Not long ago, Amy Holcomb, CEO + Co-Founder of SkyMedicus, packed her bags and moved Fievel-style cross-country to good ole’ Alpharetta in hopes of taking her Health IT company to the next level. The pinnacle moment of that decision was announced just last week, as the interactive healthcare marketplace successfully raised a cool one million using Atlanta-based crowdfunding company, Elite Crowdfund. And in true win-win fashion, this also marks the first successful crowdfunding campaign for Elite, which we covered back in September during their official launch. The sky’s the limit for both Georgia companies, so we caught up with Holcomb and Co-Founder & COO of Elite Crowdfund, Darren Miller, to find out how SkyMedicus plans to expand their global reach.
Over the last three years, SkyMedicus has connected patients with over 500 physicians across the globe, as certain healthcare solutions aren’t always available in countries in which patients reside. In order to continue expansion of SkyMedicus’s network, Holcomb knew a round of fundraising was in order and Elite Crowdfund was the perfect platform to do so.
“I first met Darren a year and a half ago, but at that time we weren’t ready to do the raise,” stated Holcomb. “When Elite was nearing their launch, the timing was right and we were a good fit. It was our first raise, so we had a lot to learn in terms of the process, and were cautious about who we partnered with to ensure we brought in the right people who would add value to our long-term goals.”
“Entrepreneurs always have the goal to raise money, but it’s important to secure smart money with the right people, so a startup can strategically build into a business – and that’s what we are out to accomplish,” stated Miller. “Having the right advisors on your side that understand the industry you are in is paramount to your success, especially in Amy’s case, because SkyMedicus is a globally scalable business with an immense amount of external factors to work through.”
While Holcomb noted that it took longer than they were hoping to bring the right people on board, the extra time will likely bring on future funders from connections they’ve made throughout the raise – including Elite Crowdfund board member and SkyMedicus Advisor, John Vecchio (former Co-Founder of Clearleap, among others) who helped flesh out some of the technology development.
“The entire experience has been interesting from the start, especially being a female entrepreneur leading a primarily female-run company, while sitting across the table with all male investors,” stated Holcomb. “We had a lot back and forth discussions before investors could make a decision, but ultimately completing this fundraising round makes me proud of who we are and what we were able to accomplish.”“Amy did an incredible job and developed lasting relationships along the way,” stated Miller. “She’s helped build SkyMedicus from the ground up and bootstrapped it no less, so it’s exciting to see that our platform works and that Amy is able to move forward with expanding her company’s reach.”
SkyMedicus raised funds within Georgia and also brought in investments from Florida, Tennessee, Indiana and beyond. Holcomb plans to hire 10-15 new employees in the upcoming months, and to grow their marketing efforts in order to reach more global health markets. The Health IT company is also gearing up for another round of fundraising in the near future.
Stay in-the-know on both these Georgia companie. Follow SkyMedicus on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn; and Elite Crowdfund on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.