An Interview with Entrepreneur Joel Wishkovsky

Introduction

Joel Wishkovsky is an innovative entrepreneur, investor and startup advisor. He is a leading voice in digital health and telemedicine. After suffering a healthcare scare, he became obsessed with making healthcare more accessible and convenient with technology.

He is the Founder and CEO of Simple Health, a telemedicine platform that allows patients to avoid costly and inconvenient visits to doctors office. As an investor, mentor and advisor, Joel has been involved with dozens of leading healthcare companies such as Everlywell, Parsley Health and Standard Cyborg.

Previously Joel was part of General Electric’s prestigious IT leadership program (IMLP) and its financial and operational auditing program (Corporate Audit Staff). During his time there he lead large scale IT implementations and performed operational and financial audits of GE businesses with a focus on acquisition integrations.

Joel is also an avid mountaineer, backpacker and traveler who has visited more than 40 countries and only been excluded from one.

Are you an entrepreneur looking for your MVP built? Get in touch with us at hello@devathon.com

Devathon has built software for companies backed by the world’s leading investors like Betaworks, Greylock, Andreessen Horowitz, Accel, KPCB, Lightspeed and many more.

In an exclusive interview with Devathon, Simple Contacts Founder Joel Wishkovsky traces his journey so far and his plans for the years ahead

When did you first discover your entrepreneurial spirit and How is your entrepreneurial career developing so far?

You know, I’ve always thought of the entrepreneurial spirit as the drive to make things. That spirit found me very early in life. My father always used to joke when he bought me a gift “I’ll only give this to you if you promise not to take it apart” – I was always tinkering with stuff, trying to understand how it works, trying to create things for myself. I didn’t know it then, but that sense of curiosity and confidence to explore gave me a lot of skills for what I’ve created as an adult.

What has been a big lesson you’ve learned from your time as an entrepreneur?

I’ve learned time and time again that perception is reality. If you believe something is true, like a fund wanting to invest, generally those things come true. It’s when you doubt yourself, when you say to yourself and to others negative thoughts, it creates that reality. There is a saying around Simple Health offices, if you want something to happen, go tell Joel that it’s impossible. I get so worked up by that kind of attitude that I work triple as hard to prove them wrong.

How did you come up with the idea for Simple Contacts and how did it all start? I heard something about not having a contact lens prescription?

I ran out of contact lenses! A few years ago I was desperately trying to refill contact lenses, but my doctor wouldn’t give me a new prescription without an office visit. I thought it was crazy that you couldn’t do some of the tests online. I reached out to an Ophthalmologist at NYU and started developing an online eye exam alongside her and my business partner Ryan (our CTO).

What is Simple Contacts?

Simple Contacts is an easy way to refill medications without the hassle and expense of visiting a doctor’s office. You can get contacts without a current prescription! With Simple Contacts, patients take an online eye exam, get a prescription from one of our remote doctors, and contacts are delivered on an easy subscription.

What are your growth plans for the near future?

We just launched a new product called Simple Health. It’s the easiest way to find the best birth control for you, get a prescription and get it delivered to your door every month. It’s free with insurance and comes with continuing access to a doctor as long as you are a member! We’re working hard on other products too in women’s health and beyond!

Why did you go into birth control prescriptions online?

We heard from our patients, and our employees, that people wanted to make birth control as easy as we made contact lenses. Access a doctor, the pharmacy and easy deliveries without the hassle of in person office visits.

In your opinion, what are the hurdles that keep people away from starting an entrepreneurial career? What advice would you give to the new entrepreneurs?

People let fear of failure block them from trying things. One of our leadership principles at Simple Health is “Actions speak louder than words”. We prefer to take action and believe that real world tests are always better than assumptions. Failure is ok if we are able to take away lessons, iterate quickly and improve.

Are you an entrepreneur looking for your MVP built? Get in touch with us at hello@devathon.com

Devathon has built software for companies backed by the world’s leading investors like Betaworks, Greylock, Andreessen Horowitz, Accel, KPCB, Lightspeed and many more.