Meet The Next Billion Dollar Start-Up That's Revolutionizing Nurse Staffing | Forbes

By helping hundreds of hospitals like HCA Healthcare hire nurses faster and with less aggravation, Iman Abuzeid has built the rare VC-backed startup that’s already profitable. It likely won’t be long before it becomes a unicorn.
Iman Abuzeid walked into the Andreessen Horowitz annual barbecue in the summer of 2019 with two term sheets from other VC firms already in hand, but she was determined to leave with a third. The cofounder and CEO of Incredible Health was sure she wanted a16z managing partner Jeff Jordan, the former CEO of online restaurant reservation marketplace OpenTable and senior vice president at eBay, to help grow her nurse hiring startup.
What she didn’t realize is that she would not only land a key investor that night but also one of her company’s marquee customers. Amid the endless trays of hamburgers and ribs at the home of Ben and Felicia Horowitz, Abuzeid, 36, walked past Tina Knowles (Beyoncé’s mom) and CBS anchor Gayle King, and honed in on Bernard Tyson, the late CEO of Kaiser Permanente. Abuzeid says she started the conversation with Tyson the same way she does with all hospital executives she’s pitching. “We’re in a huge nursing shortage,” she tells them. “I’m guessing your units are understaffed, and they don’t have enough nurses?”
Incredible Health cofounder and chief technology officer Rome Portlock
Incredible Health cofounder and chief technology officer Rome PortlockINCREDIBLE HEALTH
Within a month of that barbecue, San Francisco-based Incredible Health, which Abuzeid cofounded with chief technology officer Rome Portlock, 41, had landed Jordan’s firm as the lead investor of its $15 million Series A round. Soon after, it also had inked a deal to work with Kaiser, which encompasses 39 hospitals and is now one of her company’s biggest customers.
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[@GizmoChinaTube]

What a beautiful and smart lady!

[@healthlife90]

Girl who vanished from Australian campsite found alive in locked house close to home kzbin.info/www/bejne/p33bm4ikqNuMf68

[@2shadyladies]

What the world needs now more than ever is entrepreneurs like this beautifully talented lady

[@flux202]

Tech+Health = billions.

[@tigerrx7]

You got it! Billions paid, Billions made.

[@healthlife90]

Girl who vanished from Australian campsite found alive in locked house close to home kzbin.info/www/bejne/p33bm4ikqNuMf68

[@flux202]

@KittyKat well even if the video content is too related to health, think about it, any time health and tech mix, billions are made.

[@Seekingtruth-mx3ur]

@KittyKat yeah you just need basic web development skills. Nothing extraordinary. She just got the idea and took action.

[@not-even-german4892]

ELISABETH HOLMES enters the chat 😹😹😹😹😹

[@luiskoogler7926]

My advice to new investors: Buy good companies stocks and hold them as long as they are good companies. Just do this and ignore the forecasts and market views which are at best entertaining but completely useless

[@stansburyclarice4968]

I invested and lost my money. maybe i didn't have a goal. Though, I was advise to get the services of a broker. i never listened.

[@candideharrison5568]

The key to big returns is not big moving stocks. It's managing risk in relationship to reward. Having the correct size on and turning your edge as many times as necessary to reach your goal. That holds true from long term investing to day trading

[@terrallcoscarelli7002]

May I ask which stocks are good? I've been looking at a few different ones but want others' opinions as well

[@candideharrison5568]

what i think you need is a Financial Adviser, who can help you get in and out of any stock you buy at any time and you'd sure be in Profit

[@terrallcoscarelli7002]

who would you recommend?

[@dialac1]

I am a cvicu travel nurse that has worked in 10 hospitals in 10 states in the last 3 years. This is not revolutionary. I have agencies who automate the job offerings online. I can just pick the state I want to go to and it matches me based on my experience to the hospitals who are looking to hire someone like me. Aya Healthcare, Fastaff, Maxim, Fusion, etc. All these companies have such platforms like she described. To make it truly revolutionary, if she can get every hospital in America on her platform then that will definitely be revolutionary. Because right now, certain hospitals have hard contracts with certain agencies and they only use those agencies for their staffing.

[@munix9351]

Bingo!!!

[@Milly_in_denmark]

I was thinking like we already have this in Denmark and was waiting to here what was revolutionary 😊

[@lloydcollins]

Don’t hate the player…

[@JeromeKyng]

Thanks for giving us insight on this topic. Much needed.

[@mustangs263]

she said she has 500 so far.

[@breezy4_]

Man, this is incredible. For someone who works in staffing/recruiting/HR, this is awesome.

[@crazyandstupitme]

@@egm5278 same thoughts~

[@javionriley8739]

The major issue I have with using algorithm via looking at individual resume is that they skip over resume because they don’t have certain key phrases/words which ultimately throws away Qualified applicants

[@mdean22]

"Over work and under appreciated" Please stop saying that. It's over worked and under payed. We don't want your appreciation. We want compensation.

[@arellysritchieauthor]

wow amazing, I love that she is an African woman who started the next unicorn business.

[@Charlie-502]

Don't be racist Please

[@freshstart4423]

Our nurses are supposed to bathe the patients every morning and every evening to prevent the spread of diseases. They need to change bed pans and advise the doctors of ANY problem with the patients. They don't need a college degree.

[@nicolemccray8095]

@@Charlie-502 Google the definition of racism. Smh

[@user-xh7lt1cs6e]

racist

[@Charlie-502]

RACIST!

[@Bobbyfuckingaxelrod]

The problem is the staffs pay. Forget the rest. It won’t matter until you pay them substantially more .

[@danielodutola4740]

Absolutely spot on

[@markdin2988]

Nurses are making 6 figures nowadays what are you on about

[@sqwale7]

The market always corrects itself. If they could command more they would be paid more. How replaceable is a nurse vs a surgeon ? The market isn’t concerned with emotional views on wages

[@Bobbyfuckingaxelrod]

@@sqwale7 lol if you think we need surgeons more than nurses or allied health I know you’ve never worked in a hospital. They’re not run by physicians.

[@sqwale7]

@@Bobbyfuckingaxelrod I take it you didn't understand my comments. It's not a matter of who we need it's a matter of who is easier to replace. Your salary is completely dependent on that. Well one could argue that a clean hospital is extremely important and we absolutely need cleaners for that to be true but that doesn't then mean cleaners get paid more coz they are easier to replace. Lebron gets paid more than Dwight because he is harder to replace.

[@Nick-xu2hh]

Not convinced an algorithm will get you the “best” talent.

[@NamaDoodoo]

I think it requires nuance that an algo may miss. Maybe nursing is more black and white where algos perform better

[@raisingstandard]

Or one can rephrase it, "A good resume doesn't always bring the right employee that fits your company's needs". Staffing will always be a gamble.

[@aligulaj]

When i hear such stories i get excited and know am not far off...

[@wittenberg5]

The difference between a regular recruitment agency that has human recruiters on the phones reaching out to clients vs her firm is similar to the difference between a librarian and Google. Massive advantages of scalability when you use algorithms and software instead of humans. A human recruiter can only interview 10-20 candidates per day, but an algorithm can match an unlimited number of candidates everyday.

[@soccerwagsgfo]

As a candidate I will rather deal with a human being

[@healthlife90]

Girl who vanished from Australian campsite found alive in locked house close to home kzbin.info/www/bejne/p33bm4ikqNuMf68

[@mehg8407]

>difference between a librarian and Google LOL This just shows that you don't know what Google or Librarians are. The hospitals are understaffed because they are ran as businesses. Workers getting overworked is done on purpose. Also, 10- 20 candidates? Those must be some real short interviews. > an algorithm can match an unlimited number of candidates everyday. Ah yes. Because algorithms can't be wrong. lol The problem IS the algorithm. Just look at the major issue we have now, where algorithms kick out many good candidates because they can't into nuance.

[@ebonyqueen86]

I think it should be a combination of algorithm and humans.

[@agentsmidt3209]

1.Um Google and Librarians have different functions. 2.Algorthtmns follow patterns i.e. they can be gamed.

[@JeromeKyng]

Very inspirational. I hope she continues to build on this much needed service and has more success along the way!

[@sagemathew9740]

Awesome! Congrats! My late beloved mother was an RN, as are many relatives. This service and technology should have been around in the 70s, 80s and 90s. The best is yet to come. Amen. Prosper!

[@fancyIOP]

I didn’t understand any of her business but I’m happy she’s seeing success and hope she does more.💪🏿🙌🏿🔥

[@deninadine]

Staffing/employer agency for healthcare

[@not-even-german4892]

😹😹😹😹 Me neither.

[@hha8171]

😂😂

[@hha8171]

Too sophisticated for you? lol

[@fancyIOP]

@@hha8171 😂🤣😂yes it was, I did watch the video twice but I still didn’t understand though I did hear about the health part but I’m happy for her.

[@nextinstitute7824]

This is really a sponsored story...

[@dodopson3211]

Pre screening technology is nothing new that's Applicant Tracking System or ATS in short; I hate it. I didn't study biology to then have to do Resume Optimisation (basically computer technology) only to pass around the ATS software for that specific job posting. Using computers to do a pre-screening only means you hire the people who are best at writing keywords in their documents not necessarily the best person for the job, especially not if the job isn't even remotely related to writing skills.

[@Seekingtruth-mx3ur]

This is just basic software engineering technology. Nothing new here.

[@kgopolomagosi266]

It would be best if the technology is able to identify talent through maybe applicant videos rather than a resume, videos wud demonstrate skill better than a resume.... I'm just saying, I cud be wrong

[@agentsmidt3209]

Unless this algorithm sifts through terabytes of someone's metadata online to build a profile on them: 1.That is if they have an extensive online presence. 2. Their online presence is not manufactured (that is my real face and name btw)

[@dodopson3211]

@@agentsmidt3209 I am old enough to have watched the matrix. I totally believe you. But unless we are actually plugged in; making our 'online' presence the only presence then any such profile being made would be highly inaccurate. For example; if you believe my fb pics I am an alcoholist; in reality I drink alcohol less than 7 days a year. Most of us have very divergent online profiles from real life behavior.

[@agentsmidt3209]

@@dodopson3211 All kidding aside...what worries me is IOT, Metaverse, NSA's "By-standers", A.I manipulated/created videos, and the US legal system. The latter's jurisdiction seems to have no bounds on this planet. The government that literally cook up phony reasons to get a judge to sign off on a wiretap, and or assassination because "national security"; no proof without "reasonable doubt" needed. We have made the legal system to be end-all as if it was ordained by some higher being and it is run by saints. We need to ask ourselves who creates these laws, who are our "peers", who determines whose fit to represent as our "peers", redefine treason, redefine journalism, rights of whistleblowers etc... Now even if a person is not "plugged in", unless they were born in a hermit's enclave in some deep dark woods in some uncharted territory...chances are their info has been recorded one way or the other by some degree of separation. I will commit a sin here and offer some anecdotal evidence...I am not on social media, but a few months ago a coworker to a picture of me (unbeknownst to me) and posted it on their Instagram profile. The picture got a lot of reactions and whatnot and another coworker came by my work area and showed me the picture, that, btw, was forwarded and shared with/by others...I have no idea were that picture landed and I have no control nor ownership of it. There is no reduction law, nor algorithm in this world that can erase that picture in its entirety. NSA's by-standers SOP can figure out were I am even if I do not have any IOT device with me nor "online presence". The newer generation are notorious for recording EVERYTHING in their daily lives, no matter how trite and "inconsequential" it may seem to us technophobes. If you live in this society, your DNA, walking gait, writing style, buying patterns etc... have all been documented.

[@mrbob_2245]

Great job sister, proud of you being a 🇸🇩

[@freshstart4423]

This is a publicity stunt. Our nurses are supposed to bathe the patients twice a day, change the sheets, change bed pans to prevent the spread of diseases. They need to observe the patients and notify the doctors of any problems with the patient's recovery. They don't need college degrees.

[@medicinetreasure2689]

Yes!!! HCA reached out to me-I receive this blessing!!

[@sonderexpeditions]

She's goals 💖

[@hha8171]

She understands the assignment

[@GloWinGlo]

Wow! Incredible: The idea, the guts and the woman!

[@sonderexpeditions]

Wait...how old is she. She looks 20s but her experience says 40s 🤔

[@mirabella2154]

She definitely doesn't look like she is in her 20's. Who are you fooling?

[@h.o.y.o]

@@mirabella2154 She could easily pass for 27/28. Don’t be a hater Mira.

[@mirabella2154]

@@h.o.y.o Bullshit.

[@ishish8816]

She looks 31 minimum. Amazing skin minimal creases around her eyes, and nasolabial folds. Her face is less full than someone in their 20s. But it's her makeup colour pallette choice, jewellery and shirt that gives away her age more it's quite 90s. But that's not what's important here.

[@michibosire5000]

Her article on Forbes says she's 36

[@rera1386]

What a boss! I want my daughters to have this work ethic and change the world for the people. #girlsrule

[@seanregehr4921]

Well done young lady! Keep it up and kudos for making a big splash in the market.

[@jman9919]

Great to See it. Hope she goes far!

[@ojvic7297]

Beauty and brains!!... Extremely rare

[@bourjoism3917]

Impressive indeed!

[@hahadarrie]

Kudos to her .

[@apudebnath4514]

Thank you

[@ShyFly1000]

I saw this video and the first thing I thought was, I wonder what their hiring process is like and the career page. No clue how it even popped up but good kuddos because I would take a bite after seeing this.

[@kelechichapfika1731]

This is an amazing concept!!!

[@bennybelton709]

This is really a great woman!

[@medicinetreasure2689]

This is so me!!! FORBES!!! What a start!!!

[@Outta12]

Well said

[@sierah1428]

AMAZING! Reminds me of Janice Bryant Howroyd!

[@victore.1509]

What an inspiration!

[@lucythompson5841]

The wisest thing that should be on every wise individual's list is to invest in different stream of income and don't depend on the government to bring in money especially now the pandemic is hitting the economy

[@andrewmamikins693]

you are definitely right , waiting on the government is a big waste

[@lucythompson5841]

Investments are the stepping Stones to success especially if you been guided by a professional

[@jessicamamikina7648]

Investing is good but investing in the right thing is the actual key to success . who is your pro ?

[@lucythompson5841]

That was exactly what I did, I trade with a professional stock expert "Tamara Diane Hagan " who i met in one of the seminars..

[@lucythompson5841]

There are so many investment out there but if profits must be considered then not all investments are good to go into.

[@rarejourneys]

Thanks 😊

[@BowWowVideo]

The problem lies within the truth of how people are paid and working conditions. Neither are at a standard worth celebrating. Exploitation.

[@MrDdub619]

And she's helping keep down that pay and working.

[@BowWowVideo]

@@MrDdub619 Disgusting, considering that you want to hire the best. One thing that is common, staffing agencies tend to only employ the lower skilled people who cannot find a full-time hospital role.

[@kkb2844]

@@BowWowVideo That's not necessarily true. Many nurses choose staffing agencies because they don't want the full-time hospital role because it freaking sucks. Instead, the agency pays more hourly and provides flexibility. They get to make their own schedule and not work full time anymore.

[@BowWowVideo]

@@kkb2844 The key word is "not necessarily" that you point out. Since I think and express myself in absolutes, not necessarily supports my view. Something is or isn't and this is exploitation.

[@BowWowVideo]

@UCZrNefX7wPlusHAy2rVCn7Q That would be to Covid burnout and the same issue will apply. Agencies will take whatever they can get and 1 year is not the rule or standard. You don't have to work in healthcare, but I own a clinic and this should not make a difference.

[@healthcarematters887]

Jump into the lion's den. Health care placement companies are a dime a dozen.

[@VC-pq3ui]

Proud of her

[@annadavis6361]

Awesome interview! 🙏🏽👍🏽💃🏽

[@leonbezuidenhout5085]

This women is so impressive 👏

[@Vesta0831]

Yes!

[@MalluStyleMultiMedia]

Excellent idea ..I work in healthcare and we’re always short. When I go to Walmart after work, I still have to work since they are short too. 😂

[@Mg-yn2px]

Great job. Go girl😊

[@MrDdub619]

Great for her, medical providers and companys. Bad for medical professionals. People are not having a hard time finding jobs in the medical field, it's the pay. Organizations are not paying. This system is baselining pay and eliminating pay negotiations. Medical professionals should be highly paid in the current environment. This is why more and more nurses are drifting to travel nursing roles. It be you own....

[@dorotheekarekezi]

Now that's a company i'd love to work with

[@Uberrimaefidei]

Amazing, love it ♥️🙏🏻

[@Fawza_Safoera555]

Like her mindset. She thinks like me. Tech is Growing. Its all about taking risks❤️

[@DIZZLEBOI44]

Bravo 👏 👏

[@mekkiadam5584]

Proud of you as a Sudanese

[@albertjose8879]

rooting for her!!!

[@philippinesunfiltered421]

Awesome 👏

[@SMDH.2204]

This sistah is killing it

[@missy217]

I've seen these ads for incredible health.... Hmm interesting to know more about the company

[@maxgreen8901]

HCA doesn't pay their employees well or treat them great so I would really be skeptical about this.

[@duhatsayo139]

Any links?

[@soccerwagsgfo]

Please don't try to embellish this idea. This is just a basic recruitment company for health workers. There are loads of them

[@soccerwagsgfo]

@@ot4625 I see that you are new to startups. This is a paid advert. There are a dime and a dozen

[@yousifhela]

Finally a sister from Sudan very proud of you ❤️👍

[@aferak145]

This only works for nurses who are looking for jobs in the specialty they are already in. For those nurses who are looking to change specialty this system may become a road block….

[@artofexistance]

Software will change/update with new features as market demands pile up

[@wiggleroom6847]

Love.

[@hommeboygregory]

Brown skinned woman + Billionaire headline = instant view from me! 🤍

[@not-even-german4892]

Elisabeth Holmes like wait a minute 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Coopercaroline2000]

Wow!

[@googleuser5946]

👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿well done sister

[@EricRn218]

Doctors will complain about staffing hospital administrators would say dang what have finally staffed unit... Just enough staff that the unit isn't actually going to burn down... I feel there are many who are fine with fires, just not growing ones

[@lRod0j0]

Employers apply to the applicants? Woah.

[@thetruthsayer8347]

Then want to pay them peanuts

[@chiboymarcel527]

I know that there are still lots of things to be improved in the health cere with the aid of technology

[@maurreese]

Yes!!!👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿

[@joshuasyrtash860]

Smart!!

[@khez_]

BIG BOSS!!!

[@netrowex]

Big up!

[@mavic2175]

So basically a nurse agency but run by doctors, who probably pocket more for themselves.

[@BZeeLife]

Ok Forbes, WHY, why so low audio?

[@MalluStyleMultiMedia]

Wow .. A medical doctor An Entrepreneur Uff 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥👍👍👍 she’s a smart and good looking woman

[@thowaibaelradi6759]

This is what a kandaka is. Strong, smart and beautiful.

[@aravindkrishnan6235]

Go Wharton alumni!

[@jumbomuffin1316]

Soooo when’s the IPO?

[@inerit5175]

Let's do it my African sister!

[@JupitersArtCafe]

Another layer of billing taken from the nurse's pay

[@CristMakhanya]

Recruitment agency?

[@Wulfcry]

If I'm guessing right hospitals in the U.S unlikely to hold employers long-term so cost saving is needed. Cost savings is a worldwide problem in the health sector, There are plenty of experienced nurses to fill jobs but hospitals won't hold them for long-term. Recruitment gives access to fill positions while being flexible to fulfill other hospitals as well if needed. But like Covid has proven capacity and training can be problematic.

[@tmobiletemp9832]

Bravo . Black lady shinning . Hallelujah

[@thowaibaelradi6759]

She is Muslim ☪️.

[@jvjv9241]

Can't understand how her business runs. Can anyone simplify it? Much appreciated. This topic is very interesting.

[@juzzie3178]

is there anything like this in Australia?

[@factsdc3719]

Ha! Over worked and under appreciated is an understatement !!

[@vincentorlando6767]

Many staffing software systems do this????

[@duhatsayo139]

Yes a bunch. But this is unicorn, maybe well funded by silicon valley.

[@joyceak9064]

Beauty and brains 😍

[@lydialaurian4734]

This is what we call beauty with brain

[@itzAvlbe828]

So what’s the stock calledv

[@seunelesaodo9144]

Smart and beautiful!

[@roktoprobal9505]

I urge Incredible Health to open a office or branch in Bangladesh. A lot of US Tech based medical service companies are now targeting to start business operations in Bangladesh. Some are even running their business very successfully. Not only will Bangladesh be a lucrative and opportunistic market, but you will also get a lot of sincere, talented and dynamic people willing to serve your company at reduced and lower costs.

[@raytheo4258]

oh yea she's gonna go far

[@APAstronaut333]

How many turtle shells does this save

[@deloresboudreaux2755]

We must take risks, go for it.

[@Gazo79]

Love that she is working to improve health care workers live. but recruitment agency. Not really revolutionary. Let me guess they call themselves a tech firm 🙄

[@wittenberg5]

The difference between a regular recruitment agency that has human recruiters on the phones reaching out to clients vs her firm is similar to the difference between a librarian and Google. Massive advantages of scalability when you use algorithms and software instead of humans. A human recruiter can only interview 10-20 candidates per day, but an algorithm can match an unlimited number of candidates everyday.

[@PassportGods]

@@wittenberg5 tell em!

[@donnab.333]

Yes. I was thinking like the CARE website for babysitters, etc., i.e a tech firm.

[@MrDdub619]

She not improving THEIR lives. If anything she doing the opposite. She is improving her life and recruiter lives.

[@freespiritdamsel]

Can u spread this to the UK?

[@okatribe806]

So LinkedIn for nurses?

[@user-zm9dn9qi6r]

We need more vedios for you, eman please🥺

[@Just_Allah19]

What's the ticker for this company, and are they public? I'm trying to invest!

[@kind2423]

Yes me too

[@Itsmejabs]

How can I replace same business model?