How a 黑料视频 business grad launched an award-winning digital healthcare platform
Brianna Socci '16 swept the 2024 Startup Boston Community Awards for her health-tech platform UBERDOC, which offers a speedier way to connect patients with doctors
Brianna Socci 鈥16 has always regarded herself as a budding entrepreneur. Growing up in Endicott, N.Y., she was the girl who set up a lemonade stand during the summer. She was the one parents called when they needed a babysitter. And when the snow piled high, she was eager to shovel the neighborhood 鈥 for a fair price, of course.
鈥淥ne day,鈥 she鈥檇 tell herself, 鈥淚鈥檇 love to be my own boss!鈥
Wouldn鈥檛 we all?
When she entered 黑料视频鈥檚 School of Management, Socci was driven to make her lofty dream a reality. She founded , a healthcare platform that makes it easier for patients nationwide to schedule priority appointments with a doctor more quickly by offering a workaround for scheduling delays caused by proverbial red tape connected with insurance providers.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 envision myself going into healthcare, but we had to start this from the ground up, pitching to gain the initial seed funding, and my experience at Binghamton gave me the confidence to stand in front of a group of strangers and pitch a business concept,鈥 said Socci, who majored in business administration with a leadership concentration. 鈥淎s an entrepreneur, that鈥檚 the most valuable skill to have because, at the end of the day, my goal is to make sure everyone I meet knows about UBERDOC and what it can do for them.鈥
In a way, UBERDOC literally sprang from Socci鈥檚 classwork at Binghamton. Using Photoshop, she designed her first UBERDOC ad in one of her social media classes. But in June, the female-founded health-tech company landed in a statewide spotlight with a double win for Startup of the Year and Founder of the Year at the .
Humbled by the recognition, Socci calls it a testament to her team鈥檚 hard work, passion and dedication.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 healthcare system is very complicated, especially with all the overhead that goes into a doctor鈥檚 office with billing and collecting,鈥 Socci said. 鈥淲ith deductibles increasing, people are becoming much more comfortable asking how much these services cost. Our team saw an opportunity to help people who were burnt out by the system鈥檚 complexities.鈥
Building a network to build a platform
UBERDOC networks with more than 5,000 doctors in all 50 states, offering in-person and telemedicine consultations.
That network is what Socci calls UBERDOC鈥檚 鈥渟ecret sauce.鈥
To build it, she and her team had to knock on doors to enlist the first 500 doctors. Socci traveled to conventions across the country to pitch her platform.
They found reception to be overwhelmingly supportive. Doctors saw it as a convenient marketing tool, and for Socci, each step on the road to building that network provided valuable lessons on how to tailor digital marketing channels for a target audience.
Because the UBERDOC platform operates outside of insurance coverage, users pay a single cost to schedule an appointment with a doctor in that network as early as the next day. Socci describes it as a quick means of connecting a doctor and a patient, allowing insurance and the patient鈥檚 regular provider to handle any subsequent care.
鈥淥f course, doctors are really busy, but there are so many steps a medical office has to go through before you step in just to guarantee they鈥檙e going to get paid for that appointment,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e have everything from primary care to cancer care.鈥
鈥楳aking movement鈥
If Socci has learned anything from her journey of helping build a company and growing a professional network to support it, it鈥檚 that anyone with the right mindset can accomplish their goals. It can be done regardless of any obstacle life might place in your path.
Socci was a single mom in college. Thanks to her family鈥檚 support, she was able to raise her daughter while earning her degree.
鈥淚 was very lucky,鈥 she said, 鈥渂ut my experience proves that you can make it happen.鈥
One of Socci鈥檚 most valuable career lessons 鈥 overcoming the fear of making a mistake 鈥 took root during her time at Binghamton, but she didn鈥檛 really appreciate it until after she began building UBERDOC.
Socci admits she鈥檚 lost count of how often she鈥檚 been worried that making the wrong decision would 鈥渂ring down the whole company.鈥
But she鈥檚 also realized how that mindset can prevent her from accomplishing her goals, and even mistakes carry valuable learning opportunities.
鈥淔ailure is going to happen, and no one likes it when it does. But failure is still proof that you鈥檙e making movement,鈥 Socci said. 鈥淵ou can recover from any failure or mistake. All you have to do is not be afraid to pick yourself up, learn the right lessons from it and move on.鈥
In that sense, even as Socci continues growing as an entrepreneur, she鈥檚 never really stopped being a student.