An interview with Maven Director Dr. Jennifer Schneider

In conjunction with our Series E round of funding, Maven appointed three new independent members to our Board of Directors: Dr. Jennifer Schneider, Chris Klomp, and Yvette Bright. We sat down with each of these leaders to learn more about what attracted them to Maven and what they hope to bring to the company in their new positions.

Dr. Jennifer Schneider is the co-founder and CEO of Homeward, a company focused on rearchitecting the delivery of health and care in partnership with communities everywhere, starting in rural America. Previously, Dr. Schneider served as the Chief Medical Officer and President of Livongo. While there, she led the company through the largest consumer digital health Initial Public Offering in history and the industry’s largest merger ever between Livongo and Teladoc Health. She also served as Chief Medical Officer of Castlight Health. 

Dr. Schneider completed her bachelor's degree in biology at the College of the Holy Cross. She went on to get her MD at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and her master’s degree in Health Services Research at Stanford University.

What about Maven’s mission resonates with you? 

As a woman, and as a mother of three, Maven’s mission to reimagine healthcare for women and families deeply resonates with me. Women are often the CEO when it comes to healthcare decisions within the household, and make the majority of decisions on how their family receives care. Maven’s commitment to improving care for women and families is critical in order to support a more equitable healthcare system and for improving the health and well-being of our families and generations to come.

What excites you about joining the Maven Board of Directors at this point in the company’s journey?

At a time when women’s and family health is at the forefront of discussion, I’m incredibly proud to join the Maven Board of Directors. As a Board member, I look forward to helping make valuable contributions that have a lasting impact on the lives of women and families. On a personal level, Maven’s holistic approach to supporting women closely aligns with my own commitment to empowering women, both in the workplace and in their personal lives, and I’m honored to join a stellar roster of Board members, including some of the most prominent women leaders in healthcare. 

In addition, I am excited to join Maven Founder and CEO Kate Ryder, who I have always admired as an exceptional female entrepreneur. Given Kate’s background as an investigative journalist, you can see how she deeply listens and approaches each situation with a list of questions to accelerate her learning. These traits are important hallmarks of a successful entrepreneur, and I believe have greatly contributed to Kate’s success and the success of Maven more broadly. 

Where do you hope to bring the most value to the organization as a Director?

Throughout my career, I have focused on applying a combination of innovative technology, data, care models, and business models to create better, higher quality, and more equitable healthcare experiences. In addition, I have been fortunate to scale companies through all stages of growth, and have taken my last two companies—Castlight and Livongo—from startup, to growth stage private company, through the initial public offering process, and time as public companies. I look forward to bringing these unique insights to the table to support Maven as they scale into their exciting next stages of growth and further cement the company as the leader in women’s and family health.

What are the biggest opportunities you see for Maven to increase its impact in the coming years?

With the topic of women’s and family health thrust into the spotlight, I believe the biggest opportunity for Maven is to deliver more personalized care that best meets each person’s needs. Regardless of where someone lives, works, or plays, they should be able to have their full spectrum of health needs met. As Kate has noted, since 2014, Maven employees and providers have been working around the clock to provide a safe place for members to receive evidence-based care that meets their comprehensive needs. This commitment has never wavered, even in this ever-changing healthcare landscape. Maven’s mission has never been more relevant or urgent than it is today, and staying true to that commitment will bolster Maven’s impact now and in the future.

How can Maven continue to stay patient-obsessed as the company scales?

If I have learned anything in my career, it’s that trust is crucial to a great healthcare experience. Good healthcare providers can deliver accurate diagnoses and guideline recommended care. Excellent healthcare providers do so in a thoughtful and empathetic manner. Excellent providers truly care, and an excellent healthcare provider delivers the care people need, in a way that resonates on a personal level.

Maven’s category-defining, all-in-one solution for families is what sets them apart in the women’s and family health sector. As the company scales and the healthcare landscape continues to change, it’s critical that Maven stay true to its roots while evolving to meet the needs of our members. At the end of the day, we want to ensure we’re providing value to our members and connecting to our purpose: Offering comprehensive care and delivering better outcomes all while lowering costs. 

How can digital health help improve access issues, including hospital closures and provider shortages, within women’s and family health?

Throughout my career, I have been honored to lead early pioneers of the digital health industry. I truly believe that digital health has the power to drastically change the way we deliver care in a more seamless, effective, and efficient manner. I am also confident that through thoughtful application of technology and services, Maven will continue to drive incredible impact and forge the next generation of care delivery for women and families.