Interview with Vishal Bhimarasetty of Rudra Health &
Green Wave Innovation Network Mentor, Sarah Kerin
Alumni helping alumni— with Startup Team Mentoring
Founder:
Vishal Bhimarasetty, Founder, Rudra Health
Startup Team Member
Purdue University ’21, BS in Neuroscience
Tulane University School of Medicine ’22, MSc in Medical Physiology
Green Wave Innovation Mentor (GWIN):
Sarah Kerin, GWIN Mentor & Healthcare Professional
Tulane University - A.B. Freeman School of Business ’14, BS in Management
The University of Chicago Booth School of Business ’20, MBA
Rudra Health is a healthcare and technology startup founded by Vishal Bhimarasetty in 2023. The company was created to enhance patient care for Parkinson's Disease and movement disorders. During Vishal's undergraduate years at Purdue University, he was inspired by his volunteering experiences at Rock Steady Boxing, (West Lafayette, Indiana), a facility that improves the quality of life of people with Parkinson’s disease through a non-contact, boxing-based fitness curriculum.
It was there that Vishal first encountered the challenges faced by Parkinson’s patients, who often had to endure long journeys to Indianapolis for specialized care. These trips, sometimes exceeding two hours, frequently left patients with limited time to discuss their concerns with healthcare providers. Given the complexities and anxieties associated with managing Parkinson’s disease, this lack of comprehensive care sparked Vishal's determination to create a solution that would make a difference in the lives of these patients. Vishal founded Rudra Health with a product called Move Up to leverage digital health technology and bridge a gap in Parkinson’s disease management & therapy.
“Parkinson’s is a scary disease. Patients must receive validation and further understanding of how to proceed with disease care. Without this support, many patients can get worried. That made me think: How can we incorporate different technologies to streamline the patient-provider connection? That’s the product we started with, a digital health application that allows these patients to connect and track their care with their healthcare providers.” said Vishal.
Rudra Health’s Move Up program also aims to empower individuals with movement disorders by delivering personalized digital health solutions in their homes. Rudra Health is making healthcare more accessible, uniquely tailored, and effective for individuals navigating Parkinson’s disease challenges.
Rudra Health’s recent journey from concept to reality has been significantly influenced by its participation in the Startup Team mentorship program, a year-long Tulane Innovation Institute program led by volunteer Green Wave Innovation Network (GWIN) mentors. These mentors nurture entrepreneurial talent, offering Tulane students, faculty, researchers, and community-based startups access to industry expertise and connections. The program aims to transform promising early-stage businesses into thriving ventures by providing the necessary support to navigate the complex entrepreneurship landscape.
Recognizing Rudra Health's potential, Vishal sought out the Tulane Innovation Institute Startup Team Mentoring to gain the guidance needed to refine his business model, conduct customer discovery, and develop an effective market strategy.
Through the program, he was paired with Sarah Kerin, a Tulane alumna and a seasoned executive in the healthcare field. Sarah’s deep understanding of the healthcare industry made her an ideal mentor for Vishal. Her motivation to give back to the Tulane community and her passion for helping early-stage startups succeed were critical factors in her decision to join GWIN as a mentor. Sergio Blanco (Partner Engineering and Science Inc.), Bill Palumbo (Palumbo Consulting), and Jeff Emery (Avisi Technologies), also Tulane graduates, are additional team mentors to Rudra Health.
Under the GWIN team's mentorship, Vishal has refined his ideas and gained a deeper understanding of the healthcare market. The mentors have provided insights into customer segmentation, helping Vishal identify and target the specific needs of Parkinson’s patients and their healthcare providers. The mentorship has also enabled him to validate his concepts, ensuring that Rudra Health’s offerings meet a market need. Vishal has likened this journey to "building with Lego blocks, where each piece represents a crucial aspect of the business that must be carefully constructed to create a solid foundation for future growth."
Sarah has been impressed by Vishal’s commitment to solving the challenges faced by Parkinson’s patients and the Tulane Innovation Institute program. “As an alumni of Tulane, it’s been awesome to see this program come to life. It was something needed for Tulane and New Orleans, and being a part of the early stages of building what that looks like has been exciting. I’m excited to see what the Tulane Innovation Institute is doing as it grows.”
Vishal has ambitious plans for Rudra Health. In the next 12 months, he aims to secure additional funding to support the company’s expansion and to increase the app’s user base by reaching more patients and healthcare providers.
Vishal envisions solidifying Rudra Health’s position in the healthcare market as a key player in digital health solutions for Parkinson’s disease & movement disorders. By focusing on continued innovation and a patient-centered approach to care, Rudra Health’s Move Up program hopes to impact the lives of those living with Parkinson’s Disease significantly. Vishal’s goal is to reduce the treatment burden, improve overall quality of life, and ensure that patients receive the comprehensive care they deserve, regardless of geographical constraints.
If you want to learn more about the Green Wave Innovation Network (GWIN) or join the Startup Team Mentoring program, click here for more information.
