Enhearten is working towards a world in which recovering from addiction is like recovering from any other chronic illness. Future plans include expansion beyond addiction to address the full spectrum of mental and behavioral health needs.
Micah Goodman (EN ’17) and Patricia Cavazos-Rehg started this company because of their own (and their families’) struggles with mental and behavioral health. Micah shared more about Enhearten and the impact that WashU had on their entrepreneurial journey.
Website: www.enhearten.com
Tell us your startup story – What is the problem you’re solving?
Systemic barriers prevent people from entering into and succeeding in treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD), making the opioid epidemic more deadly than it has to be.
What is your solution to that problem?
Enhearten’s suite of software bridges critical gaps in the opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment system, offering a consistent source of support as people navigate recovery. Enhearten is the only platform that spans across the entire patient journey: from before entering treatment to maintaining long-term recovery.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned as an entrepreneur?
Everything is a hypothesis that needs to be tested. Any time you face a decision, you should figure out the simplest test that will point you in the right direction.
What do you love about entrepreneurship?
Getting to build products that directly help people throughout the world.
What advice would you give to someone considering creating a startup or entering an entrepreneurship competition?
You have to start by developing a deep understanding of your customers and the problems they face – this means going out and talking to them. Your product and business will suffer if you don’t.
What activities, student groups, professors, or classes had the biggest impact on you during your time at WashU?
- Business classes: Introduction to Entrepreneurship and The Hatchery (I didn’t take any business classes until my last semester, and I wish I had started sooner!)
- Computer science classes: Video Game Programming
- Other classes: Interdisciplinary Workshops in an Urban Middle School
- Student groups: City Faces
The winner of the Spring 2023 GIA will be announced at The Washington University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Awards Presented by the Skandalaris Center on April 20. All are welcome to attend the awards ceremony to see which team(s) will win non-dilutive funding for their venture.