Carey MBA alum’s initiative among Poets & Quants Most Disruptive MBA Startups

More Watter Co., a Baltimore-based health and wellness company that leverages exercise and community to improve health outcomes for people with chronic conditions, was recognized by Poets & Quants as one of the most disruptive start-up companies for 2022. Anthony Watters, a 2022 Carey Business School full-time MBA graduate, founded More Watter with business partner Alex Harrington with the specific goal of bringing health services to urban communities that frequently lack access to preventive health care and other health and wellness resources.

More Watter Co. leverages place-based community with technology to engage patients mainly dealing with diabetes, hypertension, and those recovering from stroke. The startup uses exercise data from Fitbit and other devices from workouts, which is combined with qualitative data and community resources to develop individualized fitness plans and to connect with patients in meaningful ways. The program aims to improve health measures like blood pressure, blood sugar, body weight, resting heart rate, and fitness level.

“When I formed More Watter Co., I was still working full-time in rehabilitative medicine for a Baltimore-area health care provider. At the time, I developed a post-rehab exercise program for people living with, Parkinson's disease, and people recovering from stroke,” said Watters. “Although patients were getting better, the reach was limited and there was no ability to scale the program within of this health care provider. I decided to quit and strike out on my own,” he added.

Watters credits his Carey Business School education with helping him grow his start up. “I decided to get my MBA for the purpose of improving my business skills and growing my business. Johns Hopkins was a good fit because of its focus on the business of health,” Watters explained. “The HTI (Health, Technology, and Innovation) pathway allowed me to learn the business of health and understand how money moves within health care.”

According to Watters, his time at Carey helped him connect with other students interested in the business of health. “It was also important to just learn how to connect with folks and work my network. My group include several MBA/MPH dual degree students from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and they insisted we build a plan for my company, which the professor allowed,” he said. “That was the first time I was able to leverage the Carey community for my business, and that kind of support always continued. It's one of those intangible things that’s difficult to describe, but it’s been really impactful for me.”

Watters plans for the future include expanding to treat more people and establishing his own wellness facility. Eventually, More Watters hopes to scale facilities in Baltimore, and break into additional markets in Philadelphia, Virginia, Atlanta, and Texas.

“I think this is something that can grow and scale, and folks from communities can help others in their communities get healthy. I'm also very interested in the managed Medicaid space. We could serve as a boutique insurance firm that manages claims for folks in underserved communities, and we could combine resources around us to help people,” said Watters.