Summary: 

On October 22, the CDC reported that an outbreak of E. coli infections was connected to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers, leading to recalls of their quarter pound beef patties and fresh slivered onions from supplier Taylor Farms in several states. This outbreak has spotlighted the importance of food safety for restaurants and food services companies and has reminded us of an interview from earlier this year with food safety expert, and CEO & Founder of PathSpot, Christine Schindler. This is a timely episode and, whether you caught it when it originally aired or are listening now for the first time, one you won’t want to miss.

In an industry booming with customer-focused innovations, it's crucial not to overlook the backbone of an enterprise. Today's guest created a groundbreaking technology that prioritizes health and safety for both customers and in-house staff and is a critical asset for hospitality businesses as a whole. 
 

We're sitting down with Christine Schindler, who is CEO and co-founder of PathSpot, a technology company dedicated to protecting businesses and their customers from the threat of food borne illnesses and outbreaks.
 

An engineer and entrepreneur who is passionate about utilizing technology to overcome gaps in healthcare, Christine invented PathSpot's hand scanner in 2017, following a transformative educational trip to Mount Kilimanjaro. The scanner instantly detects carriers of harmful contamination commonly spread through poor handwashing. PathSpot has now broadened its safety suite to include a comprehensive range of back-of-the-house digital health and safety tools that track temperature, expiration, and more. 
 

Christine has a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering and Global Health from Duke University. Prior to founding PathSpot, she assisted with biomedical research for Engineering World Health at Mount Kilimanjaro and spent two years on the innovation and M&A team at Cigna. In addition to PathSpot, Christine is Founder and CEO at Girls Engineering Change, a non-profit focused on increasing female representation in STEM. She was also featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2021 and Hospitality Technology's Top Women in Restaurant Technology in 2023.

Highlights:

·       Christine's background in healthcare and public health (4:30)

·       Christine describes the entrepreneurial influence that motivated her (5:30)

·       The a-ha moment for PathSpot's hand scanner technology (6:20)

·       How the hand scanner technology works (8:12)

·       How PathSpot found and targeted their audience (9:22)

·       Brands that PathSpot works with (10:24)

·       Christine describes PathSpot's safety suite of services and data platform (11:30) 

·       The pandemic's impact on PathSpot's newly founded business (13:01)

·       PathSpot's economic model (14:29)

·       How PathSpot uses their data bank as an ROI feature for businesses (15:36)

·       Christine explains the data PathSpot technology detects, and how businesses can utilize it (17:17)

·       How PathSpot maintains legal regulation and brand compliance (20:07)

·       PathSpot's areas of focus for the new year (21:23)

·       Christine's perspective on the society's mindset on health and safety conditions, post-COVID (22:03)

·       PathSpot's goals and trajectory over the next 10 years (23:13)

Links:

Christine Schindler on LinkedIn

PathSpot on LinkedIn

PathSpot Website

ICR LinkedIn

ICR Twitter

ICR Website

Feedback:

If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, [email protected].