This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with returning guest Dr. Christina Henderson, CEO and founder of Reliable Residence.
Since previously appearing on the show earlier this year, Henderson has officially launched the Reliable Residence platform, which helps traveling medical professionals and students find temporary housing.
She shares an update on the startup business’s progress so far, as she grows the team and improves technical development.
“We’re still trying to expand our reach, you know, particularly health care professionals hearing about us, seeing how we operate,” she said. “And trying to do kind of an all-in-one, streamlined method. So right now our travelers get screened off of our platform, but we would like to move towards, you’re screened from the get-go and every property is instant-book.”
She says that would speed up the process for users looking for last-minute stays. This approach could pull information from their contract with the employer to avoid repeat background checks, among other changes.
“It would be a much more efficient process for them, much less of a headache,” she said. “And so it would give them all of those options on our platform, really at the touch of their fingertips.”
Another potential change to the model could include eliminating deposits by taking on an insurance policy as a company, so its clients wouldn’t need to exchange a deposit every few months.
“This would be a huge win for them, because it saves them again, time, money and kind of that mental capacity of keeping track of what deposit is where as they’re rotating throughout the country,” she said.
Henderson also shares her vision for the future of the company, building on the momentum established in the Madison area.
“We do plan to move to areas like Marshfield, Gundersen, Eau Claire, and then eventually outside of the walls of Wisconsin,” she said. “So really our intent is how can we fix the housing crisis for all medical students and travel nurses, of course starting locally here in Madison.”
Listen to the podcast below, sponsored by UW-Madison.
