Biography:Albert Santalo

From HandWiki
Albert Santalo
BornAugust 19, 1967
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Miami
Florida International University (MBA)
OccupationComputer scientist, entrepreneur, technology executive
Known forFounding Avisena, CareCloud, 8base, Archie Labs, and Archie.com
Spouse(s)Rebecca Santalo

Albert Santalo (born August 19, 1967) is an American computer scientist and entrepreneur. He is the founder of Avisena, CareCloud, 8base, Archie Labs, and Archie.com, companies in healthcare technology and software development.[1][2] His companies have collectively raised over $200 million in venture capital.[3]

Forbes profiled Santalo as a serial entrepreneur with a distinctive approach of launching ventures during economic downturns and growing companies through disciplined capital deployment rather than aggressive venture funding, a model that diverges from typical Silicon Valley practice.[1] In interviews, he has described bootstrapping early-stage companies to preserve ownership and focus on product development before pursuing institutional funding.[4]

Early life and education

Santalo was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and moved to Miami, Florida, at age 11.[5][3] He is the son of Cuban exiles.[5] He graduated from Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, studied computer engineering at the University of Miami, and completed an MBA at Florida International University.[5][3]

In 2006, Santalo was inducted into FIU's Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame.[6]

Career

Santalo began his career as a software engineer at Financial Processors, Inc. (now part of Fiserv), working on data processing systems for banks and credit unions.[7] After completing his MBA, he joined Answerthink (now The Hackett Group) in 1997, a management consulting firm founded by former KPMG partners.[3][8] Answerthink went public on NASDAQ in 1998.[9] He served as a director in the IT Transformation and Strategy practice.[8]

Santalo's ventures have focused on healthcare administration, revenue cycle management, and software development.[1] He has remained based in Miami throughout his career; in 2017, the Miami-Dade Beacon Council cited CareCloud as an example of the region's tech ecosystem growth.[10]

Santalo is a contributor to Entrepreneur magazine.[11]

Companies

Companies founded by Albert Santalo
Company Founded Role Industry Description Status
Avisena 2001 Co-founder, CEO Healthcare IT Revenue cycle management Acquired
CareCloud 2009 Founder, Chairman, CEO Healthcare IT Cloud-based practice management Acquired (2020)
8base 2017 Founder, CEO Low-code development Developer platform Active
Archie Labs 2024 Founder, CEO AI/Software AI-driven services Active
Archie.com 2025 Founder, CEO AI/Software Idea-to-application platform Active

Avisena (2001–2008)

In 2001, Santalo co-founded Avisena, a revenue cycle management company for physician practices.[12] The company operated as a software as a service (SaaS) platform.[7]

Santalo is a named inventor on a U.S. patent for the company's accounts receivable management methodology.[8] Avisena grew to $16 million in revenue by 2008.[13][7] Santalo departed that year; the company was later acquired.[3]

CareCloud (2009–2016)

In 2009, Santalo founded CareCloud, a cloud-based healthcare technology company providing practice management and electronic health records software to medical practices.[2][14] The company launched the same year as the HITECH Act, which created federal incentives for physicians to adopt electronic health records.[15]

CareCloud raised more than $55 million in venture funding during Santalo's tenure as CEO. Initial angel investment of approximately $7.3 million in 2009–2010 was followed by a $20.1 million Series A round led by Intel Capital and Norwest Venture Partners in 2011, and a $29 million Series B round led by Tenaya Capital in 2013.[16][17][18][19]

In 2010, the company was a co-winner of IBM SmartCamp Silicon Valley.[20] In 2013, The Boston Globe published two staff-written articles profiling Santalo and CareCloud's growth, including the company's expansion to Boston and a $20 million funding round.[21][19]

CareCloud was ranked #127 on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies in 2014.[22][23] By 2014, the company served approximately 5,000 physicians and managed over $3 billion in annualized accounts receivables.[24][25][23] At its peak, CareCloud employed more than 300 people.[26]

In April 2012, Santalo was invited to the White House Rose Garden to stand behind President Barack Obama during the signing of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act and later appeared on PBS NewsHour with Jeffrey Brown, debating Professor John C. Coffee Jr. of Columbia Law School on the legislation's impact on startups and capital formation.[27][28][29] In April 2013, Santalo appeared on Fox Business to discuss cloud-based healthcare technology.[30] In October 2013, he appeared on CNBC to discuss healthcare technology trends following the launch of the Affordable Care Act.[31]

In 2015, Ken Comee, an investor and board member, was installed as CEO, while Santalo remained as board chairman and chief strategy officer.[26] Santalo departed the company's management and board in 2016.[26] By that time, the Miami-Dade Beacon Council described CareCloud as "a mainstay of the Miami economy with hundreds of employees."[10] The company was acquired by MTBC in 2020 for at least $36 million; MTBC subsequently adopted the CareCloud name, becoming CareCloud, Inc., after raising a total of $153.4 million in venture financing over its lifetime.[26]

8base (2017–present)

In 2017, Santalo founded 8base, a low-code development platform for building cloud-based software applications.[32][33] The platform, designed for professional developers rather than business users, was initially built to connect customers with software developers worldwide.[34][35][33] The company is headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida.[5]

In April 2022, 8base completed a $10.6 million Series A funding round led by Foundry Group, with participation from MongoDB Ventures and Techstars, bringing total funding to $15.3 million.[34] Clients have included IBM Global Services and NATO.[36][4]

In 2019, 8base was named Startup of the Year at the Startup Grind Global Conference and was selected for the Techstars Austin accelerator program.[37][38][39] In 2023, Business Insider listed 8base among "43 startups to bet your career on."[40] The company is unrelated to the 8Base ransomware group.[41]

Archie Labs (2024–present)

In 2024, Santalo founded Archie Labs, a company focused on AI-assisted software development.[8] The company developed Archie, an AI platform that uses generative AI to convert product ideas into specifications and designs.[42] The Archie platform was named a Top AI & Data Product at the 2024 Product Awards, presented by Products That Count.[42][43]

In 2025, Santalo founded Archie.com, Inc. as a separate entity offering an AI-based software development platform.[44]

Awards and recognition

  • FIU Charles E. Perry Visionary Award (2004)[6][3]
  • FIU Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame inductee (2006)[6][3]
  • Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Technology Entrepreneur of the Year (2010)[45]
  • IBM SmartCamp Silicon Valley co-winner (2010)[20]
  • South Florida Business Journal H. Wayne Huizenga Startup Award finalist (2012)[46]
  • Inc. 500 #127 Fastest Growing Private Company (CareCloud, 2014)[22]
  • EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 Florida finalist (Emerging category)[47]
  • Startup Grind Global Conference – Startup of the Year (8base, 2019)[37]

Personal life

Santalo resides in South Florida with his wife, Rebecca, and their four children.[2] Rebecca Santalo is the dance team coach and magnet dance director at Coral Reef Senior High School, leading the national champion Cudettes dance team.[48][49] His brother, Cesar Santalo, is a contemporary artist and dean of Lynn University's College of Communication and Design.[50]

He remains active in the regional startup ecosystem through mentorship, speaking engagements, and advisory roles, including serving as a mentor in the Techstars Miami program, a judge for youth entrepreneurship competitions such as the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship's LaunchED Challenge, a speaker at the eMerge Americas technology conference, and as a board member of Goodwill Industries of South Florida.[51][52]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dileep Rao (April 21, 2020). "10 Venture Lessons From Albert Santalo: A New Type Of Unicorn Entrepreneur With An Old Financing Model". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/dileeprao/2020/04/21/10-venture-lessons-from-albert-santalo-a-new-type-of-unicorn-entrepreneur-with-an-old-financing-model/. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "CareCloud Corp.". May 25, 2011. https://www.floridatrend.com/article/1960/carecloud-corp/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "Serial Success". https://sfbwmag.com/serial-success-2/. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Doreen Hemlock (August 25, 2021). "8base CEO Albert Santalo to expand low-code development product, 'from soup to nuts'". https://refreshmiami.com/news/8base-ceo-albert-santalo-to-expand-low-code-development-product-from-soup-to-nuts/. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Albert Santalo". March 11, 2019. https://coralgablesmagazine.com/albert-santalo/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame ceremony enjoys sweet success". June 1, 2006. https://biznewsarchive.fiu.edu/2006/06/entrepreneurship-hall-of-fame-ceremony-enjoys-sweet-success/index.html. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 "CareCloud: Company Overview". September 23, 2009. https://vator.tv/company/carecloud. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Albert Santalo". https://emergeamericas.com/conference-expo/speakers/albert-santalo/. 
  9. ↑ "A Calculated Risk". November 1, 2017. https://news.warrington.ufl.edu/alumni-friends/a-calculated-risk/. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Nancy Dahlberg (June 25, 2017). "Hatching a Tech Future: South Florida Startups are Gaining Strength". Miami Herald. https://www.beaconcouncil.com/media/employment-reports/2017/hatching-tech-future-south-florida-startups-gaining-strength/. 
  11. ↑ "Albert Santalo". https://www.entrepreneur.com/author/albert-santalo. 
  12. ↑ "Accounting RX". https://www.floridatrend.com/article/1223/accounting-rx/. 
  13. ↑ Nancy Dahlberg (January 12, 2014). "Q&A: CareCloud CEO Albert Santalo reflects on year of fast growth, looks ahead". https://miamiherald.typepad.com/the-starting-gate/2014/01/qa-carecloud-ceo-albert-santalo-reflects-on-year-of-fast-growth-looks-ahead-.html. 
  14. ↑ "HIStalk Practice Interviews Albert Santalo, CEO, CareCloud". February 1, 2012. http://histalkpractice.com/2012/02/01/histalk-practice-interviews-albert-santalo-ceo-carecloud/. 
  15. ↑ "Cloud-based health record company CareCloud reports tripling revenues". February 26, 2013. https://venturebeat.com/ai/carecloud-the-cloud-based-health-record-company-reports-tripling-revenues/. 
  16. ↑ Robin Wauters (January 19, 2010). "CareCloud Raises $2.3 Million For Web-Based Physician Practice Software Suite". https://techcrunch.com/2010/01/19/carecloud-funding/. 
  17. ↑ Alexia Tsotsis (October 4, 2010). "CareCloud Receives $5 Million In All Angel Funding". https://techcrunch.com/2010/10/04/carecloud-funding-2/. 
  18. ↑ "CareCloud Raises $20 Million to Support Continued Record Growth of Company's Cloud-Based Clinical and Financial Platform for Physician Practices" (Press release). Business Wire. June 18, 2013.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Chris Reidy (June 18, 2013). "CareCloud raises $20m for its electronic health records business". The Boston Globe. https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/06/18/carecloud-raises-for-its-electronic-health-records-business/Ng1RlAmpqpaWNqemAcxamM/story.html. 
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Alumnus's company named co-winner in national IBM competition". October 12, 2010. https://biznewsarchive.fiu.edu/2010/10/alumnuss-company-named-co-winner-in-national-ibm-competition/index.html. 
  21. ↑ Robert Weisman (March 12, 2013). "Florida firm expansion into Mass boosts electronic health records cluster". The Boston Globe. https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/03/11/florida-firm-expansion-into-mass-boosts-electronic-health-records-cluster/sEaDrsX2yQ5yjidP00nUVJ/story.html. 
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 "CareCloud". https://www.inc.com/profile/carecloud. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "15 things to know about CareCloud". July 31, 2014. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/healthcare-information-technology/15-things-to-know-about-carecloud.html. 
  24. ↑ "CareCloud CEO Albert Santalo Talks IPO and the EHR Market". March 10, 2014. http://thehealthcareblog.com/blog/2014/03/10/carecloud-ceo-albert-santalo-talks-ipo/. 
  25. ↑ "CareCloud to present on best practices for ICD-10 transition at MGMA 2014". October 22, 2014. https://www.healthcareitnews.com/press-release/carecloud-present-best-practices-icd-10-transition-mgma-2014. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 Nancy Dahlberg (January 10, 2020). "CareCloud sold to public healthcare IT company". https://refreshmiami.com/news/carecloud-sold-to-public-healthcare-it-company-for-36-million/. 
  27. ↑ "JOBS Act: Debating the Benefits for Startups, Risks for Investors". April 5, 2012. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/jobs-act-debating-the-benefits-and-risks. 
  28. ↑ "CareCloud's CEO: What does JOBS Act mean for South Florida?". April 2012. https://miamiherald.typepad.com/the-starting-gate/2012/04/albert-santalo-founder-president-and-ceo-of-miami-based-carecloud-a-fast-growing-and-leading-provider-of-cloud-based-pract.html. 
  29. ↑ "American Business Leaders Speak Out about the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act". April 20, 2012. https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2012/04/20/american-business-leaders-speak-out-about-jumpstart-our-business-startups-jobs-act. 
  30. ↑ "CareCloud CEO on Cloud-Based Approach to Health Care". Fox Business. April 30, 2013. https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/1638592290001. 
  31. ↑ "Getting Obamacare into the Cloud". CNBC. October 29, 2013. https://www.cnbc.com/video/2013/10/29/getting-obamacare-into-the-cloud.html. 
  32. ↑ "8base secures $10.6M to accelerate the growth of its low-code platform". April 5, 2022. https://refreshmiami.com/news/8base-secures-10-6m-to-accelerate-the-growth-of-its-low-code-platform/. 
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Rob Wile (March 28, 2018). "He created two high profile health tech companies. Now he's focusing on blockchain". Miami Herald. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/technology/article207207864.html. 
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Paul Gillin (April 5, 2022). "8base lands $10.6M for low-code platform for professional developers". https://siliconangle.com/2022/04/05/8base-lands-10-6m-low-code-platform-professional-developers/. 
  35. ↑ Sean Michael Kerner (October 19, 2019). "8base's GraphQL Back-End Platform Aids Low-Code Development". https://www.itprotoday.com/no-code-low-code/8base-s-graphql-back-end-platform-aids-low-code-development. 
  36. ↑ "Startup Offers Custom Software Platforms". May 7, 2021. https://coralgablesmagazine.com/startup-offers-custom-software-platforms/. 
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 "Startup of the Year Winner – Albert Santalo". https://medium.com/startup-grind/grind-startup-of-the-year-winner-exclusive-interview-with-albert-santalo-founder-ceo-of-8base-6048a257153c. 
  38. ↑ "Techstars Austin Announces Startups Selected for 2020 Accelerator Program". January 22, 2020. https://www.builtinaustin.com/articles/techstars-austin-2020-accelerator-program. 
  39. ↑ Michael Cronin (March 5, 2020). "Cronin's Office Hours: 13 small companies that could make it big". Austin Business Journal. https://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2020/03/05/cronins-office-hours-13-small-companies-that-could.html. 
  40. ↑ "43 startups to bet your career on in 2023". January 2023. https://www.businessinsider.com/startups-to-bet-your-career-on-2023-1. 
  41. ↑ "8Base Ransomware Group". https://www.checkpoint.com/cyber-hub/threat-prevention/ransomware/8base-ransomware-group/. 
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 "Archie Named Top AI & Data Product in the 2024 Product Awards" (Press release). PR Newswire. March 13, 2024.
  43. ↑ "Product Awards Winners 2024". https://productsthatcount.com/product-awards/. 
  44. ↑ "About Archie". https://www.archie.com/company/. 
  45. ↑ "Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce Names CareCloud CEO Technology Entrepreneur of Year". March 22, 2010. https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/it/greater-miami-chamber-commerce-names-carecloud-ceo-technology-entrepreneur-year. 
  46. ↑ "Building CareCloud Small Business Insights". https://latinbusinesstoday.com/building-carecloud-small-business-insights/. 
  47. ↑ "EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2014 Florida Awards". July 2, 2014. https://sbnonline.com/article/2014-ey-entrepreneur-year-florida-awards/4/. 
  48. ↑ Ari Odzer (October 5, 2015). "Coral Reef High School Ranked Among Nation's Top Schools". https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/coral-reef-high-school-ranked-among-nations-top-schools/50243/. 
  49. ↑ "South Florida dance mother, daughter duo bring home national championship titles". February 6, 2025. https://www.local10.com/news/local/2025/02/04/south-florida-dance-mother-daughter-duo-bring-home-national-championship-titles/. 
  50. ↑ Maeve McQueeny (February 20, 2024). "Alumnus's art captures the Cuban experience". https://news.miami.edu/alumni/stories/2024/02/cesar-santalo-profile.html. 
  51. ↑ "2017 Annual Report". 2017. p. 9. https://goodwillsouthflorida.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/2017Report.pdf. 
  52. ↑ Andrea Carneiro (December 6, 2015). "An Entrepreneurial Spirit". https://thefloridavillager.com/2015/12/an-entrepreneurial-spirit/. 



Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Biography:Albert_Santalo&oldid=4240105"