Chris Meaux, founder and board chairman of Waitr Holdings Inc., is taking on a new role of local significance: Serving as a senior advisor for Relief Telemed, the on-demand health care platform headquartered at the Louisiana Technology Park.
The partnership comes at a critical time for both parties. Following a busy year-and-a-half that included—among other big moves—taking Waitr public last November, Meaux stepped down as the company’s CEO in August. It was around this time, says Relief Telemed co-founder Vishal Vasanji, that he and co-founder James Davis asked Meaux, after a year of floating the idea, if he would be interested in advising their company on its path to growth, believing Meaux could help them design a framework that could scale.
“We see a lot of parallels between what he did and what we’re trying to do,” says Vasanji, who launched Relief Telemed last year. “It’s really his on-demand platform expertise we’re trying to leverage and his ability to sell his idea to businesses at a hyperlocal level.”
The company currently works with four local clinics to give patients virtual access to their doctor or preferred clinic through video chat. But Vasanji tells Daily Report they hope to dramatically increase their footprint and partner with as many as 70 clinics within the next year. With an initial focus on Baton Rouge, he sees the company eventually expanding statewide.
Viewing the concept as “a tremendous opportunity to do something great,” Meaux, in a prepared statement, says he was drawn to the company because he believes it’s on track to change the health care industry.
“I want to help them accelerate their plans by avoiding obstacles faced while growing on-demand platforms,” Meaux says. “It’s an exciting time in health care as innovative care delivery models are changing how health care is delivered.”
The app is currently available for free on the Apple App and Google Play stores. (More information is available on the company’s website.)
