Client Spotlight: Christy Lee, co-founder of PatientCompanion
While volunteering on a med-surg floor, engineering student Christy Lee watched that scene repeat “literally every two minutes” and thought there had to be a better way. PatientCompanion is her answer: a tap-or-voice bedside tool that tells nurses exactly what a patient needs before they step inside the room, turning frantic guesses into focused care.
Christy Lee didn’t set out to develop software for hospitals and long-term-care homes. As a volunteer on a medical-surgical floor, she spent hours watching overworked nurses sprint back and forth to answer patient calls, only to discover that a patient simply wanted a blanket or a glass of water.
“I saw the nurses go to the patient room literally every two minutes because the call bell was ringing,” Lee recalls. “I thought, why can’t I build a tool that lets them know the request ahead of time before going into the room?”
That question took root in her final year at the University of Waterloo. Juggling capstone projects, six co-op terms, and pitch competitions, Lee began prototyping a solution that would streamline those constant interruptions.
The University of Waterloo is known for its support of student startups, something Lee experienced firsthand.
“We even had to reschedule our exams because we had to go to a pitch competition,” she says.
Building PatientCompanion
Her experiences as a volunteer led her to create PatientCompanion, a platform that replaces the one-tone-fits-all call bell with simple, accessible tech. Patients can either scan a bedside QR code or tap an always-on tablet pre-loaded with large icons. They specify “water,” “pain,” or “washroom,” and the request appears instantly on the nurse’s dashboard so the right person—nurse, PSW, or volunteer—arrives prepared.
The idea is deceptively simple: cut wasted trips, reduce response times, and give nurses back precious minutes in every shift.
A three-month commercialization project in late 2024 and early 2025 rolled PatientCompanion into three Ontario hospitals. The results were hard to ignore.
“We were able to reduce response times by almost 45 percent,” Lee says. “Patient satisfaction and ease of use were 100 percent in the hospitals.”
Nurses reported a measurable drop in perceived workload, and administrators saw happier patients and fewer hallway call-bell alarms. Those early wins opened doors to new conversations with community and children’s hospitals from Vancouver to New Brunswick. PatientCompanion has even attracted interest south of the border.
Powered by Waterloo’s founder network
Lee credits Waterloo Region’s tight-knit startup ecosystem for accelerating that momentum. PatientCompanion began its journey at Velocity, where healthcare advisors offered hard-won insight and warm introductions to pilot sites.
But when Lee spotted the Accelerator Centre’s AC:Incubate+ stream designed specifically for women founders, she jumped at the chance.
“The number one reason is the mentors. It’s the main help that we’re getting right now and it’s been super helpful,” she says.
Mentors Hannah Lau and brand coach Ellyn Winters-Robinson ran value-mapping workshops that sharpened PatientCompanion’s message for nurses, patients, and procurement teams alike.
Pitch mentor Melissa Durrell helped Lee prep for podcasts and media spots, an entirely new skill set for an engineer-turned-founder. Weekly cohort workshops provided an additional layer of peer support.
“We’re talking with other founders who’ve also experienced similar challenges, sharing ideas, and collaborating even though we’re not the same company,” Lee says.
Scaling smart, staying patient-centered
With proof points in hand, PatientCompanion is now focused on expanding its Canadian footprint, beginning with community and children’s hospitals that feel the staffing pinch most acutely.
The team has launched targeted campaigns on LinkedIn, Google, and Meta to reach U.S. hospital administrators while refining features based on frontline feedback.
For Lee, success isn’t measured in venture rounds or headline tech buzzwords. It’s the moment a nurse realizes she can finish a chart or grab a coffee because a routine blanket request was handled without a single wasted step. It’s a patient who feels heard the first time they tap for help.
“We want nurses across multiple hospitals to feel at ease at work, reduce workload, and bring better patient care,” Lee says.
The journey continues
PatientCompanion has been selected to participate in the new Sustainable Development Cohort of AC:Studio; an initiative focused on sustainable technologies that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Each selected company will receive up to $100,000 in seed funding, tactical product development support, marketing and UI/UX assistance, 1:1 mentorship, and access to a network of freelance experts to accelerate their path to market.
With AC:Studio, PatientCompanion will have the supports and funds needed to accelerate its goal of improving the lives of nurses and patients across Canada.