Jacob Laufer

Jacob Laufer, senior VP of strategy for ShiftMed, loves a challenge. He entered the staffing field as a financial analyst at Snagajob just five years ago. After a career transition to product management supporting hourly workers and home healthcare, Laufer wanted to fix the disconnect between healthcare providers seeking extra work and employers needing nurses. That led to co-founding ShiftMed in 2018. ShiftMed is an online platform that matches nurses to healthcare providers looking to fill shifts.

“There’s someone always out there looking for work, but there’s too much friction to discover them,” he says. “We saw companies innovating in on-demand services like food delivery and Uber. We created ShiftMed out of that.”

Since its 2018 launch, ShiftMed has logged more than 100,000 app downloads. This year, it anticipates it will serve 35 to 50 markets and staff more than a million hours.

“Innovation is something that is near and dear to my heart,” he says. “I think there’s inefficiency in healthcare and so many opportunities to provide the best outcomes in care for patients and residents, while at the same time lowering the cost.”

Another innovation Laufer is proud of is one that addresses nurses’ discontent at the rate of shift cancellations. “Someone would claim a shift and make arrangements to get childcare or eldercare, only to have their shift canceled.” Guaranteed Shifts pays the employee even if the shift is canceled. “These shifts are 25% more popular with our employees, and they translate into savings for our customers.”