Healthcare Startups in Tech Boom

The University of Illinois Foundation in partnership with the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership, was proud to welcome James Bradley to campus and invited him to share his story of entrepreneurial success in the healthcare industry. Mr. Bradley discussed his start in corporate America and his dream to put the knowledge he had acquired to use with a business of his own. Working with a team of skillful engineers, Mr. Bradley developed the internet-based healthcare company Abaton.com. His mastery of the healthcare industry and forward thinking during the 1990's allowed Abaton.com to stand alone was the only firm to offer robust electronic tools to connect providers, laboratories, pharmacies, and payors in real-time over the internet.

With a keen eye for the market and a distrust of the illogical investments that were being made in the dot com boom, Mr. Bradley knew a partnership was the way to future success and growth for his company. "I knew my coworkers and their families depended on me, I could see the trust in their eyes, and I knew I had to make the right decisions to keep the company afloat. If it meant I didn't take home a pay check to reinvest in Abaton and ensure that everyone else got paid, that's what I did. And as an entrepreneur I always had to have a plan B and sometimes a plan C.because they depended on me."

Mr. Bradley's strategic decision making paid off in 1999, when industry leader McKesson HBOC Inc. acquired the software company. "The industry leaders talked about three key elements needing to come together to fundamentally redefine healthcare; technology, relationships, and distribution," Bradley said. "With the combination of McKessonHBOC's customer base and Abaton.com's technology base those cornerstones were in place."

In the audience, proudly listening to Mr. Bradley's story was Forrest Troyer, professor of crop sciences and one of Mr. Bradley's mentors and long-time friends. He commented, "What made Jim stand apart was his positive attitude, he never had a bad word for anyone and always could look at situations with in a positive light. And that, to me, is the key to being an entrepreneur and is what makes Jim a success in life and in business!"