Meet David Yourgrau

Q: David, you are a co-founder and COO of Stack, a local life sciences company. What does Stack do?

Stack is a Boston-based company that helps hospitals and research centers like Dana Farber or Boston Children’s Hospital run clinical trials more smoothly and include a wider range of patients. In simple terms, we build tools and training that help the people running clinical trials do their jobs better and spend more time focusing on patients.

Q: What inspired you to start it? 

I never set out to start a company—especially not in the life sciences world. Originally, my co-founder and I were focused on education. We created programs that helped adults learn tech skills like web development and data analysis, and we partnered with colleges in areas that don’t always get access to those kinds of opportunities.

What pulled us into healthcare was personal. My co-founder had once participated in a clinical trial that really helped her—but as a person of color, she was hesitant at first because of the history of how some communities have been treated in medical research. It wasn’t until she met a clinical trial worker who shared her background that she felt comfortable participating. That experience, combined with everything we saw during the pandemic, opened our eyes to how important clinical trials are—and how many challenges still exist in making them fair and effective.

Q: AI is everywhere these days -- can you describe how it is helping Stack achieve its mission? 

AI can mean a lot of things, so we try to keep it simple. At Stack, AI is there to help—not replace—people. The idea is to make clinical trial workers’ jobs easier so they can spend more time caring for patients instead of searching through documents or trying to find answers.

Our tool works a lot like ChatGPT, but it’s built specifically for clinical research. It only includes trusted information, like training materials we create, hospital policies, and official guidelines from organizations like the FDA. Everything is carefully reviewed, so workers know they can rely on it. Think of it as a smart assistant that helps them get quick, accurate answers without the stress.

Q: How does Stack has help your clients be more successful?

We work with major hospitals and research centers, both locally and across the country—places like Boston Children’s Hospital, Dana-Farber, Yale Cancer Center, NYU Langone, and others.

These organizations rely on large teams of people behind the scenes to run clinical trials. Our tools give those workers a safe, easy way to find information, ask questions, and get up to speed quickly. On top of that, our training programs help hospitals bring in more people from different backgrounds and support them as they grow in their careers. The result is stronger teams and better-run trials.

Q: What's your vision for the company five years out, and what are the key challenges you face to getting there?

In five years, I’d love to see Stack used at every major academic medical center in the country. Our bigger goal is to help clinical trials better reflect the diversity of the real world—so the patients involved look more like the communities we all live in.

One of the biggest challenges is that healthcare research is very tightly regulated, which is important for safety and ethics. But it also means it can be hard to access information and build new tools quickly. Navigating those rules while still innovating is one of our biggest ongoing challenges.

Q: Ok let’s turn to you! What drew you to Watertown to live? 

We wanted an area that had the attractions of a big city with the quiet and feel of a suburb. Plus, it has a thriving and growing life sciences industry!

Q: What do you enjoy most about living here?

The incredibly interesting and friendly people, the diverse selection of restaurants, and the beautiful and accessible green spaces.

Q: If you could improve or change one thing in Watertown, what would it be?

My dream would be for Watertown to have a T stop!

Q: Outside of work, what hobbies or passions do you have? What helps you recharge after a busy week building a startup?

My wife and I recently welcomed a baby girl, so she takes up most of our time right now! However, when I have a break, I love running on the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway, playing tennis at Arsenal Yards, hiking, and trying out a new local restaurant. I also enjoy watching the local Boston teams, checking out a new book at the Watertown library, seeing a movie at the Arsenal Yard movie theater, and going to a concert at Boston Landing.

Q: Can you share a fun fact about you?

I came from a very theatrical and musical family (my father was a playwright and my mom ran our church theater program). So while I rarely miss a Patriots or Celtics game, I also have a full songbook of show tunes memorized. Many of them, I couldn’t even tell you what play they are from!