Profile: David Edelman
Meet David Edelman. Founder and CEO at Thrivable.
Name: David Edelman
Job: Founder and CEO at Thrivable
City: Cleveland
Hometown: Shaker Heights
Q: What do you do at Thrivable?
Thrivable is a real-time market research platform. We help patients and health care companies work together to create the next generation of products and services.
Our solution combines a comprehensive patient database with software that enables on-demand access. Companies can do surveys, interviews, usability testing and more with results in hours.
The idea for Thrivable came from my work building Diabetes Daily, a leading online community. I became inspired by how companies that valued patient input were outperforming their peers. I am now a firm believer that every key decision should have patient input - otherwise you are too likely to get out of sync with your end user and release a product that fails.
Q: What’s a problem you're working to solve?
Today, getting in touch with patients takes weeks and tens of thousands of dollars. We are making it as easy as texting.
We began by asking ourselves, “What does it take for a company to have a question and get an answer in an hour?”
We then worked backwards to figure out the dozens of innovations required to make this a reality. How do we recruit new patient populations in days? How can machine learning help us identify the patients most likely to qualify for research? How do we maximize quality and prevent fraud? How do we automate all of the research steps currently done manually?
The result is studies that field 10x faster with 10x less effort.
Q: What’s a lesson you’ve learned that's shaped your work?
At Thrivable we are building a new organization to create a new solution. This requires all of us to grow — and quickly. The reality is that there are thousands of little problems that we need to solve to be successful.
Early in my career, I was hungry to learn and grow but afraid of appearing incompetent. If I didn’t know an acronym, I would just nod along and then run to look it up online the moment the meeting was over. More importantly, I would not encourage people to provide more critical and constructive feedback on my business. As a result, I learned too slowly.
Now I am comfortable acknowledging what I do not know - and that what I know may be wrong. This has opened me up to rapidly learn from others. As an entrepreneur, I am always doing something that I have never done before. Whether it’s pitching VCs, scaling a sales team, or figuring out the best communication practices in a remote team, there are people who are experts and can dramatically shorten my learning curve.
Or as my 2020 resolution said it: “Try to learn one important lesson the easy way!”
Q: What’s a trend in technology or innovation that doesn’t get enough attention?
There has been a dramatic increase in access to educational content for entrepreneurs over the last 20 years. However, it feels like we are at an inflection point where the quality of content on how to build a startup has exploded. You can find not only robust step-by-step guides, but also rich and challenging communities around every topic. Instead of having to wonder how to price your product, you can explore a variety of robust pricing methodologies.
This rich content combined with the growth in remote work is making it possible for entrepreneurs anywhere to build a great company. You no longer need to be in one of the top three ecosystems to tap into the wisdom or talent you need to scale.
Q: What’s one moonshot idea that could help make Ohio a world leader in technology and innovation?
Fund the 1,000 most promising entrepreneurs to build startups. This will create 10,000+ people with the skills and experience to thrive in a startup environment. Get at least one unicorn out of the mix that will spin out the next generation of angels who know the full lifecycle of a startup.
It will take all of us to improve our ecosystem. As an entrepreneur, candid conversations from other entrepreneurs and investors shouldn’t start with, “You definitely don’t want to take money in Ohio. Go to the coasts where people get it.” That's a real quote. But there are great people here who do get it and we can build on that foundation. That's why I chose to focus my Seed round on Ohio - I want our region to have the upside of whatever Thrivable becomes.
Cultural change can be slow, but it is worth the investment.
Q: What’s a recent book, podcast or news story that you found interesting?
I read The Culture Code. It explores the attributes of high-performance cultures ranging from Pixar to the Navy Seals. What do they all have in common?
Organizations can create processes that systematically nurture a safe space for vulnerability, a sense of familial connection, and a commitment to mission. And it all begins with role-modeling at the top.
Q: What's your favorite place in Ohio?
We are so lucky to have Cuyahoga Valley National Park! The section of the Buckeye Trail from Blue Hen Falls to Jaite to Brecksville Station is spectacular - and worth a drive from any corner of the state.
Q: What makes Ohio special to you?
I am surrounded by family and long-time friends. They are my foundation.
Connect with David on LinkedIn.