You likely had several options — why did you choose Commure?
Prachi Shah, Head of Product (MS Computer Science): I’ve long been passionate about the intersection of healthcare and technology, where innovation can drive meaningful change. Prior to Commure, I founded a startup that applied VR to brain surgery planning and worked at Google Health on AI-driven disease diagnosis. Yet the most significant impact of my career has been at Commure. The company’s speed, deep customer focus, and commitment to solving critical healthcare challenges have enabled me to help turn ambitious ideas into solutions that meaningfully support both clinicians and patients.
Shreyas Basavaraj, Technical Operations Manager (MS Engineering Design ‘22): I came across Athelas (Commure) when I watched a Y-Combinator Interview with Tanay Tandon and Garry Tan. It was such a powerful run-down of everything they were trying to do (back then). I was so inspired to see Tanay’s journey as an entrepreneur over the years that I immediately applied & really hoped I would get a call back!
Vincent Chang, Software Engineer (BS & MS Materials Science ‘22): Coming out of Epic, I knew the healthcare industry was incredibly complicated and that I wanted to continue to work to attempt to make it an easier space to navigate. Commure’s goal of simplifying the healthcare space aligned with my goals.

How did CMU prepare you for working at Commure?
Prachi: Carnegie Mellon prepared me by giving me both technical depth and a builder’s mindset. The rigorous computer science program taught me how to break down complex problems and design scalable systems, while the collaborative, entrepreneurial environment encouraged me to take ownership and move fast. Those lessons translate directly to Commure, where we’re solving some of the hardest problems in healthcare.
Shreyas: CMU prepared me through challenging technical and product-development courses, fast-paced deadlines, and collaboration with peers from diverse backgrounds—engineers, designers, and business leaders. Working across disciplines taught me how to navigate different perspectives, drive cross-functional conversations, and align on solutions. This experience strengthened my communication and problem-solving skills, which I now apply daily when working with customers, engineers, and product and operations leaders at Commure.
Vincent: CMU pushed me to be a good problem solver and taught me how to tackle any problems that came my way. Working at Commure feels similar in many ways. The day-to-day tasks are an ever-changing list of challenges, but what makes the work here rewarding is knowing that these challenges are faced by real users.
What excited you most about our mission or team when you were deciding where to go?
Prachi: What excited me most was the caliber of the team. From the very beginning, it was clear that Commure had assembled some of the brightest, most driven people I’d ever worked with. Everyone here is deeply committed to solving hard problems in healthcare, and the level of collaboration is unlike anywhere else. I knew that joining this team would push me to grow and allow us to achieve things that wouldn’t be possible alone.
Shreyas: I was immediately drawn to the team's audacious goal of revolutionizing the legacy healthcare industry. Seeing such a forward-thinking vision championed by a young and energetic team was incredibly motivating.
Vincent: Commure’s emphasis on speed was very enticing to me when I was deciding on where to go next. I wanted more direct customer impact and I wanted to be able to solve the small problems as they came up. I also wanted quick decisions and quick solutions, rather than getting bogged down with never-ending discussions on theoretical issues.

How did you weigh Commure against more “traditional” post-grad options (e.g. big tech)?
Prachi: I actually worked in big tech, at Google, and enjoyed my time there, but decided that working at start-ups is a better fit for me. I thrive in smaller, high-growth environments, where you wear multiple hats, every day is different, and you do whatever it takes to get things done.
Shreyas: I’d worked for 4 years in MNCs (Oracle Health, KPMG) and as I came to grad school, I was really interested in exploring startups in the Bay Area, as it’s possibly the best tech ecosystem in the world. I really wanted to work in lean organizations to be able to own, grow, and take on big projects.
Vincent: Coming out of ‘big tech’ at Epic, Commure was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a faster-paced environment and Commure’s value of speed above all else really resonated with me. I had been on trips shadowing healthcare users and seeing issues, but being unable to fix them with any urgency was disheartening.
What is something you are really proud of accomplishing?
Prachi: I’m proud of our entire product portfolio! Our revenue cycle product processes 10 billion dollars worth of claims yearly. Our Ambient product supports 10 million appoints yearly, which is 1% of all appointments in the US. Our Strongline product protects over 250,000 nurses from duress events and our patient experience product produces 100 million yearly patient touchpoints. Such scale and impact coming from one startup is something we should be extremely proud of.
Shreyas: I am really proud to have led the scaling of ops for a core RCM offering, Automated Patient Eligibility. This involved wearing a lot of hats flying out to meet customers to understand their pain points, growing comfortable with the ambiguity, and building infrastructure to support a growing team.
Vincent: I’m most proud of being able to solve customer issues quickly. A notable example is being able to push fixes out overnight during a two-day onsite trip and seeing users immediately using the new feature the next day.

What would you tell another CMU student considering Commure today?
Prachi: There are a lot of different products you could be working on. Why work on ad optimization when you can save lives?
Shreyas: Pick Commure if you want to take on ownership of solving problems from the ground up from Day 1. You will meet incredible talent who inspire you, make good friends, and get to be part of making healthcare better!
Vincent: No matter where you start working, there will be a learning curve transitioning from academia to the workforce. Commure is a great place to start because you’ll get a lot of opportunities to grow fast and exhibit your skills early, all while tackling real-world problems.
Interested in a career building the next generation of healthcare technology powered by AI? We are always looking for talented people across our departments.