Point Scholars to Cofounders: Morgan and Rachael

Rachael Stein is a junior at Harvard pursuing a B.A. in Sociology and Economics. Morgan Cheatham is a junior at Brown in the Program in Liberal Medical Education, an eight-year baccalaureate-M.D. program. 

We met at the Summer 2014 Point Foundation Scholar & Alumni Leadership Conference that brings together the entire Point Foundation network for leadership training and networking. Upon first meeting, we became fast friends, spending time together during conference sessions as well as off times, bonding over our shared experiences as queer students at Ivy League institutions who are both deeply interested in entrepreneurship. We started as casual conference buddies, but given that we are only a quick, one hour train ride apart, we soon became platonic life partners. Morgan started visiting Boston every few weekends, where endless shenanigans and conversations ensued.

While we were studying fields that were very different - medical science for Morgan and social science for Rachael - we quickly found that Morgan's desire to change the world through medical innovation neatly aligned with Rachael's desire to harness entrepreneurship as a means for social change. Rachael had been working in startups around the Boston area throughout her undergraduate career, mostly working in client services and marketing roles, and incessantly urged Morgan to check out the budding Boston medical technology startup scene.

Near the end of winter, as our friendship was in full swing, Rachael accepted a summer position as a marketing intern at QuadWrangle (an alumni engagement app) and Morgan took on a summer analyst role at Kyruus (a health information technology company addressing patient access issues). It wasn't long before we started discussing living together for the summer, and from there on out, our potential as business partners was born.

Soon after moving in together for the summer, we found ourselves staying up late at night discussing startup ideas, inspired by our summer internships. We would jump from one idea to the next, G-chatting each other at work as even minor ideas sparked in our brains, and often found that our innovative solutions had already been created, or simply realized that they weren't possible. But one day, Morgan had a brilliant thought, and ever since that afternoon, we haven't looked back.

Morgan's early thought morphed into what we now call Sleuth, which will be an anomaly detection and analytics platform to be developed this fall. The application combines Morgan's interests in innovative healthcare solutions with Rachael's interest in social enterprise, and will ultimately seek to reduce inconsistencies in healthcare data and implicit bias in care delivery via an advanced analytical platform. With Morgan focusing on the early development of the application and the clinical value proposition, and Rachael working on business development, we plan to work on basic product development this fall at a Boston startup incubator, and then shift towards seeking seed funding and product expansion opportunities during the winter and spring.

We are extremely excited about what we have built thus far and the immense growth potential we see, but this partnership would not be possible without Point Foundation. Point facilitated our initial meeting, pushed us in leadership development through programs like the Regional Leadership Forum and Business LEAD Symposium, and has provided us access to important mentors in the healthcare, social entrepreneurship, and startup worlds due to their huge network of accomplished supporters.

We are so thankful for the incredible opportunities we have accessed through Point Foundation, and are looking forward to an exciting year of entrepreneurship as Point Scholars!

Want to help with Sleuth or have questions? Morgan and Rachael are always seeking mentors, funding/incubation/media opportunities, development help, or product guidance from people working in healthcare. Reach out to morgan@anomalysleuth.com or rachael@anomalysleuth.com  with questions, comments, inquiries, or assistance!

This post was written by Kevin Hummer Point Scholar Morgan Cheatham and Point Scholar Rachael Stein

Morgan Cheatham grew up outside of Washington, D.C. in the suburbs of Alexandria, Virginia. Being biracial, of African American and Irish descent, Morgan learned about the importance of identity through her childhood experiences. She is fortunate to have loving and supportive family and friends around her. However, several experiences in high school made her realize the importance of advocating for the LGBTQ community and she began volunteering for the Human Rights Campaign at Capitol Pride and other events.

Read more about Morgan here.

Rachael Stein was born and raised in Beverly Hills, Michigan, which is a predominantly Catholic Detroit suburb. When she came out in 8th grade, she quickly realized that her conservative community did not tolerate her gay, gender non-conforming identity. Nevertheless, she wanted to change hearts and attitudes about LGBTQ people throughproving herself as a local leader. Beginning her freshman year, she got involved with her high school Gay Straight Alliance (GSA). Through the GSA, she connected with a local chapter of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN).

Read more about Rachael here.