Former StubHub Exec. Joins Hartford Startup Accelerator
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Even after nearly 20 years in technology startups, Shawn Kernes felt underprepared last Tuesday night as he stood in the center of Hartford’s social enterprise scene, mingling with other members of reSET’s 2018 Impact Accelerator.
People kept asking for his card, something Kernes hadn’t carried for about 15 years in Silicon Valley as the former chief technology officer of StubHub and later a chief officer at Cash4Gold, Beyond the Rack and Boost Media. But the change of pace was refreshing now that Kernes is delving into unfamiliar territory with his own project, an on-demand videotherapy app called Larkr.
“Half of my ideas come from people asking questions I didn’t think of, and you don’t get that if you work with the same kinds of people every day,” he said. “You come to an event like this and they ask great questions.”
Kernes’ company was one of 65 startups based outside of Connecticut to apply for the four-month business accelerator program, which ultimately accepted seven of those companies and another 15 founded in the state.
reSET made a conscious effort to attract companies with greater growth potential this year by requiring applicants to be generating investment and revenue already. The move paid off when the program received 110 applications, up from 37 last year.
Even so, Kernes has a much longer track record than many of his new peers, giving reSET’s leaders a bit of a shock when they came across his application.
“In Connecticut we don’t have a lot of serial entrepreneurs, so to be able to pull someone in who’s going to not only engage in the entrepreneurial world here but give back to the community is really good for us,” director Ojala Naeem said.
The surprise at Kernes’ interest didn’t last long, program manager Jeremy Szechenyi said.
“As soon as we talked to him, it made complete sense. What he’s looking for is exactly what Connecticut is very rich in — insurance and finance and health,” Szechenyi said. “It’s very easy for us to give him good introductions, very warm introductions.”
Kernes was familiar with Connecticut, having chosen East Granby for StubHub’s first call center location outside of San Francisco. But he was drawn to Hartford for its concentration of insurance companies and innovation resources, like Hartford InsureTech Hub, which is holding its own inaugural accelerator for 10 startups this winter.
To grow Larkr, Kernes says, he needs to draw on that insurance expertise. And to influence policy, funding and initiatives for mental health, he needs to have the providers’ ears.
“Any company that wants to have an impact on health care in this country sort of has to have a presence here,” he said.
Larkr, which launched in November, is a free app that pairs users with a therapist based on their answers to a few questions, like whether they’re on any medications or prefer a male, female or older therapist. The video sessions all last 50 minutes and cost $85, compared to the median cost of about $150. Overall, more than 400 people booked or participated in a session in the app’s third month, according to Kernes.
For now, users pay out of pocket and Larkr provides the documentation they need to seek reimbursement from insurance, though Kernes hopes to eventually bill insurers directly.
That’s the process with similar apps, like Amwell, which Boston-based company American Well launched in 2013. Through that service, users can log on and schedule a same-day appointment with a therapist, psychiatrist or family doctor for $59 to $199. And Amwell directly bills insurance, charging users only their copay.
But Larkr plans to do things a bit differently. Whereas Amwell is staffed by members of a single telehealth practice, Larkr is recruiting independent therapists and then matching them with patients located in the states where they’re licensed to work.
The company, co-founded by Kernes’ therapist wife, Chris Kernes, and chief creative officer Jon Dabach, is also developing new features to track users’ mood and “daily acts of good” — a research-backed technique for improving self-worth.
Kernes will now spend January through May in Hartford, working with mentors, meeting prospective clients, attending business workshops and planning growth, which could take root in the state.
“Right now, my expectations are wide open,” Kernes said. “There’s a real possibility we’ll continue to have a presence in Hartford for some time, depending on how quickly we grow and what our needs are. It’s an interesting environment for us.”
