FOUNDER STORIES: Andrew Nguyen, Eyehire
By: Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center
Tags: Healthcare, Entrepreneurship, Founder Stories, Austin, Ut Austin

Who is Andrew Nguyen?

Andrew Nguyen is a part time McCombs MBA at Dallas-Fort Worth student and a management consultant at Credera. Prior to his MBA, Andrew had unique experiences given his time in the Army and Master’s in Systems Engineering from Cornell University. Andrew identified his top academic interests in entrepreneurship and data science.

Operation Anaconda ’16: Andrew’s (far right) unit was sent to Poland to train with NATO allies after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014

Nguyen first got involved with Herb Kelleher Entrepreneurship Center (HKEC) after signing up for our newsletter — hoping to seek entrepreneurship opportunities in none other than the “great tech hub” Austin, Texas. Andrew made the most out of the 2020 remote pandemic year by attending HKEC’s Ignite Startup Workshops and annual Intro to the UT/Austin Startup Ecosystem Trade Show. He also joined a practicum class with full-time students. Thanks to the Dallas campus sharing the same building as Capital Factory, a space dedicated to resourcing and supporting Texas entrepreneurs, Andrew accessed diverse opportunities and connections there.

Eyehire. What’s it about?

The founders of Eyehire (Andrew and fellow MBA students Paul Song and Kevin Liang) all have significant others working in the healthcare industry. Noticing the similarities in pains their partners experienced, chiefly relatively low job flexibility, the trio decided to pursue a venture that could ultimately improve the working conditions of many healthcare workers. While leverage-strict standards exist in the industry, location doesn’t really matter. Therefore the team realized that routine care such as dentist check-ups or eye check-ups are relatively easy fields to substitute labor.

Eyehire is a platform that seamlessly connects professional practitioners to practice owners. The value proposition offers professionals a flexible schedule pay and opportunities to gain more hands-on practice while giving practice owners flexibility to leave their business when needed.

Eyehire team pitching at the 2021 TVL Investment Competition

The advantage for practice owners is that they don’t lose business hours because they are able to substitute themselves or their workers with ‘fill-ins that can be trusted. For professionals, they get to pick their work days, hours, and location. The platform offers endless flexibility for all parties and optimizes workspace and labor. While Eyehire’s current focus is optometry practices, Andrew says he hopes to expand to other healthcare areas in the future.

As a winner of the McCombs Entrepreneur Summer Fellowship, Andrew says he’s gained so much confidence through reevaluation, intensive interviews with potential users, and intricate prototype development and design. While Andrew has yet to visit the Austin campus, he has utilized entrepreneurship opportunities provided remotely by Jon Brumley Texas Venture Labs, The LaunchPad’s SEAL program , and is looking to apply for upcoming pitch competitions at UT.

Make good mentors!

Eyehire and pursuing his MBA have synergized and opened many doors for Andrew. He mentioned that he’s gained a network of many helpful serial entrepreneur mentors, who serve as his source for getting feedback and problem solving skills. Andrew also believes his education is more meaningful than ever because he sees every course as a lesson applicable to his venture.

So, what’s next?

Andrew hopes to continue refining the platform and take advantage of as many on-campus resources while he can as a student. In the horizon, he aims to “prove Eyehire’s value to the world,” so the service can be expanded and applied in other health divisions such as chiropractic, dentistry, and veterinary. He pointed out that almost every intersection or strip mall in the U.S. has a practice office or two, which are all in fact small businesses.

Eyehire team at the Dallas Campus

When asked to define the word entrepreneur, Andrew answered “an inquisitive individual challenging the status quo and bringing someone value that they once didn’t have.” To be a successful entrepreneur, Andrew said, “you must be scrappy, curious, and above all resilient.”

Andrew’s tip to current students looking to pursue entrepreneurship at UT? “Jump in! Don’t be shy,” he says. “Everyone here is extremely friendly and supportive. Take advantage of all the student resources. This is the safest place to fail because your support network is here. Be hands-on, but also ready for setbacks. So, make the most out of it and find a network.”