HBCU Founders Accelerator Spring 2025 Cohort Spotlight: Meet Dr. Judith Bowman and Ollie Howie from DocTalk (AI Regent)
This Spring, we launched the fourth cohort of the HBCU Founders Accelerator Program. Over the next several weeks, we’ll be shining a spotlight on the remarkable founders and their entrepreneurial journeys. Meet Dr. Judith Bowman and Ollie Howie from DocTalk (AI Regent).
Can you tell us a little about your background and what inspired your entrepreneurial journey?
Dr. Judith Bowman: My work in program planning and implementation as Hampton University’s first female student government president is what initially inspired my entrepreneurial journey. I created the “Save Tunica Campaign” to assist in raising $150,000 to help build a local store in Tunica, Mississippi (which was the poorest county in America outside of a leper colony in Hawaii). While we raised a portion of the money during my tenure as Hampton’s student leader (along with leaders from Norfolk State University), we raised the remaining amount during my tenure as Harvard’s Harambee president, where we enlisted the support of Yale’s Pax Christi organization. After collaborating with local Tunica organizations, we eventually secured $150,000 in matching funds from USA for Africa and built and stocked a small store in the White Oak subdivision of Tunica, Mississippi. Working alongside community leaders, student leaders, boards of trustees, and grant writers during my mission work in Tunica initially inspired my journey of program planning, implementation, and evaluation, along with a standard of excellence.
Ollie Howie: I’m a venture capitalist, operator, and founder who’s spent the past decade backing and building companies that close structural gaps in healthcare, fintech, capital, and opportunity. I studied economics at Harvard and later helped lead a $100M Softbank-backed fund and a $25M Bank of America-backed fund, but I’ve always believed in starting from the ground up — especially with underestimated founders. What inspired my journey was seeing firsthand how inequities in systems—from health access to venture funding—hurt real people. I knew I wanted to build the solutions myself.
What problem is your startup solving and what inspired you to tackle this issue?
Dr. Judith Bowman: Doc Talk (AI Regent) is solving challenges for both patients and healthcare providers. For patients, Doc Talk gives them access to a medical professional within 24 hours. For healthcare providers, Doc Talk offers an increase in their two greatest resources: time and money.
Ollie Howie: Doc Talk (AI Regent) is solving a crisis of access: Patients struggle to find culturally competent doctors, and providers lose time and revenue navigating fragmented systems. We use AI to help doctors get paid faster, patients get booked sooner, and clinics operate more efficiently, starting with FQHCs and urgent care. We aid them in increasing productivity and revenue. The inspiration came from the Robinhood EIR program, where we talked to dozens of Medicaid patients and heard their pain, seeing my own family face challenges navigating care, and from our team’s past work inside a healthcare system, where they witness that often the most vulnerable get left behind.
What have been some of the biggest challenges you have faced while building your startup, and how did you overcome them?
Dr. Judith Bowman: Two of the biggest challenges we have faced are establishing credibility and ensuring HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, a 1996 Federal law that restricts access to individuals’ private medical information) compliance. Since establishing credibility is part of the landscape of start-ups, we have included testimonials in our decks and continue to increase our number of providers and patients. Since some providers and clinics are initially concerned about patient privacy, we have endeavored to lead with our commitment to HIPAA compliance.
Ollie Howie: Building trust with providers while navigating complex regulatory and reimbursement systems was a steep climb. We overcame it by staying close to the problem: interviewing over 100 clinicians, hiring mission-aligned advisors, and iterating quickly based on real-time provider feedback. The biggest lesson? Listen to your customer and solve problems that they actually encounter.
What has been your proudest moment so far?
Dr. Judith Bowman: Personally, my proudest moment is working alongside Ollie Howie, who is a fine example of ethical, creative brilliance.
Professionally, my proudest moment was when we engaged our first doctor and our first clinic.
Ollie Howie: Our proudest moment was signing our first paying Medicaid-serving clinic — and seeing patients book appointments on our platform within days. It validated that we weren’t just building tech or creating revenue, but restoring dignity to people who are too often ignored by the system.
Where do you see your company in 5 years and how do you see it impacting your community?
Dr. Judith Bowman: I see Doc Talk as a household name and the number one health care solution in North America for both patients and providers. The impact on the community will be tremendous and have ripple effects. From the patient who had to wait outside in the cold in long lines in urban areas to the patient who had to travel more than 50 miles for care, the timeliness and customization of care will give patients quicker access and a more peaceful experience. From the individual doctor to the large clinic and huge hospital, health care providers will save time and money with Doc Talk. This will give them more time to spend with their patients, families, and on their own well-being. The time and money Doc Talk saves medical professionals and institutions will make their lives easier, less stressful, and more meaningful.
Ollie Howie: In five years, I see Doc Talk powering the digital front door for community clinics across all 50 states, helping millions of underserved patients access high-quality care. We’ll have built the connective tissue between Medicaid patients and culturally competent providers, while creating new income for small practices and jobs in underserved communities.
What led you to become interested in Nex Cubed? What resources do you believe will be most helpful?
Dr. Judith Bowman: I initially became interested in Nex Cubed because of their commitment to underrepresented founders in general and HBCU students and alumni in particular. As a founder who lived on the campus of an HBCU (Hampton University) for the first 9 years of my life and was reared by a father who worked there for more than 40 years and served as CIAA president (where we traveled to most of the other HBCUs), I am deeply grateful to Nex Cubed for their commitment to the founders and for their collaboration with the Blackstone Charitable Foundation to engage HBCU interns. Nex Cubed’s warm introductions to key decision makers in health care would be most helpful.
Ollie Howie: Nex Cubed’s mission to uplift underrepresented founders — especially from HBCUs — immediately resonated. We were drawn to the community, mentorship, and healthcare expertise that Nex Cubed brings. The access to strategic partners, investor readiness training, and go-to-market support will be game changers for Doc Talk. We have already gotten amazing advice and advisors that have helped us grow revenue 20%+ month over month.
What is the most valuable lesson you have learned as a startup founder so far?
Dr. Judith Bowman: I have learned to listen more and to work tirelessly.
Ollie Howie: Speed is important, but trust is everything. You can’t shortcut trust with your users, your team, or your investors — especially in healthcare. Building trust earns you time, feedback, and forgiveness, and those things are the real currency of an early-stage founder.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking to make their mark in the industry?
Dr. Judith Bowman: Find something you are passionate about by asking yourself: “If money, time, space and other people’s opinions did not matter, what would I do?” Be ethical, believe in your dream, and go do “it” with everything you have.
Ollie Howie: Solve a real problem. Stay close to your customer. Don’t build what’s impressive — build what’s necessary. Your background doesn’t have to be traditional, but your execution has to be exceptional.
What advice would you give to other HBCU entrepreneurs around fundraising?
Dr. Judith Bowman: Public speaking is a gift and an art. Practice a 15-second, 30-second and 60-second elevator pitch. Practice. Practice. Practice.
A person’s name is the sweetest thing to them. Remember people’s names by associating them with another person you know with the same name or by associating them with a key feature they may have.
Be genuine. Be yourself. Believe in yourself.
Ollie Howie: Don’t just pitch investors — position yourself as someone who can return a multiple of capital. Know your numbers, show traction, and bring credibility early by surrounding yourself with great advisors. And don’t be afraid to build something first — let the product be your proof.
What is one word to describe your journey so far?
Dr. Judith Bowman: Fascinating
Ollie Howie: Relentless
Where can readers/listeners/viewers learn more about your business?
Learn more at https://doc-talk.org
Follow us on LinkedIn: Ai Regent
Or connect with me directly at linkedin.com/in/olliebhowie