But really I think I miss just being around people. I derive a lot of my energy from just being around really smart, curious, creative, fun people. I feel like that’s Austin — that’s the underlying culture. I miss that.
Where’s the first place you want to go to dinner when the shelter-in-place order lifts? I think one of the very first places I hope to be able to go back to is ATX Cocina. I’m gluten free, so everything on their menu is gluten free. I’ve been craving it. They’re one of the ones that’s not doing delivery. They have an amazing Ceasar’s salad and an amazing ceviche and an amazing spicy margarita, so I’m craving that. I would walk in, hopefully get a good bar spot, and put my order in.
What’s one of your pet peeves? That’s hard. I guess it’s people who comment on things they’re not really educated about. It’s not ignorance, but they have strong opinions that aren’t backed by data and facts. I think it’s hard to get through to those people.
What gives you optimism during these trying times? I think it goes back to the silver lining a little bit; people who are still connecting, the slower pace. Two of my neighbors have tables on their separate driveways, and they go out there and eat lunch every day. So just like this community in a whole different way. That connection is amazing.
It’s just really been amazing to watch people band together. People are seeing their value again. I think that got lost for a while.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? A vet. Well it was a lunch lady, but that passed after middle school. I always wanted to be a vet. I actually grew up right outside of Austin in a more rural area, and so we always had animals; horses, pigs, sheep, you name it. It was also an excuse to get away from my brothers, so I would always go play with the animals.
How far did you take the dream? I actually got to college thinking I would be pre-med. I had some soccer injuries and had been an athlete for a long time, so I thought I would turn that into being a doctor. Then I found out how long you have to go to school.
So you were a soccer player growing up? I was. I played a lot of different sports growing up in a family of brothers. That was kind of what we did together. I spent a lot of my weekends at tournaments, everything from soccer to volleyball to track.
I really enjoyed competitive sports. That wouldn’t surprise anybody who knows me.
What’s the best business advice you’ve ever received, and who was it from? This sounds cliché, but my dad is a business owner, and he’s been a business owner for 30 years. He owns a plumbing company. And for me, I think the best business advice I’ve ever gotten was, "Work really hard, and things will come to fruition." But also, "Learn how to take a step back and look at your life as a whole."
Work is a lot of what we do. And when you build a business, mentally and emotionally it’s everything you have. So it’s important to take a step back and be thankful, and to take some space.
What was the last TV show or movie you watched? Fun fact, I have not watched the tiger one that everyone else has. My dog won’t let me, because he barks at the TV. I think the last series that I did watch was the last season of "Ozark."
Michelle Davey
Title: CEO and co-founder, Wheel Health Inc.
Age: 31
Family: Brothers, Matt and Jeff; parents, Glenn and Carrie
Hometown: Austin
Education: Bachelor's degree in international business, St. Edwards University
Contact: Prefers LinkedIn; “I’m pretty active on LinkedIn, and that’s how I normally get my business conversations started.”
