Meet the Founder of Joy, Patrick Harding: “At Joy, our mission is to add ten years to life expectancy by addressing the social determinants of health.”

Describe your startup in two sentences.

Imagine a healthier future, where more is done to prevent people from becoming ill in the first place. Not only would people lead healthier and happier lives, but a huge pressure would be taken off the NHS and local government resources. That's the future Joy is building.

We're a software company on a mission to transform healthcare through prescribing the kinds of support services that tackle the root causes of ill health, sometimes called social determinants of health, be they social isolation, housing or debt issues, physical inactivity, poor mental health or other factors.

What gave you the inspiration?
I have seen how non-clinical issues such as loneliness and poor diet can impact a person's health. People I care deeply about have become disabled, frail and aged more quickly because of preventable factors. It is heartbreaking to see a person’s life unwind over time, particularly when some relatively basic changes could make a powerful difference. On the flip side, it is wonderful to see someone you care about making positive changes and reaping the rewards.

I used to think I was unique in seeing these issues, but my personal experience was compounded by my professional experience. Before starting Joy, I worked as a strategy consultant building health-tech ventures. This is where I learned that a staggering 80% of illness, disability, and premature deaths are due to preventable factors. However, the major innovations in health focus on how we treat people better, rather than preventing illness altogether.

I could not believe that there was such a glaring gap in the market and felt called to take matters into my own hands and solve the problem myself.

What has been your greatest success to date? And your greatest challenge?

There are so many successes! Broadly speaking, I divide them into two categories:

1. Growth: I am very proud of our growth and impact. Each week over 5000 patients across 1200 GP surgeries are connected to an ecosystem of support which comprises more than 8000 local services across the country. We have achieved more than £1M of annual recurring revenue whilst bootstrapping, something which is unheard of in the health domain.

2. Product: Overall, our greatest success has been developing a product on a shoestring budget that goes viral in the NHS. It required significant technical nous to integrate with the archaic health systems as well as deep levels of regulatory compliance.

   Going forward, our next greatest challenge will be springboarding from a small company that is working in GP surgeries to transforming the entire health system in the UK and the US. My current priority is building one of the best teams in the world so that we can execute our plan.

What kind of impact is your business having and how do you measure it?

As well as annual recurring revenue, we track the following KPIs:

1. Number of patients covered: 13M

2. Number of referrals made per week: 5500/week

3. Attendance rate: 60%

4. Proportion of patients with improved health: 78%

5. Amount saved in healthcare resources: £14M

When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up?

I dreamed of being a professional football player -  I’m 34 now so it’s not looking likely...

If you weren’t doing this, what would be your plan B?

I love building companies! So, if not Joy or another company, I’d have to turn my attention to something wildly different maybe I’d become a vicar.

What would you save in a fire?

I don’t have too many things which are worth saving! My nan knitted me a quilt when I was a child which means the world to me. Although the thing is indestructible so would probably survive.

Who is your role model/ greatest influence? And why?

My role models change as I grow. Currently, I am trying to learn as much as possible from people who have built world-class teams and people who have grown startups from £1M to £10M.

What is your happy track?

When I was 18 I dabbled in working in football. I was a “soccer” coach with the New York Red Bulls MLS team. The radio stations at the time were playing Paper Planes by MIA. Whenever I hear it, I’m reminded of being 18 and playing football all day in New York.

What’s your motto?

At Joy, our mission is to add ten years to life expectancy by addressing the social determinants of health. Not so much of a motto, but a North Star.

What are you most looking forward to in the next year?

We’re releasing two exciting product developments in the next few months which will help us springboard:

1. Our AI assistant, which will automatically recommend services to doctors based on a patient’s medical record;
2. Our invoicing toolkit, which will enable the NHS and local councils to pay local service providers based upon outcomes achieved e.g. weight management services will be paid based on the number of people who lose weight.