2018 Startups to Watch: Bardavon takes action in dysfunctional health care system

Editor’s note: Startland News selected the top Kansas City firms to spotlight for its annual Startups to Watch list. The following is one of 2018’s companies. To view the full, ranked list of Startups to Watch, click here.

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Matt Condon is no Shakespeare, he said.

But one quote from William Shakespeare’s Henry VIII has always stuck with Condon as a guiding principle for his leadership at Bardavon Health Innovations.

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Top Startups to Watch in 2018

1) Plexpod
   2) PayIt
   3) Bardavon
   4) Rx Savings Solutions
   5) Swell Spark
   6) Mycroft
   7) Super Dispatch
   8) Made in KC
   9) RFP365
   10) Ruby Jean’s Juicery (tie)
   10) Cambrian (tie)

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“And yet, words are not deeds,” recited Condon, CEO of Bardavon, whose namesake dervies itself from Shakespeare’s nickname as the Bard of Avon. “Leaders lead with actions. We all talk, talk, talk. Health care is rocked with talkers but not enough people actually doing stuff to improve it. That quote, which I have above my desk, has always been one that’s been a guidepost for me as a leader. Don’t just talk about it. Get something done.”

That action-oriented approach has yielded tremendous growth for Overland Park-based Bardavon, a health tech firm that’s aiming to transform how companies manage worker’s compensation.

Since its founding, the firm has undergone a series of evolutions, Condon said. The firm began in 2013 with a data analytics offering — Bardavon Insights — that provides employers more vision into their worker’s compensation decisions. That’s now been married with additional products to help health professionals better communicate on claims, track patient progress and evaluate health providers.

Such a comprehensive approach has allowed revenue to be nearly quadrupled each year for the past two years at Bardavon. It also resulted in a swelling team, which in five years has grown from a handful of staffers to now 85 employees.

The breadth and depth of Bardavon’s analytics offering — when paired with its reporting an assessment tools — provide customers with unparalleled insights, Condon said.

“We’re understanding at a greater level every day how important executable strategies on employee health are and the impact it has on a company,” Condon said. “We work with some really large employers that understand healthcare costs aren’t just about the expense they see. It’s about culture. It’s about productivity, environment and profitability. So by taking these new strategies, that gives them not just a view into what and where they’re spending, but also gives them guidance on how they should shift and change to get a better value out of that spend.”

Condon added that the nation’s challenged health care system has also helped the firm grow.

“We continue to have a really dysfunctional health care system,” Condon said. “People are willing to look to new solutions to try to fix it. So there’s an appetite.”

Condon, who recently was elected chair of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, said that Kansas City has been a springboard for Bardavon. The health tech community has been keen to share guidance, fueling Bardavon on its ambitious national expansion effort, Condon said.

“I’m really excited that yet another meaningful, disruptive healthcare technology company is being birthed here in Kansas City,” Condon said. “I’m thankful for the healthcare leaders in this community and the ways they’ve reached out to partner with us. … We’ve been embraced by the healthcare tech community and it’s certainly enhanced Bardavon growth and strengthened our belief that this is the right city to do it from.”