In 2012, the University of Pittsburgh funded our start-up with three founding members; Tony, Steve, and Ric. We specialize in Continuing Education management and our products have an emphasis on desktop and mobile technology. Our team is uniquely made up of two practicing registered nurses and a software developer with experience in mobile app design. With an eclectic mix of skills and experience, our team is able to bring a different approach to problem solving. Steve and Tony have a history in healthcare at the ground level, and Ric offers unique insight to applying technological solutions on both the desktop and mobile platforms.

Each of us is passionately dedicated to our professions. Over the last few months, we have created a new way of thinking in the healthcare industry. Although advancements for life saving equipment, procedures, and drugs seem to be the focus of technological research, we see a different area of healthcare to improve upon; personal data management.

We are excited to base our company in Pittsburgh because we feel that our lives have become intertwined with this great city. Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh have educated us, the city’s tenacity and resilience have inspired us, and its blue-collar roots have reminded us to never lose sight of our values of hard work and determination. Ultimately, we are committed to the advancement of healthcare.

Steven Benso is a graduate from the University of Pittsburgh’s Emergency Medicine Program. After he obtained his first bachelor’s degree, he continued in healthcare to become a registered nurse, and then obtained his second bachelor’s degree in nursing from Chatham University. Seeking advancement in the nursing field, he later completed his Critical Care Registered Nurse certificate. He currently works for the University of Pittsburgh department of neurosurgery as a clinical coordinator.

His current duties include managing multiple government-funded research projects involving patients with traumatic brain injuries. He previously managed critically ill patients as a senior staff nurse in the Trauma ICU at UPMC Presbyterian. Through the years, Steven has been part of numerous major nursing initiatives. As an example, in 2008 he traveled to ISMET, a UPMC affiliate hospital in Sicily, Italy, where he implemented hospital-wide protocols to decrease central line infection rates. He enjoys traveling and learning about different cultures around the world with his wife, Jade.

Anthony Chao earned his first bachelor’s degree in industrial design from Carnegie Mellon University in 2001. Soon after, he found his calling in the healthcare field in emergency medicine as a paramedic. Realizing that he wanted to help people further, he returned to school at the University of Pittsburgh where he attained his second bachelor’s degree in nursing. Most recently, he worked at UPMC Presbyterian’s Trauma ICU as a senior staff nurse and was cited for numerous achievements. Most notably, he created, designed, and implemented an electronic change-of-shift tool to aid in nurse-to-nurse communications. The project was awarded second place at the hospital-wide annual Quality Fair in 2012, and was published in Nursing Critical Care, a scholarly nursing journal.

Anthony is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in the nurse anesthesia program at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Nursing. In his free time, he enjoys playing at the train table with his four-year old son Zachary, and hiking in the woods with his wife, Emily and chocolate lab, Ursa.

Ric Fera is the IT Coordinator for the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Nursing. His work at Pitt includes all things IT, from server administration, to web development and end user support. He has been with the university since 2005.

Ric is a graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and holds an Associate’s degree in Animation and Multimedia. He is also a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Information Sciences with a Bachelor’s degree in Networks and Security and a certificate in GIS. His coursework included location-based mobile application development, and social media and online marketing.

“As far back as I can remember I have been fascinated by gadgets and electronics. Once I got my first computer, and then smart phone (Kyocera 6035), there was no turning back. It’s a great time to be working with technology as new hardware becomes smaller and more powerful while software advances daily. Mobile computing is here to stay and it’s great to be a part of software development that enriches peoples lives.”

Ric grew up in the South Hills of Pittsburgh and currently makes his home in the city with his wife, Jessica, and their dog, Gracie. When he’s not working, he enjoys traveling and taking in Pittsburgh’s great outdoors, from the rivers to the ever growing number of bike trails and parks.

Dan joined our team in January of 2014. Originally a Scot, Dan is an entrepreneur with a passion for technology. He is experienced in start-up, early stage and turnaround situations, particularly in high technology and software companies. He is an acknowledged expert in creating and managing fast growth business environments in cloud computing, SaaS, RFID and financial services in US and Europe. Over the past 30 years, he has been involved in a number of highly-praised companies and has won numerous awards and plaudits.

Dan holds a B.Sc., Computer Science, from the University of Portsmouth (UK) and has undertaken Post-graduate studies at Carnegie-Mellon University. He is also a Fellow of the British Computer Society (FBCS).

Dan has also been an adjunct Professor of Business and Entrepreneurism at Pennsylvania State University, a college Head Soccer Coach and a professional athlete. Dan lives in Sewickley with his wife, Gaynor. He has three children, a dog named Dougal and enjoys travelling, classic cars and eating (as Gaynor is a gourmet chef).