When Lisa Thomson joined the Female Founder Bootcamp, she already had something brewing. An idea that started (as most good ones do) from a problem close to home, literally.
Our conversation together started with Lisa setting the scene. For her family, Lisa’s dad lives in Perth with her and her brothers interstate. Their care coordination system? A colour-coded spreadsheet and an endless stream of phone calls. (The kind where someone inevitably says, “Wait, did anyone tell Dad about the appointment?”)
Out of this hamsterwheel of miscommunication, there had to be a better way.
So Lisa started building Harmonie Health, a platform that helps families and care teams stay connected and organised without losing the human touch.
When she entered the program, Lisa had already been deep in early prototypes and beta testing. What she was looking ironically became clearer during our chat: it was clarity. The right words to match the size of the idea.
“Even if I learn one thing, it’s worthwhile,” she said. “But this ended up being a real game changer.”
The shift came after a mentoring session with Rachel Tucker. Rachel helped her untangle the message and to articulate Harmonie’s brand in a way that finally clicked. Less corporate, more conversation.
Suddenly, people got it and proof arrived fast. At a casual coffee networking event (which Lisa remembers almost not attending), she signed up two new providers on the spot. No pitch deck. No big marketing push. Just a clear story over a cap with two sugars.
Harmonie isn’t theoretical for Lisa. It’s built from the emotional reality of caregiving and the stress, loneliness and logistics felt by families.
During one beta trial, they worked with a man living with Parkinson’s. After using Harmonie, he told Lisa, “I feel like you’ve woken me up from my slumber. I’ve got more control of my day and I know what’s going to happen.”
Lisa recalled at that moment she inhaled, slowly. This really hit.
Since then, Lisa’s put her foot on the gas - pitching publicly for the first time (and already signing up for more opportunities). “I never thought I’d do that in a thousand years,” she said. “But now I’m actively looking for more ways to push myself.”
Now, Harmonie is gearing up for its next big step: building out a more robust MVP and piloting with several new providers, including one that connects into a major home care channel. It’s the kind of progress that comes from staying focused, asking good questions and keeping the mission close.
Lisa says the Fellowship’s sessions on founder mindset and investor readiness were game changers too. Lessons from investor, Kate Herbert, and Investment Manager at Startmate, Ben Simai helped her start thinking not just as a builder, but as someone shaping a company that could scale, raise capital and still stay true to its why.
Ask Lisa what’s next, and she doesn’t give you startup buzzwords. She just smiles and says, “Head down. Keep building. Get it into people’s hands.”
Learn more about Harmonie Health
