How Kyle Hunt built Health Care Providers Association
As recent events have seen the healthcare industry succumb to immense pressure and under-resourcing, rapidly growing startup Health Care Providers Association is revolutionising the way individuals and businesses gain access to government grants and healthcare funding schemes at a critical time for Australia.
A recent study by PwC found that healthcare and social assistance workforce demand is expected to increase by 15 per cent over the next four years. These trends present critical challenges, predominantly for the nursing workforce, with an expected undersupply of 123,000 nurses by 2030.
Since its launch in 2018, Health Care Providers Association (HCPA) has offered significant funding solutions to this issue, connecting Australians with over $2.6 billion in funding to help their healthcare businesses succeed based on the current statistics.
A resource for healthcare providers, HCPA works to raise awareness of the funding and opportunities available across the NDIS, aged care, Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) sectors and wider. Acting as a consultancy, HCPA offers services and resources to support individuals in accessing this funding, in order to launch or grow their business, or purchase and build disability accommodation with the promise of strong returns.
In just three years, the business has witnessed significant growth – HCPA has expanded into a team of 30, is turning over more than $4.7 million yearly and has tripled its month on month revenue in the last three months alone.
Kyle Hunt’s journey
What makes this startup even more impressive is its 23-year-old founder, Kyle Hunt’s, journey to success. Kyle was raised in foster care and had lived with over 30 families by the age of 16. He then moved into a homeless youth shelter prior to finding and renting his own home, with government support. Juggling two jobs ensured he had his next meal on the table, but his education was a priority and despite his circumstances, this passion did not waver.
He persisted to achieve his dreams despite a multitude of setbacks, just some of those including sleeping on friends couches, moving homes and endless financial roadblocks. To overcome this, Kyle created his own Go Fund Me page which allowed him to purchase a car and enabled him to continue work and study. Each of these triumphs in the face of adversity assisted him in fulfilling his lifelong dream and his ability to continue leading a hugely successful business.
“I was always very driven to seek out a better life for myself – I had a passion for biology which led me to start a degree in nursing and take on the role of junior nurse at a local aged care centre while completing my studies,” said Kyle.
“With the assistance of government funding, I was able to pay for my textbooks and my uniform. My nursing salary was minimal but my desire to help people was being satisfied while working in palliative care, on placement.”
Realising the minimal funding wouldn’t be feasible long term, Kyle moved from regional NSW to Melbourne and after a fleeting sales role which ended in Kyle’s firing when he was found to be sleeping rough in his car, he turned his sites to creating procedure manuals for accessing government grants and funding schemes. In just four years, Kyle has gone from foster care to founder and is now giving back to the system that saved him.
“I had a lot of experience in assessing and accessing government funding schemes during my teenage years, and I saw a gap in the market for the provision of effective consultancy for others looking to do the same,” said Kyle.
A gap in the market
Now, HCPA offers education and assistance to healthcare providers, to aid them in accessing ongoing government funding to launch or grow their business. The company is also setting a new standard for property investment in the disability accommodation sector, by helping investors access relevant licensing in order to secure the best returns.
Through these support services, it is estimated that HCPA has changed the lives of millions of vulnerable people who were just like Kyle, along with the lives of the elderly, people living with disabilities and the wider vulnerable communities by working to increase the support services and amenities available to those who need it most.
Looking ahead, Kyle said HCPA is exploring vaccine licensing, following a rapid increase in demand. The company then has its sights set on international expansion, to broaden their impact on the healthcare sector.
“There is an incredible amount of government funding available to individuals, small businesses and investors in Australia and we’re really excited to continue providing that pathway for people to access it and realise their business potential,” said Kyle. “It feels great to know that, along with my team, I’m working to make a positive impact on the industries that supported me on the journey to where I am today.”