# Sebastian Coates

> Sebastian Coates is the CEO and co-founder of Tellescope, a HIPAA-compliant, API-first patient communication and CRM platform used by more than 150 digital health organizations. A Tufts computer science and mathematics graduate who once wrote software for the Apple Watch and prototyped blockchain systems for clinical trials at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, he started Tellescope in 2020 with co-founder Derek Strauss to give telehealth companies a developer-friendly tech stack for managing patients across SMS, email, voice, and secure messaging. Notably, he has kept the company lean and profitable rather than chasing oversized venture rounds.

- **Role:** CEO & Co-founder at Tellescope
- **Organizations:** Tellescope, Apple, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Bank of America
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics, Tufts University, Mathematics (study abroad), University of Oxford
- **Known for:** Co-founded Tellescope, now used by 150+ digital health organizations, Selected for the UnitedHealthcare + Techstars 2020 accelerator cohort, Built a HIPAA-compliant, SOC 2-certified, API-first patient communication platform

## Career timeline

- **2017** — Summer Tech Analyst at Bank of America, working on trade finance innovation with machine learning and blockchain
- **2018** — Blockchain intern at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, applying emerging tech to clinical trials, where he met future co-founder Derek Strauss
- **2019** — Studied mathematics at the University of Oxford
- **2019** — Software Engineering Intern at Apple, working on the Apple Watch
- **2020** — Graduated from Tufts and co-founded Tellescope; joined the UnitedHealthcare / Techstars 2020 accelerator
- **2024** — Led a company-wide rebrand of Tellescope; partnered with Opkit on AI phone-call automation

## Achievements

- Co-founded Tellescope, now used by 150+ digital health organizations
- Selected for the UnitedHealthcare + Techstars 2020 accelerator cohort
- Built a HIPAA-compliant, SOC 2-certified, API-first patient communication platform
- Kept Tellescope profitable for multiple years with a small team
- Former Apple software engineer who worked on the Apple Watch
- Backed by StartUp Health, Techstars, UnitedHealthcare Accelerator, Labor Capital and VentureCEO

## Latest updates

- **2024-08** — Tellescope partnered with Opkit to bring AI-driven phone-call automation to digital health practices.
- **2024-04** — Coates led a company-wide rebrand of Tellescope, described as years in the making.

## Links

- Website: https://tellescope.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastian-coates/
- GitHub: https://github.com/tellescope

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/sebastian-coates
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-21