Dr. Ikenna Okezie is Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Somatus, a $2.5 billion market leader in value-based kidney care. His healthcare start-up is based in Virginia United States and is set to revolutionize the way kidney disease is managed and treated.
According to Shoppe Black, a leading curator of black businesses globally, Somatus was founded in 2016 and has grown to become a leader in kidney care with a focus on prevention and enabling patients to take better control of their health.
Background
Dr Ikenna Okezie was born in Nigeria but moved to the United States at the age of two. He was raised in Detroit and his attraction to medicine was influenced by the fact that his father and elder brother are physicians. But his close-knit family has always encouraged him to widen his net and go into business.
He majored in Economics at Yale, where he graduated cum laude before moving to Harvard Medical School in 1994. He earned high honors and honors in all clinical rotations.
Three and a half years into his medical degree, he followed his passion for business by applying for the Havard Business School where he was accepted and his journey into health-related business started.
What to Know
Over 37 million Americans have chronic kidney disease, underscoring the potential need for Somatus and room for expansion.
As of 2022, Dr Ikenna Okezie was valued at $250 million when his company Somatus was valued at $2.5 billion during a successful series E funding.
Somatus was named among the 10 healthcare companies to hit a $1 billion valuation in 2022.
