Jason Moore of NEC, DNA Partners, Stratasan

NASHVILLE Entrepreneur Center staff, entrepreneurs in residence (EiRs) and mentors are now adequately prepared to "accept and serve founders in healthcare services, SaaS, medical devices and more," according to NEC VP Programs Dakota Simpson.

Simpson's comments were in response to VNC questions regarding NEC's recently announced addition of four digital-health-centered EiRs to help drive NEC's Project Healthcare, alongside Program Manager Haley Combs.

NEC staff indicated that, notwithstanding Project Healthcare's weighting toward digital health, the program can to varying degrees support founders who are operating in bioscience and other life-science fields.

They explained that in addition to the new core EiR team, NEC's roughly 200-member pool of champion-mentors, general advisors, and executives- and-or entrepreneurs-in-residence will be pressed into service, as needed.

EiR ORIGINS

The new Project Healthcare EiR foursome includes Jason Moore and Brian Dailey, who were co-founders and respectively CEO and CTO of Nashville-based Stratasan (fka Health Data Source LLC).

Carrie Nall

Moore and Dailey are joined in their NEC work by two additional Stratasan veterans, Former COO Haley Devlin and Former SVP Finance Carrie Nall.

Stratasan was a highly regarded "provider of data analytics software and services for hospitals, ancillary care centers, healthcare consultants, and payers, helping them improve the efficiency and effectiveness of strategic growth efforts by delivering advanced market intelligence and data analytics," according to a 2022 press release.

Stratasan investors exited via the company's 2022 merger with Chicago-based Syntellis Performance Solutions. The transaction value was not disclosed, but has been regularly described as a "nine-figure" value, i.e., $100MM or more.

Within roughly a year of that deal, Syntellis itself merged with Chicago-based Strata Decision Technology in a reported $1.25BN transaction.

Strata Decision was then and today remains a unit of acquisitive Roper Technologies (Nasdaq:ROP MC $62.6BN). Roper M&A transaction value has averaged at least $1BN per deal each year, for some time. Roper was founded in 1981.

Between its formation and sale, Stratasan was backed at various stages by: Madison Dearborn, Thoma Bravo, Michael Burcham, Frist Cressey Ventures, Clayton Associates, Blue Heron Capital (Richmond), Bridge Bank (San Jose, now part of Western Alliance Bank), XMi High Growth Development Fund (a TNInvestco fund), Rolling Hills Ventures (now known as Altitude Ventures) -- in addition to the company's original co-founder, Tod Fetherling. VNC research indicates that Stratasan's financings prior to the Syntellis deal totaled at least $28MM.

A grinder's dream: Founders, techies and investors, alike, are likely to value Moore's candid self-appraisal of his Stratasan experience; his take on venture-fate-defining contributions by then-CTO Dailey and COO Devlin; the pressures of twice 2nd-mortgaging your home at critical junctures; his family pride, and, among other things, his recounting of a "massive lucky bounce" in Stratasan sales and marketing that resulted in zero pivots during Stratasan's 12 years of independence.

All that and much more is in Moore's extensive March 2024 interview with Nashville-based Tom Noser, founder of Fortune's Path advisory firm. (Noser previously penned a guest column on product offerings for early-stage companies, which appeared in VNC here.)

The former Stratasan C-levels have stayed busy.

Based on a scan of the EiRs' collective LinkedIn profiles, since their Stratasan exit one or more of the executives have taken-on advisory, fractional executive, consulting and-or founder roles with Atlanta-based Fulcrum Equity Partners, Indianapolis-based Hubstaff, Chicago-based F2 Strategy, and-or at least four Nashville area-based entities, including DNA Partners, Burnt Blue Holdings, Nashville-based Creo Advisory, Nashville-based Calendaristic and possibly others.

"DNA Partners is an advisory firm for VC and PE-backed companies building to exit. We improve operating maturity across four key areas: leadership, priority-setting, communication (employee and investor) and core values," according to the preamble of Moore's LinkedIn profile.

LOOKING AHEAD

Eric Thrailkill

News of the replenishment of the Project Healthcare team came seven months after the departure of healthtech veteran Eric Thrailkill, who served as chairman of Project Healthcare, 2021-2024.

Asked his thoughts on recent developments, Thrailkill told VNC, quoting:

Now more than ever, the healthcare industry is undergoing a profound transformation--one driven by precision diagnostics, advanced treatments, and truly personalized care that is accessible regardless of location or time of day. Project Healthcare has established itself as an essential catalyst for this change, fostering an ecosystem where entrepreneurs, investors, and healthcare leaders come together to drive innovation.

As the program moves into its next phase, Jason Moore, and his Stratasan leadership team as the incoming EiRs, will further accelerate this momentum. With a focus on scalable solutions that blend technology, data, and human-centered care, Project Healthcare will continue to serve as the launchpad for transformative companies tackling industry-wide challenges.

By addressing some of the most pressing challenges in healthcare--aging demographics, rising costs, declining public confidence, and workforce shortages--Project Healthcare is not just supporting startups but shaping the future of healthcare itself.

Our healthcare ecosystem, dating back over 55 years, is impressive with impact measured in many ways - our future ecosystem could use some "shaping" to ensure Nashville remains as the leading geographic health innovator."

NOTES

Asked about EiR compensation, NEC VP Simpson said, "Generally speaking, EiRs are offered honorariums for the immense amount of time they dedicate to our programs and entrepreneurs. This is a common practice among accelerators like ours. Not all of our EiRs choose to accept" any honoraria, he added.

Meanwhile, given Project Healthcare's increasing "digital" emphasis, it's important to note that the program is complemented by life-science and biopharma-focused accelerators, including Memphis's ZeroTo510 (where the app window opens again in June) and Nashville-based Life Science Tennessee Foundation's Life Science Venture Program (LSVP). That LSVP program is now accepting applications on a rolling basis, with priority accorded bioscience applications related to therapeutics, medical devices, and diagnostics, with potential admission of digital-health companies focused on the LSVP's primary targets.

Ranking digital-health accelerators is a daunting challenge, but they're proliferating globally. Derek Strauss produced this 2024 compendium for Tellescope (Techstars 2020). DigitalHealth did this one. StartupSavant weighed-in here.

Also recommended, Nashville-based Virsys12 CEO Tammy Hawes's Jan. 28, 2025, piece for Forbes, "The Technology Revolution In Healthcare Provider Data Management: Why 2025 Is The Turning Point".

Based on further information expected from NEC, VNC hopes to report soon on the matter of retaining EiRs in group vs individual fashion, plus updated guidance on how some VNC readers might apply for EiR/EIR/Mentor roles, etc. This story will be updated as warranted. VNC

. lasted edited 1745 6 February 2025