A grant from the McKinney Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) Innovation Fund is supporting McKinney-based CourMed through a grant, as the startup increases its North Texas delivery services, scales to additional markets, and expands its headquarters.

CourMed has found opportunity amidst the pandemic with the delivery of prescriptions and other health-related items through its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform. Similar to delivery services like Uber Eats and Postmates, CourMed crowdsources delivery, but has all of its drivers HIPAA certified and trained.

The company’s platform can be beneficial for patients, customers, pharmacies, and doctors alike: After a patient tells their physician that they’d like to use CourMed, the startup identifies their pharmacy, coordinates pick-up and delivery, and sends text updates to the customer.

That service has become especially relevant with an increasing amount of people turning to delivery platforms due to COVID-19, the company said in a news release. CourMed, which launched in 2018, currently partners with a network of over 20,000 independent pharmacies on the delivery of healthcare items with over 300 delivery drivers in Dallas-Fort Worth. 

[Photo courtesy of CourMed]

CourMed will move its operations to Hub 121, a mixed-use development at Craig Ranch that will be the site of its new headquarters. The new mixed-use hub, which includes co-working space, shopping, dining, and entertainment, is planned for completion in 2021, according to the company. For the time being, CourMed is expanding its headquarters at nearby Craig Ranch Corporate Center. 

CourMed plans to move its headquarters into mixed-used development Hub 121 at Craig Ranch in McKinney, which is planned for completion in 2021. The startup will expand its current office at the Craig Ranch Corporate Center this year.

Over the next three years, CourMed plans to add 22 employees in tech-focused jobs thanks to the MEDC grant. The grant also will help CourMed expand its delivery services in North Texas and scale its offerings to additional markets in Florida, Arizona, California, and Alabama this year.

Derrick L. Miles, president and CEO of CourMed, told NBC DFW that the startup “can be up and running in any market in seven days.” A graphic from the startup shows the company’s national scale plan that includes a rollout to major cities in 50 states this year.

CourMed’s national scale plan. [Image: Courtesy CourMed]

The MEDC Innovation Fund launched in January 2020 with the intention to create opportunities for businesses that wouldn’t traditionally qualify for economic incentives. Since then, the fund has helped companies such as Blockit, Invene, and most recently, EnginSoft.

“McKinney has provided a great launchpad for our operations, and we have experienced significant success here. As a result, we are allowing all McKinney residents and residents of Collin County to sign up for our 5-Star rated service,” Miles said in a statement.

Miles is also the chairman and founder of TMB Equity Partners, which is focused on investing and developing healthcare solutions, and holds multiple patents. The company has previously been named to Capital Factory’s VIP Accelerator and chosen by Microsoft for Startups for additional support.

For information on the MEDC Innovation Fund or to submit a request, go here.

Quincy Preston contributed to this report. The story was updated with additional details on Aug. 11, 2020 at 12:25 p.m.

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