As the fight against COVID-19 in Southeast Wisconsin and beyond continues to intensify, local startups are applying their entrepreneurial spirit and ingenuity to quickly develop innovative solutions that are helping individuals, healthcare providers, and small businesses combat the pandemic. Here are some of the efforts underway:
Wantable an online lifestyle service that provides distinctly unique products tailored to consumer’s individual tastes, needs, and wants. Has been hustling and leveraging their technology and resources to turn their fulfillment center in Milwaukee into a hub to create and distribute face masks for frontline healthcare workers. 15,000+ masks have already been pledged through the company’s “Sew Good” initiative. Learn how you can help produce additional masks from the comfort of your home, click here.
Vytal Health a virtual Functional Medicine platform founded by a local physician and pharmacist has been emphasizing their virtual immune support programs individually designed by their physicians specializing in functional medicine to ensure those hard at work can keep working and don’t get sick while optimizing their patient’s mental and physical performance.
RemedyNOW an innovative virtual medicine platform founded by local physicians is offering in-home testing for COVID-19, providing rapid response for triaging potential cases, a relief valve for the local health systems and service to those who may not want or be able to go to a site for testing.
MKE Strong is a free app highlighting Milwaukee area restaurants, retailers and artists and how to support them throughout the COVID-19 pandemic curated by Paul Lemley a Digital Marketing entrepreneur in the region. Download the MKE Strong app and continue to patronize your favorite local establishments.
EmOpti has developed “tele-triage” solutions in order to quickly and safely move patients through the care process. Over five years, EmOpti has conducted over 300,000 virtual patient consultants in ERs across the country including Advocate Aurora locally. EmOpti is offering health systems across the country a 90-day free trial of their flagship ED telehealth platform.
Alinea Engage is modifying its patient engagement software platform for rehabilitation services to help clients track COVID-19’s impact on their client base. Recent enhancements to the Alinea’s software also enables rehab therapists on the platform access to telehealth tools to communicate with patients and their families.
Lastly, the COVID-19 pandemic has created a fair deal of economic uncertainty in several sectors of the economy. Skills Pipeline our talent acquisition firm works with several local startups and technology companies who are continuing to hire. If you or someone you know is looking to make a career change please schedule a free virtual career coaching session with our lead technical recruiter Joe Carlisle or visit our careers page to browse the 20+ open opportunities.
It is inspiring to see many local entrepreneurs playing an active role in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. We must support our local small businesses of all shapes and sizes during this unprecedented crisis. My belief is that the Milwaukee community will emerge from this unprecedented situation stronger and more unified than ever. In the meantime, my hope is you and your loved ones are staying healthy and maintaining a safe social distance from others while finding time to connect with friends, colleagues, and family in new ways through technology. Stay well!
Matt Cordio is a Co-founder of Startup Milwaukee and Skills Pipeline.