Why we built Wellspring
Better treatments need better ways to reach people.
Wellspring grew from our regular consultations with doctors, pharmacists, and patients navigating changes in how care is delivered.
Doctors moving from hospital work into independent practice described the difficulty of comparing medication prices, choosing pharmacy partners, and building reliable ordering and payment workflows. Some were also fielding patient questions about treatment options beyond the scope of their original training.
Pharmacists described a different side of the same challenge. Their education had prepared them for the science and practice of pharmacy, but many told us it had offered little preparation for acquiring customers, running a business, and competing in a market increasingly shaped by telehealth and direct-to-consumer services.
Patients described being bombarded with online ads while struggling to understand which providers to trust and what their medications should cost. High retail prices led some to consider risky gray-market sources, while others paid more without knowing whether a suitable, lower-cost option was available.
Across those conversations, the same concerns kept returning: unclear pricing, fragmented information, difficult handoffs, and uncertainty about where useful guidance ended and a sales pitch began. There were capable clinicians, skilled pharmacists, and patients seeking care. They needed a more straightforward way to work together.
We built Wellspring to help make that possible.
Who we are
Research-minded, service-driven, and experienced in building businesses.
Wellspring’s founders bring together academic research, science education, community development, and entrepreneurship. We share a commitment to building businesses that help people flourish.
At Wellspring, we put that experience to work on the business, technology, and service surrounding care—working closely with the doctors and pharmacists who provide it.
Benjamin Schewel, PhD
Co-founder · Strategy and operations
Benjamin leads Wellspring’s strategy, operations, research, and technology development.
His academic career has included positions at Groningen, Virginia, Duke, Oxford, and Cambridge. He is an author published by Yale University Press and founded and co-directs the Center on Modernity in Transition (COMIT Research Center) and its publishing house, Pivot Press. His research interests include artificial intelligence and the future of human flourishing.
Alongside his academic work, Benjamin founded a real estate investment firm in Central North Carolina and has built an investment portfolio with a substantial focus on technology companies.
Nathan Glines
Co-founder · Practice and pharmacy partnerships
Nathan leads Wellspring’s relationships with practices and pharmacies, helping connect what practices need with what pharmacy partners can provide.
He brings fifteen years of experience in community health, science education, and organizational development. His work has included coordinating action research across North America and the Caribbean, with a particular focus on the southeastern United States, involving hundreds of local communities. He helped local teams develop leaders, learn from practical experience, and strengthen their ability to carry out community programs.
Alongside this work, he built and successfully exited a business spanning commercial real estate and event coordination.