Latest / Serious Lady Business / Detroit Series: Building What Matters in the Midwest— How BedConnect’s Lindsay A. Joseph Is Proving You Don’t Have to Leave Michigan to Build Greatness

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Detroit Series: Building What Matters in the Midwest— How BedConnect’s Lindsay A. Joseph Is Proving You Don’t Have to Leave Michigan to Build Greatness · Serious Lady Business

• Leslie Youngblood (00:01) Welcome back to Serious Lady Business. I'm Leslie Youngblood, your host, feminist and founder of Youngblood MMC, a marketing media and content agency. Today, I would like you to meet Lindsay Joseph. Lindsay is a CPA and also co-founder and CEO of BedConnect, where she's rethinking how hospitals move patients through care with smarter, more transparent discharge workflows. A former hospital CFO and PWC healthcare consultant. She's lived the system from the inside and is building solutions that make care transitions faster, safer, and more equitable. Lindsay is also the co-founder of Found Hers, MedTech entrepreneur circle, a curated network supporting women founders in healthcare technology. She serves on the board of the Detroit Historical Society and actively advises early stage digital health startups. We are so thrilled to have you here, Lindsay. Welcome to Serious Lady Business. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (00:57) Thank you so much, Leslie. I am so happy to be here. Leslie Youngblood (01:00) Yes, we are talking building what matters in the Midwest. And you made the choice to build BedConnect here in Metro Detroit. Why was that important for you to build this company here instead of exploring a traditional coastal tech hub? Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (01:15) So our co-founders are actually on the coast and it was something important to me, not only because I was born and raised here, I see the potential in Michigan and growing up here, a lot of the focus has always been about automotive, but I knew that we had an opportunity to truly diversify what Michigan offers. And so I wanted to prove to them that we could build a tech startup in Michigan, we could raise money in Michigan. And that's what we've done. So it was very intentional on our part to make sure that we were headquartered and were building in Michigan. Leslie Youngblood (01:51) I think Detroit has such a unique history. You mentioned the auto industry, but in our healthcare systems, we have these legacy institutions. How has that influenced how you think about the innovation impact? Because you also were on the inside for many years in the healthcare system. So tell us a little bit about that too. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (02:12) So when I was a consultant with PwC, was interesting going across the country and seeing all different types of health systems, whether it was large nationally recognized systems or small rural community hospitals. And everybody wants to do the right thing for the patient. And unfortunately, the systems that we are a part of makes it difficult for that innovation to happen organically. So when we start to build by connect and we started to say, okay, yes, Michigan, of course we're gonna build here. But when we look at Michigan's history within healthcare, we're talking about building the first mechanical heart, right? That was Detroit. Yeah, that was Detroit in collaboration with GM. So we talk about that, we talk about creating vaccines, know, the flu vaccine in the 40s, that was University of Michigan product. Like these are things that Leslie Youngblood (02:54) What? Wow We Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (03:10) Michigan has more than cars, more than automotive. And so when you look at that history and you want to be part of that legacy, we have incredible health systems. They're nationally recognized all right here in Michigan. And so this is the right hub spot. We also have innovation funds coming out of these health systems that are saying we want to be a part of innovation in our health systems and to serve in our community. So you see the shift happening where innovation is more open, it's in the conversations, and now it's really getting that opportunity to break into healthcare where trying to break into that system can be a little difficult. So the sales cycle, because we're not, and I said this on an AI panel, you can't beta test someone's life. So that's where there's a level of caution. that will always be present when it comes to innovation in healthcare. But we see these health systems actually investing in innovations, technologies, solutions to help not only the patients, but also the clinicians, the operators, et cetera. Leslie Youngblood (04:21) Yeah, that is so true. Yeah, AI, can't beta test a life. mean, that hits. I mean, that's all right. You need to say right there. And I think I would, you you've traveled the world with the health or, you know, with the United States and the healthcare system. You have co-founders that are based on the coast. I'm sure that Detroit isn't like the city that like people. Think first when it comes to innovation or having this blossoming tech scene. And I would love to hear what you've heard, what you've experienced, and how you respond to that narrative as a founder. Because I mean, I think people still sleep on Detroit in general, let alone when it comes to this incredible tech startup community that we have here, and that is continuing to grow. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (04:54) Thank you. Yeah, so when you actually look at Detroit as its own ecosystem and then Michigan as a whole, definitely over the past decade, there's been an intentional movement towards startup life, whether it's tech, manufacturing, et cetera. Michigan is still known as a manufacturing hub. So when you think about different types of products, we're talking about drone manufacturing, and incredible startup motor motors, they are doing ⁓ unique motor creations. Those are the more typical type of startups that you're hearing, manufacturing based. When you hear about technology, you're right, we are not first of mind, but we have world leading universities. We have a workforce that is built on hard work and values. So this is something where we may be slept on. Leslie Youngblood (05:54) Mmm. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (05:58) The past decade or so is we're trying to improve it. But when you look at what the state of Michigan is doing, a $60 million investment in entrepreneurship, in startups, this is something where it's not just a homegrown type of growth and investment. We're talking about at a state level saying we are supporting our entrepreneurs. We are having that field. yep, I sometimes don't even look at myself as a tech founder. I look at myself as a healthcare. Leslie Youngblood (06:13) Thank Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (06:28) founder, but that is something where we have the skillset, have the talent, we have the ideas. We're just not as flashy as the coast. And that's okay because we have our own values that we have our own persona. And it's something where when we talk about trying to imitate the coast, I push back on that a lot and I say, we have to have our own playbook. We have to have our own reputation. Leslie Youngblood (06:29) more. Mmm. right. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (06:55) And when you look at companies that have been built in the Midwest, not just Michigan, but in the Midwest, you're talking about staying power companies. You're talking about companies that have longevity, that aren't just a poof in the night. This is something that, yes, you have the talent, you have the innovation, and you have longevity. I don't know what else you could be looking for. So. Leslie Youngblood (07:15) Yeah, 100%. Do you think that there's an area where there's still opportunity for us to grow in all the good things that we've done? What's your perspective on that? Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (07:27) absolutely. When we talk about the Midwest playbook, we're still half-cooked ⁓ because we're still trying to find our own identity. And like I said, Michigan has done an incredible job investing in building entrepreneurs up. When we look at investment, raising capital, it is still a struggle. And so we have this push-pull between investors and between founders to say, this is what I need. And then you've got folks saying, well, this is what I want. Leslie Youngblood (07:32) Yeah. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (07:57) And so you have to really find that balance of what is our identity? What's our risk profile look like? When you look at the history of Michigan, yes, we have entrepreneurs in Michigan, but the majority of folks made money off of corporations, off of large businesses. So when you're talking about folks who are now getting out of their careers and want to invest, we're talking about two different perspectives of folks who Leslie Youngblood (07:57) Mmm. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (08:26) maybe trying to hustle and grind and start from the bottom up versus, ⁓ you know, making money in a corporate way. And there's nothing wrong with the other but you're talking about two different experience sites. And so finding that middle ground is really important, not just from a, you know, folks from that arena investing into, you know, startups. But when we actually look at the venture capital groups to ⁓ what are they looking for out of founders? What are founders actually saying? Well, you're missing out on this piece. So how do we find that middle ground for everybody? Leslie Youngblood (08:59) Yes, what an incredible observation. And I do recall seeing something recently where was the capital investments in the Midwest were exponentially lower, obviously, than the coast. And do you think that's part of it? And so to me, you know, from looking and I'm like, well, why is it just because we're in the Midwest? But I think that is so interesting and nuanced where you have these. legacy individuals that their way that they did business was a completely different structure when they made their money. And then they're coming into and want to be a part of it. But they're trying to navigate something new or it's foreign to them and they're learning, too. And so there is, you know, it just makes sense that there's a bit of that lag in that way. And so I never thought about that. I but I feel like that's a great segue to to the capital game. Right. And going out and seeking funding and tell us a little bit about your experience. with investors and those conversations that you've had here in Detroit. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (09:55) Woof! It was a journey. ⁓ Grateful I went through it. And again, that comes back to me saying it can be done. And one person in my life had told me a little while ago, like, I would never bet against you. And I appreciate that. But our race journey was very unique. ⁓ We look at Our co-founders are seasoned entrepreneurs. And so I had a level of confidence that maybe most first-time founders don't have. Additionally, my background is a CFO and CPA. I know numbers. I've done big contracts. I've done deals. So again, this is something where looking at it, I approached my raise differently than I think most do. Additionally, I'm going to always say bootstrapping is king. I always encouraged bootstrapping as much as you can. I was very fortunate. I made money in my corporate life. I climbed the ladder. I made money. I socked it away. Countless vacations I didn't go on type of a thing. And so that's what funded Bed Connect at first was money out of our own pockets. And that was something that was important to us because it gave us a level of, I don't want say, I don't want to say not desperation. because we weren't desperate. It was a level of confidence to say, we can walk away. We don't need to take terms that don't line up with what we're envisioning. definitely, my approach to raising was probably different than most. It was non-traditional, which is okay. It did lead to a longer raise. We took around 18 months to raise our full $2 million. Could have been done a lot quicker. We walked away from some really large checks. Leslie Youngblood (11:22) you Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (11:50) that did not align with our vision, our values, and our next steps. know, circling back, there's this gap between what VCs are looking for versus what the founders are looking for versus the education of folks. We have a lot of people saying, you know, they want ⁓ YC Combinator type valuations when you have a deck. And those are things where there's a gap in education and Leslie Youngblood (11:50) Wow. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (12:19) both sides of the house, both the investor side and the founder side can use with a little more education on themselves so that when they go into these conversations, we're not starting at two completely different sides. So it was a long journey. It was very, very good though. 80 % of all of our funds came from the Midwest, 70 % came from Michigan, and the majority of our investments came from women. Leslie Youngblood (12:32) Mm-hmm. Thank you. ⁓ Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (12:47) our first investors, women, and our last investor, women. So this is something that was very, very powerful for us to is to see that support within our own community to raise up because statistically, women do not fund as much. And this is something that is actually changing and where women are being more intentional to say, we are savvy, we are investors, we do know business, why shouldn't we be investing as well? Leslie Youngblood (13:17) Yes, I love that. think that's incredible. And I think for you too, as a female founder and you're working with co-founders, Lindsey, tell us, like walk us back to, and I really want you to share what Bad Connect does because it is so important and so powerful and so needed. And so I love to hear that women invested because it's like, I just think that that speaks to, you know, our intuition about a great idea and how important health is in community in all those things, right? in trying in any way small or big to fix a broken system. And I know that was the impetus for you starting BedConnect, but walk us back and tell us when did you first have the idea? Because you were a CPA, like you said, you were a numbers person and you were in the SaaS world. And so tell us a little bit about what that journey looked like for you before you had to start to raise to bring this to life, even just the idea and then connecting with your co-founders. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (14:16) Yeah, so it was, you know, I always have CK by licensure, which is great. I don't do taxes. So folks, you know, don't don't reach out for that. I went into PwC, you know, and eventually transition into their national advisory group. That was something that got me. Leslie Youngblood (14:27) He's busy anyway. He's too busy. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (14:41) good exposure to technology and whether it was through actual Oracle, ⁓ Workday, ⁓ Kronos, those types of implementations versus us using tools to help clients rationalize data faster, find opportunities. That was my first exposure and so I was always looking to find ways to use technology to help ⁓ drive more efficiencies or to operationalize some of those visions that we had. When I left consulting and went into industry, that's where I got my real exposure. So when you're a consultant and you haven't had that behind the desk, this is my day-to-day responsibility, you can approach concepts in a very different way. When you're actually behind the desk and you're in the hospital and you're rounding on patients and you're seeing how strapped in everybody is and you know, the day to day actually having to tell patients that you're not able to go home or having to reveal diagnoses that folks aren't fully prepared for. Those are real life things. This is not just a business model. And so in that experience in the industry of following case management and learning about ⁓ case management, social work discharge, putting that rolled up to the CFO in my health system. Leslie Youngblood (15:53) dream. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (16:09) And so was exposed to that and to their challenges when we look at making sure patients aren't having to stay in the hospital longer than necessary. When we're trying to find the right placement, know, it, are we able to wait for the right placement or are we just going to the first place that says, those are all different things that have to be taken into consideration. And as I mentioned earlier, everyone is trying to do the right thing. We want to serve the patients and at times you're just a part of this system that isn't really giving you the opportunity to take your head up out of the weeds and actually say, can we fix this for the better? And so, you know, in my exposure to case management discharge planning and seeing the challenges that folks had and patients and their families, not only from a professional perspective, but from a personal perspective as well, going through that. It's devastating. You're talking to people in their most vulnerable states and saying, we got to go find your place, like time to go to your next site of care. And so that was really the impetus. My co-founder, Dr. Nekizi Yell, fellowship trained geriatrician and licensed nursing home administrator, when he and I actually sat down to discuss my acute care side and his post-acute care side to say, why are we so broken? Why can we not work? better together. You know, we really mapped out what that should look like. And we met our other co-founders to just, it was Kismet through one of our advisory board members, and they loved the idea. They've experienced it. When I talk to people, so over 70 % of our investors have all experienced the problem that we're solving for. And that speaks volumes about how broken the system is when it comes to this process. And so We wanted to solve it. We wanted to represent not only the hospital side, the post-acute care side, but also make sure that the patient was at the center, making sure people were going to the right side of care, reducing readmissions. All of that plays in together. So BedConnect is a reservation tool, one-to-one matching. We match on key criteria that brings up the post-acute that says that they can handle that level of care. And we allow for the post-acutes to reduce and remove all that noise and really represent themselves in that marketplace to patients that they are in network with their payer. They are able to clinically meet their needs. And so when you're actually having that one-to-one matching, it relieves a lot of the anxiety that goes into that process. So that's the story of BedConnect. It came and was born out of experience. Leslie Youngblood (18:31) Mm. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (19:01) So we build not only for the families and the patients, but we're building for the people whose seats we've sat in. We've sat in the hospital seat. We've sat in the post-acute care seat. We are representing and building for them as well as for the patient so that everybody is winning. Leslie Youngblood (19:19) Yeah, it's so special and again, so important and needed. And I think that that is one of the coolest things is when so many of us experience problems or issues in our business or personal lives every day and you think you're the only one that that's frustrating for. And then when you're talking with other professionals that do similar work or, you know, adjacent, they're like, yeah, that is horrible. Someone needs to fix that. then and then you have the are we going to are we going to do it? We're gonna fix this together. Whoa, ⁓ Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (19:49) I'm sorry. Leslie Youngblood (19:52) happening. But I think, know, but that just goes to show where you're like, my gosh, yes, so many other people are experiencing this. I've experienced this. There must be something here. We have to pursue this. We have to follow this. And then when you have, you know, additional co-founders join up in, in, and you know, then you realize, okay, yes, like this is an important problem and we can solve this. We can do anything truly, right? That is exists in this world was because somebody had an idea for it and decided to solve a problem. ⁓ and so I think that is just so cool. And, and we know that Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (20:16) Yes. Leslie Youngblood (20:22) our healthcare system in this country is broken and there's so much that will go into fixing all the things but to be able to solve for this important thing is a step in the right direction and I think is so powerful. And so when you guys started, you you agreed, okay, we're doing this. Were you like, ⁓ I'm a tech founder now. Tell us about that identity shift for you, Lindsay. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (20:41) Thank you. It was a big shift. It is something I'm having fun. And so I've always, yes, I've always said I'm not a spreadsheet leader. I'm not somebody that numbers drives everything. If you're actually going to make changes, you have to know what's taking place in operations. You have to shadow, you have to see. So to build something from the ground up, to do the customer discovery. to talk to people every day who are living this, get their feedback and their perspective. It was like a balm for my soul. was truly, you know, I've always said I wanted to be a CEO of something. I'm going to be a CEO. It's like, well, what are you going to be a CEO of? I have no clue, but that's I'm going to do. And now it's not the title, it's the experience. Because right now, sure, I'm CEO, but I'm CEO of a startup. And that is I'm the intern. I'm the CEO. Thank God I'm not the CFO. I do have a CFO, but you know, I'm every single role you can think of at the moment, along with my team. And so the time was not really the thing that matters. It's the exposure. So, you know, this past weekend, I've never touched code before in my life. And I go, I want to try this out. So I went to a build an app day up in Traverse City, Michigan. And it was one of those most empowering incredible things. I built an app and my intern is sitting next to me and hearing me go, let's go. Every single time something worked. But that's the part is this is my company. It's myself, my co-founders, but we're making something come to life and we're making doing the right thing, the easiest thing to do. So every day and every single moment that I'm taking, whether it's I'm going to go do sales or whether I'm having to do the marketing or Leslie Youngblood (22:17) Wow. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (22:43) You know, again, intern, and now I do have an intern, but all of those different moments all add up to the fact that we're serving our mission and that means everything in the world. And so when you're doing that, I always laugh when people go, ⁓ you know, do something you love because it will never feel like work. Yeah, I'm actually, feel that. I understand that phrase now because of the fact that every day is different, which I need that. I can't have monotony. Leslie Youngblood (22:54) Mm-hmm. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (23:09) But every day being different, but every day is driving towards our end mission. And that's something that was incredibly important to me. Leslie Youngblood (23:17) Yeah, I love that you went to this coding event up in Traverse City because again, I think that speaks to whether you're in Detroit, whether you're in Silicon Valley, whether you're in the middle of nowhere, wherever you're located, there are these opportunities that can help you learn more about tech. If you have an idea, there's even going to be there's a aqua hacking through aqua action. And it's all about helping bring even just napkin ideas to life. And there are these opportunities. opportunities within every city. Now, while you know you might not be in the major hub, there are still opportunities for you and that you took it upon yourself to go up there and learn about that. really fully understand the nuances because again, that makes you a better leader when you understand coding, when you have, you when you've swept the floors at a restaurant and then you, you know, ascend and, right. And because you understand what truly goes into all the parts that make something possible. And it's not easy. Like you said, like, I'm sure there's been many challenges along the way. Is there, ⁓ like, was there a challenge that you feel? Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (24:08) Thank Thank Leslie Youngblood (24:27) the most ⁓ proud of accomplishing together were through developing BedConnect, Lindsay, was there a moment, was there, you know, ⁓ heck yes moment or was there something that you're like, I wish I knew that throughout your journey? Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (24:40) give my co-founders a lot of credit of a lot of the common mistakes that first-time founders make. Thankfully, I had seasoned folks behind me who were always looking out. And I think my biggest moment of pride has been when Bed, Can't Find, Live. Creating something from the ground up. mean, literally whiteboarded into something with the ground up with, with. you know, our chief technologists, requirements and mapping out and having a whole different lexicon between business operations and developers. Our developers are fantastic. All of those things lining up and that journey along the way. And, you know, I'm a very impatient person. I've had to learn patience, but when it finally came to life, that was something that was my, ⁓ moment. This is incredible. It works. But this is going to change lives. It's going to change operations. It's going to do so much. And then that reality of great, you have something that works. Now where are your users? Where are we coming in to support that? How are you going to make this your full time job? So I did not quit my other job until we had enough traction where we knew a client would be going live. Leslie Youngblood (25:51) Yeah. Yeah. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (26:04) where I needed to be 100 % fully all of my time in. But that moment, that moment of go live meant everything in the world and I hold onto that. every now, every time a reservation goes through by connect from our hospital clients to our post-acute, it is like mini fireworks going on inside of me. I love it. It is a thrill that I will never get tired of. So every time that there's a notification that a reservation went through, I'm like, yes, this is great. So we've now gone from live to in action in the market and every day is truly a celebration. Leslie Youngblood (26:30) I it. Yes, I think there's two things there that I would love to dive into with you. One is that you didn't quit your job, like right away to just go full time into the startup. And I think a lot of times people may think, do I have to quit my job to focus on this? Or how am I going to bring this to life when I have this other job? And you were successfully able to do that. So tell us a little bit more about that decision to stay with your job as you were building BedConnect. And then I'll go into the second question after. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (27:11) My journey is not going to be the right journey for everybody. Also, with my CPA CFO background, I'm much more conservative fiscally than I think a lot of other folks. I grew up in corporate world. So actually leaving the comfort of what I knew and diving into FedConnect full time and taking this risk robot. A, I couldn't do it without the support of my family. But B, Leslie Youngblood (27:22) you Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (27:42) It was something that I had to contemplate for quite some time. I think Bike Connect could be probably around six to eight months ⁓ further along had I left earlier, but I wasn't ready. And that was something where, yes, I did officially have to take that dive and make the jump, but I had to mentally be prepared for this because this is now on my shoulders. Not only am I responsible for my own money, my co-founders, but now investors and customers. and people who are coming up and saying, we need this change. So all of those different pieces had to all come together for me to say, it is the time. So other folks go all in and have a higher risk tolerance than maybe I did in the beginning. But now I wouldn't trade my pathway. I don't regret anything at all. I had to take that pathway. So it was hard. You're working two full time jobs. Leslie Youngblood (28:26) Thank Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (28:40) And that was something that took a lot out of me health-wise, balance-wise, but the folks who were around me, my friends, my family, driving that support, again, I could not have done it without them. Leslie Youngblood (28:54) Yeah, yeah, I think that's that's great. And again, like you said, somebody else's journey may be different. They may be more risky or be able to figure that out. But again, I think that's important is that you waited until you were ready. And so for anybody listening that feels nervous and doesn't feel like you're ready, then you're not ready because you'll know when you're ready and it'll all work out. And so the second thing that you mentioned and that I think is so poignant that many people don't realize is you built the product and you launched it and you people may think and now hooray. But like it's really just the beginning just because it's like now it's like now you go into the real real like things because like you said the users and in selling and on then things may break and we get bugs and it's like do you think you can relax and exhale or somebody's built something and wow amazing but it's like oh no no the fun is only just beginning really from that from that area so tell us about that. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (29:25) you you Leslie Youngblood (29:53) it. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (29:54) I don't know if I've ever relaxed and exhaled. ⁓ So this is something where every, it's very funny because after I achieve anything big, there's always someone that goes, now the real work starts. And so I laugh because it's all real work. It's just, you can say you're climbing in this journey and not every single step is going to be up, right? There are going to be steps that you're taking sideways, backwards, et cetera. So. Leslie Youngblood (30:07) Hmm... Hmm... Yeah... Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (30:22) But to your point, it was, yes, this is great. But now we just sunk a couple hundred thousand dollars of our own money into something. So now what? And I'm not saying that we built it and then, you know, we did. Obviously, we're working in parallel trying to find customers, investors, etc. But this was something where it is true. Now the real work starts, but it's all real work. And so there's a different pressure. Building something and having it come to life is one pressure. Selling to customers and getting actual buy-in, that's another pressure. Selling to investors, that's another pressure. So it's how you approach it, who your audience is in that moment. But as I said, every single day is different. Every single person I talk to is different. And that journey is going to be different for every single person. Embrace it. One of the things my co-founder always says, have fun, just have fun. And if you take it too seriously and it stops being fun, then you have to reflect on yourself. And so that is when things get tough or when the pressure starts starting to build, I do reflect and I go, I am having fun. Who do I have to report to myself? Right? My investors, my board, my dogs barking in the background constantly. But in reality, Leslie Youngblood (31:27) Mm-hmm. I'm having fun. I'm having fun. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (31:46) But that is what that is. It's a reminder of you have a freedom that most people dream about. So if you can accept this as yes, there will always be days where, you know, it's a challenge. But if you are not having fun as a whole, then it's time to really reflect on your approach ⁓ to how you're going to be running your business. Leslie Youngblood (31:52) Mm. That's fantastic advice. And you are not not busy ever. I would imagine you're a visible leader for women in health care and tech, as well as doing Bad Connect. You're on the board of advisors for the Detroit Historical Society. How important is that to you to build and lead visibly here in Michigan? Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (32:32) incredibly important. I don't know how to say it. It is when people ask me to go talk to students. Absolutely. I will find time to go talk to students. When people say I'm starting a business. Can I pick your ear on something? Absolutely. There is a lot of folks who go, you know, I learned not to say yes to everything. Great. We're in two different spots in life and I am only here today because people took a chance on me and I took a chance on myself and I had folks lift me up and open doors and whether it was listening to me or providing guidance, that can change someone's life. So for me, helping out people, if they reach out, if they want to pick my brain, if they're saying, hey, I have this connection in the hospital, I'd love to introduce you to, all of that comes around. And so if we're not focused on uplifting each other, then that is how the community dies. Leslie Youngblood (33:29) Mmm. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (33:29) So one, know, doing founders is very important. It's a safe, small, curated group. It was for women who are in all different stages of our businesses, but it's not competitive. We all tell each other about the same pitch competitions, about different opportunities, or this this investor I want to introduce you to. When you have a community of women who are uplifting you. And you know you can be vulnerable with if you're having a tough day or I'm having trouble prioritizing, can you guys provide some guidance on these things? That's a community. And we as humans need community. We as women need community. So that's been something that's incredibly important. And the Detroit Historical Society, I wanted to be a history teacher when I was younger. And so when I was actually invited to join the Leslie Youngblood (34:00) Yeah. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (34:28) the Detroit Historical Society board. I'm like, yes, I finally, like this is the, was told history, I go, I was told history is a hobby, not a professional. Great, I'm gonna make this where this board experience is gonna be everything. So if we don't learn from history, if we do not preserve history while it is being made, if we're not documenting history while it is being made, then we forget it. And so Detroit, Leslie Youngblood (34:34) You're right! Mmm. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (34:56) is on a precipice of continuous redefining who we are, what we do, where are spaces in the entire country and on the world stage. And so when we look at Michigan, when we look at history, this is it. And I wanna give another shout out to the state of Michigan, not only investing $60 million into entrepreneurship, but they came up with a program called Pitch Me. and it is the largest pitch competition in the country. And so in April of this year, April 7th, 2026, ⁓ it's a million dollar prize. And myself and three other great founders are all competing for this. But when you talk about putting your money where your mouth is, we're not talking about someone with deep pockets. We're talking about the state of Michigan. Leslie Youngblood (35:26) Mmm. Wow. Wow. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (35:55) is saying that we believe in founders, we believe in business, we believe in entrepreneurship. Michigan is where companies can be built. That's history being made. This is history being made as we're speaking. So very excited about that, grateful for the opportunity, and it truly does all come full circle. Leslie Youngblood (36:16) my goodness, yes. My next question was, how do you think Detroit and Michigan uniquely prepares founders, especially women, to lead with both that grit and empathy? And I think Pitch Me is a great example of that, but I would love to hear more on your experience within that space. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (36:32) The Midwestern general is interesting and I'll quote my dad. He goes, no one will ever be able to outwork a Midwesterner. And I wholeheartedly believe that. But it's not just the hard work piece. It's something where when you look at the state of Michigan, we were one of the last to recover from the Great Recession, 08, 09. And when we look at the perceived brain drain and talent drain, we're actually Leslie Youngblood (36:40) Mmm. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (37:01) actively working to bring people back. We're actively working to keep people here. And so when you talk about, you know, how does the city of Detroit, how does Michigan actually prepare folks? There are so many different opportunities. You know, when we talk about the, you know, code an app in a day, great, that's one thing. When we talk about smart zones, every major city has a smart zone in which, you know, I participated in Ann Arbor's entrepreneurship bootcamp. When you talk about new lab, when you talk about the investments that are being made, not only on a state level and at corporate level with investors like Doug Song, you the first Michigan unicorn, these are people who are investing back into Michigan. But that mindset shift ⁓ has to take place. in an article that referenced a quote from Doug, when he goes to the coast after a sale, they go, what are you doing next? Who are you investing in next? When he came back to Michigan, it was, what kind of boat are you buying? And then that mindset, right? A lot of times in the Midwest or in Michigan and general, it's like, you made it, we're done, you can relax. That's when I say, I never exhale because there's always that next great thing. And that is something where we're hungry. I think that every single person that I've met in this startup ecosystem is hungry. Leslie Youngblood (38:14) Mm. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (38:23) not only for the success, but to prove something. So when you have that underdog, Detroit versus everybody, Michigan versus everybody, that's in our DNA. And until we prove to the rest of the world and to the rest of the country that we have just as much as anybody else, I think it's better to be a dog with a bone trying to make a name for ourselves. Leslie Youngblood (38:23) Mmm. Yes. Yeah, I agree. I think that is something so unique, like our mentality is so unique and it does make you fight a little harder, be more scrappy, not give up. that's not that not other places don't have that and other people and founders that come from other spaces don't have that. But it does really feel like that collective feeling here, especially like within Detroit and Michigan. And you just instantly have that kinship with other founders here as well that really, I think, creates this powerful Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (39:11) Hmm. Leslie Youngblood (39:19) powerful community and we're even more determined than ever to continue to push the narrative forward. And there's so many opportunities for Detroit to have that, know, where we will always be the motor city. But I think that it's been so interesting to see the evolution towards tech. And I recently talked with the founder of Aqua Action, and it's a Canadian nonprofit that's all about solving water. And they chose Detroit as their headquarters and the board of directors. she was crazy in choosing Detroit. When really if you look at it, we share a coastline with Canada right over the border. We are the Great Lakes state. It obviously makes sense. But even if all the facts can be aligned, people will still try to cut down Michigan and Detroit and undermine us. And so it's like every single person that believes in it and feels that feeling towards Detroit is part of the narrative pushing us forward. And we have so much here, the communities, the education, the events. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (39:59) you Leslie Youngblood (40:19) So that makes me like you were talking about pipeline and you know the younger generation coming up and you'll go and you'll talk to as many high school students or wherever you're invited because man I wish I had this when I was a teenager and trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life because maybe I wouldn't have left Michigan. I mean I boomeranged back to Michigan but there's so much opportunity there's so much happening here and it's so fantastic if you don't know you don't see it you can't be it and so I think the more we can get out there have these conversations Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (40:45) ⁓ Leslie Youngblood (40:49) that forward. My goodness, we won't have that brain drain. Like that we will have more people coming in and man isn't that what it's all about, right? Like it's really about the people driving, driving a community and driving a state and identity forward. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (40:52) Bye. Absolutely, absolutely. Leslie Youngblood (41:07) really, really, really special. Can you share a moment with us, Lindsay, maybe it was through a partnership that BedConnect made, or maybe it was a patient where you thought, wow, that's exactly why we built this. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (41:19) I'll give two examples. So one, a dear friend of mine called me up and his father-in-law had been discharged from a hospital and went to a post-acute and the post-acute ended up restraining his father-in-law for like eight hours. And it's because his father-in-law had dementia and the post-acute didn't have a lock-duty memory. And when he called me up and the emotional state, rightfully so, it's that reset moment of, you you want someone to direct your anger towards and you can't because it's the system as a whole. And so when I explained to him, yes, we'll jump in, we'll help out however we can. We'll get on the phone. was like Saturday early morning. Like, let's figure this out. But And I go to him and we're having a conversation, goes, this is why we need Dyconnect. And that moment gave me goosebumps just for the fact that, yeah, the hospital would have been able to search who is a locked in at MemoryCare who can provide skilled care and wound care, who has a bed available that meets all this criteria, not just who can take this patient as a network with a pair. That's a totally different mindset. Leslie Youngblood (42:40) and Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (42:43) And I told him, go, nobody on the hospital and nobody on the post-acute care end wanted that to happen. It's part of the systemic issues that are taking place of your father-in-law was there. He was medically ready to discharge. A place accepted him. And it happened. so, but that moment right there, it did. It gave me goosebumps. It exactly went right into the RY. And then the other, I'm not a sales person. And so sure, I've negotiated contracts, I've done all that jazz, whatever. But when we talk about sales, I'm not, I'm way too transparent. I'm a very radically transparent person. And so I go, here you go. This is the best deal that I can give you. That's it. I'm not the back and forth. Like some folks get a thrill out of that. I'm not. I just go, here it is. This is what it is. This is the why behind it. Join us or not. And Leslie Youngblood (43:34) Thank Yeah. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (43:41) I met one of our clients, actually one of my favorite clients because I met with their leader and he took the meeting out of a favor. Not because he was actually excited originally, but he took it as a favor. By the end of the conversation, he goes, wow, because you genuinely care. You genuinely care about the patient. You genuinely care about us being able to care for the community. He goes, I don't do this normally, but I will ... I'm going to refer you to someone else too. And we'll also bring you into our site. And so when I look at that, that speaks volumes because our mission is everything we live. live our mission every single day. And when people can see through that and yeah, I may have just gotten the meeting out of a favor, but the reality is by the end of it, it closed. We got them as a client and they referred us, which they never do to somebody else. And so when I look at that, that is who we are. We are here to serve. the hospitals, the post-acutes and the patients. And when we live that and we are genuine about our intentions, then the right things happen. And so that's, like I said, I'm not a salesperson. I genuinely believe in our mission. And when you see that, you see that passion come through, folks want to do the right thing. They want to serve in the community. So that's always my North Star every day. Leslie Youngblood (45:06) Yeah, I love that. What a testament to who you are as a leader to go into a place and to be able to convey that passion and to connect with the person you're sitting across from. And so I think, you know, of course, that's why you've been so successful. That's why you'll continue to be so successful with BedConnect. Tell us a little bit, Lindsay, what success looks like going forward with BedConnect. What's the vision for BedConnect as a whole and even within Detroit? Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (45:32) So our 2026 is to go live within Michigan and our Michigan hospital systems, also to launch our rural initiative within Michigan as well. So, you know, a lot of folks, when they think about healthcare, we're thinking about city centers. We're not thinking about out in the middle of, ⁓ you know, up north where no one's around and the nearest hospital is two hours away. And so we created two, distinct work streams, one for our urban center partners and one for our rural partners where both of them get to benefit. So our focus is to launch, have Michigan truly be the hub of FedConnect ⁓ and then also have it where we're continuing our expansion and our partnerships. So we have some incredible partnerships that are growing throughout the country. I want FedConnect As I mentioned earlier, we are trying to make doing the right thing the easiest thing to do. And so when we look at the status quo, when we look at the current state, and Dr. Nick always reminds me of this, he goes, you are upending not just one normal industry's process, you're upending two. And so he goes, don't expect people to be welcoming you with open arms because... Leslie Youngblood (46:47) Mmm. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (46:53) Who likes change? Not a lot of people like change. I was a change management consultant ⁓ in my past life and even I didn't like change. So when you think about what we're trying to do and that's why it's so important, our mission at our North Star and why we build with our clients, we don't build for them, we build with them. We take their feedback, we take their day to day, we round with them, we round in the hospitals, we round at the post-acute. We are not here just to sell a product and leave. You're having popcorn Wednesdays? Great. I want to be there on popcorn Wednesdays. You have a case manager who isn't fully understanding the new flow? Great. Let's go shadow with them and work with them and see their day to day as to why something may not be clicking with them. But that's something for us. 2026 is going to be a incredible year, lots of go lives. And while Bad Connect is with us, our mission is not going to change, our client focus is not going to change, we'll continue to expand, looking at different partnerships and surrounding ourselves with people who hold those same values. Because again, if I can open a door for somebody and they can open a door, or if we have synergies across our products, there's enough pie for everybody. And that's also something I think a lot of folks don't understand. Leslie Youngblood (48:14) Hmm. Yeah, why? Why is that like an old? Do you think that's an old school or maybe a patriarchal mentality, Lindsey? Because I agree with you. I'm very much there's enough pie for everybody. Like, you know, I don't understand why does me winning mean you lose? Like, no, that means I we all can win or we all can pull up more people to win. So like talk a little bit about your perspective on that. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (48:37) think that it's been ingrained in us for years. I don't necessarily want to say patriarchal. I think that it goes back to the dawn of time, right? Resources are scarce. so somebody has to, somebody's going to get. And so even if you look, they did a study and I don't know if it's on chimpanzees or apes. I don't know, again, not a scientist, but I read it where within that community they would share. But even if they shared, Leslie Youngblood (48:47) Mmm. Mmm. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (49:06) the person who had it would keep the most for themselves. And then they would give a little bit to their person. So not one of the chimps or apes or whatever went hungry, but some had more than others. And we're talking about in the animal kingdom, we are animals, right? And so when we talk about that, it's in our DNA. So as we have grown as a society, as we continue to build our community, and you know the trope, Leslie Youngblood (49:10) you Yes. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (49:34) of women ⁓ always competing against women and tearing each other down. And I've known women who are like that. I do not like women who are like that. So I surround myself with women who go, if you win, I win. If I win, you win, because that's what we have to do. And so when I look at it is I don't do business with folks ⁓ who have different values set of Leslie Youngblood (49:39) Mm-hmm. Right. Yeah. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (50:02) looking at everything as a win-lose situation. I look at it as I will surround myself with my support network, with my clients, and with folks who all look at it as if we have a win, we have a win collectively. And there's nothing wrong with that. We can all still have that level of success. It's just gonna look different for every single person. Leslie Youngblood (50:25) Yeah, no, I love that story about the apes or the chimpanzees. That's so fascinating. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (50:30) don't know, that may be a Reddit fake story, but it resonated with me. But there was a study and someone actually did cite it. So when I clicked it, I'm like, ⁓ okay, all right. So who knows? But that is the story with me. Leslie Youngblood (50:37) Yeah. Right, I said, But right, like we're all animals and like we are so developed in advance. But yet at end of the day, we're still just, you know, animals walking around in clothing and whatnot. But yeah, and I think that your success is just a testament to to the fact that you want to lift others up, that you are so giving, you are so generous. You have given me so much of your time, even outside of this conversation on everything that I've been working on. I'm endlessly grateful and could not have made connections and had opportunities had we not had that conversation. And so for me to be able to pay it forward and to Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (50:50) Yeah, absolutely. Leslie Youngblood (51:13) be surrounded by others who have that same mentality, again, is just driving innovation forward, driving change, or driving good forward, driving Detroit and Michigan forward. So, and I would just like, I'm gonna say it now, I feel like BedConnect, next Michigan unicorn, like, you know, over Doug. I mean, let's put it out there. Let's put it out there. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (51:21) group. ⁓ woo, Hey, that's from your lip. you? Exactly, right? Let's speak it in the reality. I love that. I love that. Leslie Youngblood (51:39) Yes. And so Lindsay, for everyone listening right now, where can they connect with you outside of the podcast, follow you, maybe even attend the Pitch Me coming up in April, because I know that's open registration and I'm attending and it'll be a fantastic event. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (51:55) Yes, thank you. So you can follow BedConnect. We're extremely active on LinkedIn. So BedConnect company page, please go ahead and follow us. You can also follow my personal page as well. And our website, bedconnect.health can provide more information about what we do, our vision, the story of our team. And then pitch me April 7th, two days before my, I'm not going to list off my number, but two days before my birthday. could be a really good birthday. And so that is going to be in Lansing during tech week at Gruwell Hall. I don't know if I'm pronouncing that properly, but if you go on Pitch Me's website, you can register for free. Tickets are for free. would love to have a lot of BedConnect fans in the audience. think that, again, it's... Leslie Youngblood (52:23) Woo! Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (52:47) It's something that just resonates and I love the support that I felt from everybody. So I'm very excited to see you there. And yeah, so please just continue to follow along the journey provides for if you want to share stories, if folks want to share stories about, you know, what they've encountered in the health systems or trying to find a placement for their loved ones, I would always love to hear it because it just reinforces why we're doing what we're doing. So thank you. Leslie Youngblood (53:13) Of course, and we will drop all of those links in the show notes as well for everybody listening. Lindsay, thank you so much for coming on and sharing your journey. You are incredible. You are truly a beacon of innovation and community entrepreneurship here in Detroit. We are so excited to see everything you and BedConnect will continue to do. And just thank you again so much for joining us. Lindsay Joseph - BedConnect (53:37) Thank you, Leslie. appreciate it. Thanks for everyone who's gonna watch. So thank you so much. Leslie Youngblood (53:41) Of course. Cheers.