When his mentor died from undiagnosed diabetes, Justin Bellante wondered if a $25 test could have made a difference. Exploring how to offer home-testing options as in a Netflix-inspired model led to the 2005 creation of the Atlanta-based biotech company BioIQ.
“We built Netflix for healthcare,” said Bellante, the co-founder and CEO. “We shipped diagnostics to people’s homes where they can prick a finger to collect blood or send a urine sample back through the mail. From there, we pivoted to working with employers. Then we saw people wanting care in person but with convenient hours, maybe at a retail center or work site. We can connect them with a variety of delivery models for about 40 routine tests.”
BioIQ is the 2020 Inno Blazer in the Health category of Atlanta Inno’s 50 on Fire Awards.
When Covid-19 hit, the company was well-established with a geographic network of laboratories conducting various tests. “We had the capacity and the technology platforms, and we deployed that to critical care and food plant workers who needed testing,” said Bellante. “Now we’re expanding to the workforce.”
Todd Creech, a partner with HealthQuest Capital, said his venture capital fund invested in BioIQ two years ago, and “re-upped” again last year.
“Their platform aggregates and integrates multiple partners and tons of patient and lab data so more employers can manage employees’ health,” Creech said. “Now with Covid, employers can manage how to test and report results. [BioIQ] has been able to pivot because they invested in this platform to help employers maintain a healthy environment, and their growth has exploded because they can support a testing environment that needs real-time results.”