One of the greatest advantages of being part of a thriving startup ecosystem is the opportunity to build alongside other founders who understand the challenges (and opportunities) of scaling a company. That spirit of collaboration is on full display through a new partnership between Embarc Collective member company Compass Health, co-founded by Rafael Fernandes, and MediMotos Co, a healthcare transportation company founded by Desiree Lazaro, who also founded Embarc Collective member company Motiq Technologies.

The collaboration brings together two companies working to solve different, yet deeply connected, challenges within the healthcare experience. Compass Health is transforming care coordination by helping patients navigate complex healthcare journeys through personalized support, physician referrals, appointment coordination, and ongoing advocacy. MediMotos Co complements that mission by addressing one of healthcare’s most persistent barriers to access: reliable medical transportation. After building and operating the company for the past year, Desiree developed MediMotos through firsthand experience in the care coordination space, creating a technology-enabled transportation solution designed to help patients get to the care they need while generating valuable operational insights that continue to shape the company’s future innovation.

Together, the partnership creates a more seamless experience for patients by connecting care coordination with dependable transportation—two services that are often managed independently but are critical to improving health outcomes. By combining their strengths, Compass Health and MediMotos Co are demonstrating how collaboration between early-stage companies can create greater value than either organization could achieve alone.

The partnership also reflects something bigger than the companies themselves. At Embarc Collective, we believe that density matters. When ambitious founders build alongside one another, relationships naturally evolve into customer introductions, strategic partnerships, pilot opportunities, and commercial growth. Over the past year alone, multiple collaborations have emerged from within our ecosystem, creating new distribution opportunities and accelerating growth for startups across a wide range of industries.

As one of Florida’s leading startup communities, Embarc Collective is intentionally designed to foster these kinds of connections. By bringing together exceptional founders, experienced operators, investors, and industry partners under one roof, we create an environment where collaboration becomes a competitive advantage—not just for individual companies, but for the broader innovation ecosystem.

Congratulations to Rafael Fernandes, Desiree Lazaro, and their teams on this exciting partnership. We look forward to seeing the impact Compass Health and MediMotos Co will create together and to celebrating many more founder-to-founder collaborations that continue strengthening Florida’s startup community.

Join the Community

Interested in joining a community of founders, builders, innovators, and startup teams?

Explore membership and learn more about becoming part of Embarc Collective: https://embarccollective.com/explore-membership/