"Failure is what makes you stronger as a leader and is key to being a successful entrepreneur"
Reeve Benaron Tweet
Welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview!
Today, we have the privilege of sitting down with Reeve Benaron, a visionary entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Intrivo, a prominent health technology company revolutionizing the fight against COVID-19.
With a diverse background in marketing, advertising technology, and a relentless drive for innovation, Reeve has been at the forefront of developing groundbreaking solutions to address the challenges posed by the global pandemic.
As Co-CEO of Intrivo, Reeve has played a pivotal role in spearheading the development of the first test-to-trace COVID-19 solution in the United States.Through their AI-based COVID control software, Intrivo has created On/Go, the leading FDA-approved COVID-19 self-test that empowers individuals to take control of their health from the comfort of their homes.
Reeve’s commitment to excellence and his relentless pursuit of innovative solutions have earned him recognition as a thought leader in the field.
Join us as we delve into Reeve Benaron’s entrepreneurial journey, the remarkable achievements of Intrivo, and his vision for leveraging technology to shape a brighter future in the fight against COVID-19.
Check out more interviews with entrepreneurs here.
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Table of Contents
We are thrilled to have you join us today, welcome to ValiantCEO Magazine’s exclusive interview! Let’s start off with a little introduction. Tell our readers a bit about yourself and your company.
Reeve Benaron: First of all, thank you for speaking to me Jed. Big fan of the publication.
Currently, I am Co-Founder and Co-CEO of the US-based health technology company Intrivo. In the US, we created the first test-to-trace COVID-19 solution and we are a Diagnostic as a Service (DaaS) provider. Through our AI-based COVID control software, we also created the leading FDA-approved COVID-19 self-test in the US, On/Go.
My current focus is on health technology with Intrivo and On/Go, but I come from a marketing and advertising technology background. I’m also the Co-Founder and Chairman of AUDIENCEX.
As a leading digital programmatic advertising company based in California, we partner with brands such as Warner Bros, Lenovo, and Jacksonville Jaguars to offer exceptional digital advertising solutions.
These outstanding companies trust us as their leading digital advertising partner. I am also a partner at marketing firm AX Venture Partners.
As Co-CEO of Intrivo, I’ve been very passionate and fully involved in getting a cohesive solution to the spread of COVID across the country
The past year and the roll-out of On/Go tests across the US has been both incredible and heart-breaking.
We are all proud of our work by delivering the solution with innovation and expertise, but have been sad to see so many happy and healthy lives disrupted. We launched the FDA-authorized On/Go at-home rapid COVID-19 in October 2021, as one of the first affordable at-home tests, which was supported by a strong AI-powered mobile app upon launch.
In the past year, what is the greatest business achievement you’d like to celebrate with your team? Please share the details of that success.
Reeve Benaron: I mean since our initial launch at the back end of 2021 (a time where the US health situation desperately needed self-tests), On/Go went from strength to strength (see video here when the product was launched).
We launched an Advanced Care Toolkit in February 2022 which was an empathetically driven support solution offering guidance and resources for those users who test positive for COVID-19 via On/Go.
We then launched what we call On/Go One in March 2022 – which is a portable, palmable test that users can take with them anywhere.
But given the success of On/Go – we’ve then been able to re-invest back into those communities we have supported via significant charitable donations. We visited Ukraine and made a $1million USD donation (with accompanying software) to Ukrainian hospitals in May 2022.
You can see my colleague Ron Gutman talk about this here – Ron personally went out to deliver the tests in Ukraine and get a real picture of the public health situation there. Ron helped them implement the system too!
What advice do you wish you had received when you started your business journey and what do you intend on improving in the next quarter?
Reeve Benaron: To learn that failure is a blessing and is to be welcomed. Early on, say when I was Vice President of the of Salomon Brothers investment banking division, I viewed any little failures as huge catastrophes.
But failure is what makes you stronger as a leader and is key to being a successful entrepreneur.Also, I wish someone one have told me that at the start of your leadership career, you cannot possibly do everything yourself! Learn to hire excellent people and delegate effectively.
Here is a two-fold question: What is the book that influenced you the most and how? Please share some life lessons you learned. Now what book have you gifted the most and why?
Reeve Benaron: Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude by Napoleon Hill. I read this book very early in on my career and I truly feel it taught me some lessons that’s shaped my career.
The key life lesson from the book is that through a positive attitude (and some hard work) anything is possible. In terms of books gifted, A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole is one of my favourite books. It is an hilarious read and I often recommend it!
Business is all about overcoming obstacles and creating opportunities for growth. What do you see as THE real challenge right now?
Reeve Benaron: I know it’s kind of ironic, given that I work in tech, but one of the biggest issues in business right now is keeping hold of that human-centric approach to employees and our work environments.
Constant use of tech in our day jobs, fuelled with the notion of “what’s next, what’s emerging on the tech horizon” is pushing us further towards more and more tech automation. I get worried that people in business are getting further burnt out and affected by excessive screen time / using tech.
I wish we could make more of an effort (society and government) to shift the way we think about employee wellbeing, and encourage everyone to engage in healthier lifestyles outside of the use of phones and computers.
In your experience, what tends to be the most underestimated part of running a company? Can you share an example?
Reeve Benaron: I think a lot of times, we underestimate the true breadth of work required to complete certain tasks.
So quite often, senior management in companies believe that they can achieve way more on their own then they can, or they underestimate how much time certain departments or staff require to complete certain tasks.
It is always useful to ask for honesty on time spent on tasks or to receive accurate audits of how long tasks take. This will affect your ability to implement effective capacity and workforce planning. Don’t guess, measure.
On a lighter note, if you had the ability to pick any business superpower, what would it be and how would you put it into practice?
Reeve Benaron: To instinctively and perfectly assemble teams correctly first-time. Collaboration, and hiring exceptional people who can also find solutions to key business issues is the route to success.
Maybe a superpower that allows me to perfectly matches up contrasting and complimenting personality traits and expertise’s, to assemble teams that can grow and excel together.
Almost like the ability to perfectly download accurate personality traits (like some sonar or DNA analysis device superpower). That would be good!
Jed Morley, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Reeve Benaron for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Reeve Benaron or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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