The inside story of why this once high-flying digital health startup failed
Former CEO Dr. Tim Peck hopes that other founders can learn from Call9's experience.
The day after Tim Peck shut down his company, Call9, he ran the Brooklyn half marathon. Or more accurately, he walked it.
If this were a movie, Peck would have crossed the finish line in record time with a look of fierce determination. Instead, Peck felt more defeated, and sleep deprived than he had in a long time. As he walked, he used the opportunity to call family, friends, and angel investors for a series of hard conversations. Through tears, he shared that he’d lost the money they’d invested years ago. He talked about the struggles with his board and his difficulties with fundraising. He opened up about the years of his life dedicated to this one mission - to provide telemedicine to seniors - and the feeling of failure. The whole thing was cathartic, with some moments of laughter and levity, but it also sucked. Grief is a process, and this was just the beginning.
Not long before he shut down his company on May 17, 2019, Peck boarded a redeye flight from New York to San Francisco t…