January 27, 2023

Detangling the Data Crush: Jordan Engbers and Christine Lorenz of Cohesic | Episode 7 of Twist of Fate

Jordan Engbers, PhD and Christine Lorenz, PhD are the CEO and COO of medical technology firm Cohesic. Their products essentially standardize how medical data is collected, organized, and used to drive better decision making. They open up to podcast host Douglas Younger III on Twist of Fate about their journey and talk about what motivated them to make a career leap. 

Jordan Engbers, PhD and Christine Lorenz, PhD are the CEO and COO of medical technology firm Cohesic. Their products essentially standardize how medical data is collected, organized, and used to drive better decision making. They open up to podcast host Douglas Younger III on Twist of Fate about their journey and talk about what motivated them to make a career leap. 

Better Data, Better Decisions 

Practically every industry today has fallen under the spell of Big Data. With so much information available, technology has promised to sort through it all, tease out the relevant details, and then give people the means to make stronger decisions. The reality is much less clear-cut than this simplified version of events, and the medical field is no exception. 

Even as medical care improves, it’s patchy at best. Some doctors eschew modern conveniences for any number of reasons. Even as people live longer, their overall quality of life isn’t necessarily improving. Those extra years often just leave more time for comorbidities to develop, further muddying the diagnostic waters. Cohesic promises to help medical professionals get the information needed to drive patient care, so patients are more likely to take an active interest in their health. 

Getting Started 

Data and decisions ultimately go hand-in-hand. Both Engers and Lorenz were fascinated by how people made choices, particularly if they were inundated with information beforehand. Sad to say, but some doctors are prone to turn a blind ear to it all. They were convinced that studying the underlying psychology was the best way to change things with their products. 

Jordan didn’t consider himself an entrepreneur, though he had been long been a go-getter in his professional life. As for Christine, she gave up tenure because she had an itch to do more with her talents than write papers and apply for grants. Her background allowed her to connect business and academia that would have been difficult for an outsider to do. 

Host Douglas points out that AI is a tricky topic in the medical community, as robotics can make people question the quality of care they’re receiving. Cohesic is designed to supplement what doctors already know, incorporating everything from patient input to family history in their treatment plans. 

Of course, medical history wasn’t the only challenge to getting their idea off the ground. Much of their work in the beginning was figuring out how to appeal to everyone from hospitals to venture capitalists.

Tips for Entrepreneurs 

It’s worth pointing out that Cohesic’s story isn’t necessarily typical. These entrepreneurs were somewhat unique after enrolling at a program at Creative Destruction Labs (CDL), where they would learn the ins and outs of fundraising and business development. However, they learned a lot about what really gets them out of bed in the morning. 

The fun to non-fun ratio is how Christine has come to define her career. For the most part, she’s always at 70+ when it comes to fun (meaning 70% fun, 30% not-so-fun), and says that anywhere near 50% is nearing the danger zone. Her personal ratio allows her to push through challenges of fund-raising and pitching because she genuinely believes in what she’s trying to do. 

Jordan fundamentally agrees. While he struggles a bit with defining the potential of the products in relation to the larger business, these are somewhat negligible concerns when you apply Cohesic to the medical community at large. It’s rarely easy to move forward with investors, but it’s easier when you have the background and the results to back up your claims. 

Today, they stress how important it is for entrepreneurs to find a goal that’s personal to them. It’s the passion that bridges the gap and makes all those endless hours worth the pain. For Jordan and Christine, they wanted to make an impact in the larger world, and few things could be more impactful than helping people live not just longer lives, but better lives. 

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