On November 17, 2021, seven finalists will compete for $22,500 in awards in the Fall 2021 Skandalaris Venture Competition. In anticipation of the SVC finals, we are publishing a Q&A series with the finalists. Today’s featured team is Speak Information Technologies (Formerly Easy Speak).

The Speak Information Technologies Team includes:

Kai Skallerud (MD/MBA ’23/22), Maxwell Popper (LA ’22), Chris Callan (MBA ’22), Quan Khuc (EN ’23), Afam Obioha (BU ’22), Mitchell Sampson (EN ’25), Ajla Salic (BU ’22), Maddy Singleton (LA ’24) Issa Cook (JD/MBA ’23/22), Julian Lu (LA ’24), and Michael Cafiero (LA ’24).

What problem are you solving?

(From Kai Skallerud) My inspiration for Speak IT originated on the front lines of clinical care where I saw the devastating effects of physician burnout due to the electronic medical record. This problem doesn’t just impact physicians, burnout has a trickle-down effect to patients as well.

Our solution leverages dictation-based automation to turn your voice into action. In doing so, we reduce clinical documentation time, improve physician quality of life, and ultimately improve patient care.

What do the next 3-6 months look like for you?

The Speak IT team has been working tirelessly to bring our vision to reality. Over the last three months, this dedication resulted in faster growth and progression than any of us thought possible. Looking ahead, we hope to continue this trend. Here are our 3-6 month goals:

-Continue customer discovery

-Build out advisory board and identify technical co-founder

-Establish pipeline to end-users (physicians) via strategic partnerships

-Formalize contracts for first sales (beta)

-Roll out beta

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned since starting your venture?

1. First, you must fall in love with the problem.

2. The triple bottom line – People, Profits, Planet.

3. If you ask for money, you get advice. If you ask for advice, you get money.

4. You’re not always right…. In fact, you’re almost always wrong!

5. If you want to be successful, run towards the fire.

What do you love about being an entrepreneur?

I believe that entrepreneurship is the epitome of intellectual stimulation, competition, creativity, and emotion. Truly, there’s never a dull moment. What could be better than that?

What words of advice do you have for those starting a business?

Entrepreneurship is full of unknowns. You won’t know if you’ll be successful, you won’t know what hurdles you’ll face, you won’t even know if you’ll like the process. However, contrary to “you won’t know until you try,” my advice is that you first assess if “trying” is the right decision for you. Consider if you are prepared to handle the stressors that come with ambiguity. Think about the time you can reasonably commit. And so on… This honest self-reflection is critical to future success.

What activities, student groups, professors, or classes had the biggest impact on you during your time at WashU?

I serve as the CFO of Sling Health’s St. Louis chapter and manage the national organization’s partnership with the American Medical Association. Sling supports entrepreneurial students that tackle healthcare’s most pressing needs.

WashU undergrad–Dr. Alan Lambert. I conducted research with him for 3+ years and he was instrumental in my professional development.

MBA–Prof. Doug Villhard. A true role model who goes the extra mile for students. His teachings will stay with me for years to come.

Website: speakinfotech.com