Leveraging Technology to Provide Healthcare for Everyone

CBS alum Cyrus Massoumi ’03 talks about how his Zocdoc and Dr. B startups are revolutionizing and democratizing healthcare delivery.

Inspiration for successful, innovative business ideas can come from many different sources. Often, it’s highly unpleasant experiences that drive innovation, which was certainly the case for Zocdoc. “I was flying from Seattle to New York with a bad sinus infection,” recalls Cyrus Massoumi ’03, co-founder and former CEO of Zocdoc. “I ruptured my eardrum when the plane landed, and I needed to see a specialist. I went to my insurance company’s website and started calling down a list of doctors. Some phone numbers didn’t work; some doctors were no longer taking that insurance; one doctor had died.” Massoumi thought there had to be a better way to find healthcare. “Why shouldn’t people be able to book a doctor the same way they book everything else?” he says.

Founded in 2007, Zocdoc allows people to go through a list of physicians and choose one based on patient ratings, accepted health insurance, and available appointment times — and then book the appointment. Initially, the site listed only dentists but now includes practitioners in over 50 different medical specialties across the country.

Read more about Cyrus Massoumi on Columbia Business School