From a friendship to a mission-driven partnership.
When my friend Nathan Baar first started HealthBar in early 2020, just as COVID hit, I knew he was onto something special. As a nurse, Nate saw firsthand how difficult it was for people to get timely, compassionate, and affordable primary care. He believed nurses were the glue in the healthcare system — and that their skills and empathy could transform the way care was delivered.
HealthBar launched with the goal of making healthcare radically more accessible, putting nurses and nurse practitioners onsite at businesses and schools, supported by telehealth and modern technology. Employees can text, call, or walk right in at work to get primary and preventive care — instead of taking time off, finding a doctor, and waiting weeks for an appointment.
In the early days of the pandemic, HealthBar played a critical role in helping individuals and organizations navigate COVID, providing large-scale testing and support. At one point, HealthBar was performing roughly 1% of all COVID tests across the entire state of Michigan — an incredible feat for a brand-new startup.
At the same time, employers are seeing the impact on their bottom line. Companies with 200–2,000 employees, many of whom self-insure, face massive challenges with growing health insurance costs. HealthBar’s model is helping them reduce spend while improving employee health and satisfaction. We’ve seen about a 60% engagement rate with these onsite services, and a positive ROI for many of our customers.
Our partnership goes back to the earliest days of HealthBar. Tech Defenders was actually Nate’s very first customer, and he even started out with an office in our building. I partnered with him soon after, and since then it’s been incredible to watch HealthBar grow from an idea to serving nearly 70,000 employees with a team of almost 70 — and to see Nate recognized as a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award.
What makes this growth sustainable is more than just an innovative model: HealthBar leverages dedicated care teams so employees see familiar faces, and operates on the EOS framework to maintain a strong, purpose-driven culture as they scale.
Nate is one of the most purpose-driven, gritty, and considerate leaders I know, and it’s been an honor to support him on this journey. Together, our purpose is simple: to change lives for the better.
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