NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OhanaHealth, which connects the best and brightest students with jobs at high-growth health tech companies, today announced the next iteration of the company, which includes the introduction of OhanaConnect, its first tech platform, along with a more formalized Fellowship Program. Leveraging technology to scale the company’s ability to place candidates, the new OhanaConnect platform will allow students access to a destination of thoughtfully curated internships and full-time jobs from health tech companies, making once obscure opportunities accessible.
“Healthcare is relevant to every person on the planet and frankly, it’s one of the most important opportunities of our lifetime,” said Daniel Oppong, founder, OhanaHealth. “I started OhanaHealth with one goal: to make it easier for students and recent graduates to find jobs and ultimately create a better future. Previously, as talent director at health-focused venture capital fund Jumpstart Foundry, I consistently had students reach out for help finding a job in the healthcare space, and one theme was consistently clear: students were interested in health and healthcare, but didn’t want to become doctors or nurses.”
OhanaHealth’s first summer internship program was launched in 2017, with more than 170 students applying from 60 universities across the U.S. Over the last three years, OhanaHealth has seen more than 1,000 students and recent graduates apply each year, representing over 120 universities ranging in size, cultural background and student populations.
“The relevance of health and healthcare is apparent – especially in light of the pandemic,” said Oppong. “Students can see themselves in the OhanaHealth story. We help them take the next major step in their lives – starting or furthering their career. As a Black founder, I want to make opportunities accessible for graduates from Ivy Leagues to HBCUs. This challenge has never been more pressing than now when more than 30 million in this country are unemployed.”
The OhanaHealth Fellowship Program will give students a leg up by providing personal and professional development opportunities, meaningful networking, and innovative learning experiences that incorporate design thinking.
“Since meeting Daniel when we started together at Jumpstart Foundry, it’s been exciting to see his mission with OhanaHealth resonate with students and startups alike,” said Eller Mallchok, managing director, Jumpstart Foundry. “As our venture fund continues to invest, despite COVID’s economic impact, we will add OhanaHealth to our list of vendors we provide to portfolio companies. I am certain that the Fellowship Program and OhanaConnect jobs platform will be a meaningful, value-added service for our founders.”
The OhanaConnect platform is now live. Interested students can build their free profiles by registering at connect.ohanahealth.co. OhanaHealth’s Fellowship Program recently wrapped up its virtual summer session. Applications are also open for next summer’s program, with a December deadline for submission, after which 20 students will receive invitations to participate starting June 2021.
About OhanaHealth
OhanaHealth is a one-of-a-kind experience designed to connect the best and brightest entrepreneurial students from all over the country with high-growth start-ups that are solving some of the biggest problems in healthcare. It’s our belief that, in order to build a great company, you need great people. At Ohana, we connect incredible students who are passionate about moving healthcare innovation forward, with companies that are doing just that. To learn more about OhanaHealth visit: https://www.ohanahealth.co/.
