Triple Analytics Pushes Personalized Medicine Into The Future

Written by Kevin Volz.

One size does not fit all when it comes to health care and treating diseases. Cleveland, Ohio, startup company Triple Analytics aims to end the practice of generic medicine through a searchable, electronic database with medical records from around the world. It provides a new tool to help physicians create focused and specific treatment plans for individual patients, based on past patients and the regimens with positive outcomes.

“There are other technologies that compile health information, but they focus on population-based outcomes rather than individuals,” said Cal Al-Dhubaib, CEO and CTO of Triple Analytics. “The fact is that what works best for one diabetes patient may not be the best treatment option for another. All patients with one illness should not be treated the same way.”

The data set for Triple Analytics’ system comes directly from medical records where patients’ personal information has been removed. While it is designed primarily as a physician support tool, Triple Analytics provides information to everyone involved in the process. Patients are looking to get the best treatments for their illnesses, doctors want to give them the best possible treatments and make sure insurance companies are able to cover those treatments. It’s a win for everyone involved.

Al-Dhubaib formed Triple Analytics in 2014 in Cleveland, Ohio, with his own savings and investment from family and friends. The company has worked closely with both BioEnterprise and JumpStart, two Ohio Third Frontier partners in northeast Ohio.

“JumpStart was especially key with human resources and helping fill our talent pipeline,” said Al-Dhubaib. “BioEnterprise provided us with many types of management consulting, from financing to investor relations to pitch design.”

Triple Analytics participated in a program through BioEnterprise called the HealthIT Accelerator that provided access to a number of the major hospital systems in northeast Ohio. The company met with high-level executives at these institutions who gave product feedback and helped Triple Analytics determine their place in the market.

“We’ve met so many people in Cleveland who are willing and want to help,” said Al-Dhubaib. “You would typically pay an arm and a leg for advice like that from seasoned business leaders.”

As a student, Al-Dhubaib received early mentorship from the Blackstone LaunchPad at Case Western Reserve University. In April 2015, he was selected as a finalist in the 2015 Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) in Washington DC. He was one of 42 finalists selected out of 2,000 in the world, and one of four finalists to represent the U.S.

“GSEA was one of the most fun and fulfilling competitions I’ve ever participated in,” said Al-Dhubaib. “The experience was all about how much you’ve accomplished, what challenges you’ve overcome, how you’ve improved. There was a whole range of impressive businesses and I was competing alongside the best student entrepreneurs from around the world.”

Triple Analytics is closing its latest round of friends and family funding, and seeking outside investors to move the company forward. The next goals are building a final product, piloting the company in northeast Ohio, getting to market and branching out to other parts of the Midwest. The company currently has three full-time and two part-time employees, with plans to create 70 new jobs by 2020.

“There’s not a better place in the country for healthcare innovations than Cleveland,” said Al-Dhubaib. “There is so much access to world class healthcare and academic institutions here. That’s really what encouraged me to plant my roots in Cleveland. It’s a hotbed of innovation.”