Kim Rodriguez
CEO, braincheck
CEO & Co-Founder, Acessa Health (acq. by Hologic)
GET TO KNOW KIM...
Hometown:
Southern California | Currently resides in Austin, TX
Alma Mater:
Pepperdine University & University of Southern California
Motto:
People don't remember what you say or do, they remember how you made them feel.
Hobbies:
Horseback riding (barrel racing as a kid), and I'm new to playing tennis
Q: What was your first job?
A: I was a waitress for many years and paid my way through school. Service-based experiences were a valuable foundation because I learned so much about customer service, staying organized, and being professional.
Q: How did you get involved in the medical device field?
A: I became a radiology technologist (while waitressing) and got a job at a hospital in the cardiac cath lab. I loved the clinical setting and determined I wanted to go to medical school. However, my plans changed when I met a medical device rep in scrubs at the hospital that suggested an opportunity in medical device sales. The rest is history. I was hooked on the medical device industry because it was a perfect blend of business and clinical. From there, I pursued my undergraduate degree and ultimately an Executive MBA while serving as VP of Sales and Marketing for a medical device company.
Q: What career journey led to your CEO roles at Acessa Health and BrainCheck?
A: I worked for 20 years in the medical device industry across multiple therapeutic areas. I started in sales, progressed to leadership roles, launched innovative products globally in the U.S., Europe and Asia for medical device companies. Ultimately, I led a business unit for a publicly traded company, which served as a gateway to my first CEO role at a start-up, Halt Medical in 2016, which led to co-forming Acessa Health in 2017. After Acessa was acquired in 2020, I took a brief hiatus to spend time with my family while also doing some medtech consulting before joining BrainCheck as CEO in 2023.
Q: Based on your experience, can women have a family and run a company?
A: Definitely. I believe all women should figure out a way to do the things that are important to them. Some women want to be stay-at-home moms, and I love that. But if you want to start a company or have a career and have children, it can be done. It’s getting easier to find great companies that support and foster a culture that supports women.
Q: Who has provided you the best advice over the years?
A: Throughout my career, I’ve received so much good advice from amazing mentors that have come in many forms – previous bosses, investors, board members, co-workers, my husband – the list is endless. Also, I’ve been purposeful about surrounding myself with great people by building a network that provides great advice and support.
Q: What advice would you offer to other entrepreneurs?
A: It seems obvious, but hiring the right talent is everything. It’s not just hiring for skills but hiring people that are passionate about tackling big challenges and want to work for something they care about. And you must recognize that your talent needs may be very different in the beginning of a company formation than when you start to scale. Ideally, you can find people that can go the distance with you, but you must be able to quickly recognize that some won’t.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about doing business in Texas?
A: I’d say three things: It’s business-friendly, there’s great talent, and there’s an incredibly supportive peer network.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: In addition to mom duties, I’m an advisor on three boards, and I work with S3 Ventures on their med tech deal flow. I love building teams. I love tech. I love helping patients with new and innovative therapies. I’m really, really busy. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
BrainCheck is the creator of the leading cognitive assessment and care management platform empowering physicians to deliver high-quality, personalized cognitive healthcare to patients everywhere. It is used by hundreds of primary care and neurology practices to address cognitive changes early and enable patients, caregivers, and clinicians to work together to implement personalized recommendations to preserve brain health and functional independence.
“It seems obvious, but hiring the right talent is everything.”