October 21, 2024
Leading By Example: Tristan Schukraft, MISTR
“Leading By Example” is a series from U.S. Business Action to End HIV highlighting inspiring business leaders accelerating progress toward an end to the HIV epidemic in the U.S.
This month, we are pleased to spotlight Tristan Schukraft, CEO at MISTR
Please include a brief bio, including a description of your current role.
I am proud to be the CEO of MISTR, a telemedicine platform dedicated to HIV prevention and long-term care. This innovative platform has provided essential healthcare services to over 396,000 patients across the United States.
In addition to my work in the healthcare sector, I have invested in a diverse portfolio, including Tryst Hotels, a collection of luxury gay boutique hotels that offer an upscale, inclusive experience for guests seeking high-end accommodations with a vibrant and social atmosphere. The Abbey, a staple in LA LGBTQ nightlife, and a recent investment in Fire Island commercial real estate are also in my portfolio.
My entrepreneurial journey is characterized by a blend of innovation, strategic acumen, and a genuine commitment to improving lives.
Why do you believe it's important for businesses to play a role in our nation's efforts to end the HIV epidemic?
It’s important for businesses, especially any business that touches the LGBTQ+ community, to make an effort in ending the spread of HIV. As a business we can make real changes, far more than someone on their own. This takes form in DEI initiatives, healthcare coverage, financial contributions, and our platforms. MISTR takes immense pride in our marketing because we are plastering social media and public spaces with the message of safe sex and HIV prevention - , breaking down decades of stigma.
What is MISTR most proud of so far about your work to address HIV?
One thing that we are proud of is the sheer number of people (over 396K) that we have gotten prescribed PrEP through our platform since 2018. Our ultimate goal is to eventually eradicate HIV, and this generation is the first generation that has the opportunity to do so with help from a company like MISTR. It’s been over a decade since the FDA first approved PrEP in unaffected adults. I strongly feel that we owe it to those who lived through the AIDS crisis and lost their lives and loved ones to take a proactive approach to our sexual healthcare.
Why is it important for MISTR to be part of HAA’s U.S. Business Action to End HIV coalition?
MISTR is an active member of the Health Action Alliance (HAA), which is aligned with our mission to end HIV/AIDS. Through U.S. Business Action to End HIV, MISTR has been able to partner with major corporations to educate their employees about PrEP and the importance of regular HIV testing, while fighting HIV stigma. This has also allowed MISTR to build stronger partnerships with other member organizations, like Walmart, to expand MISTR's reach to new populations.
MISTR is an innovative telemedicine platform working to expand access to HIV prevention services. What are some of the innovations or programs you've developed that you're most excited about?
MISTR recently announced a program with seven Walmart locations in Georgia in which customers are able to access MISTR’s at-home HIV testing kits at zero cost. Customers can simply walk into one of the Walmart locations, pick up a free kit from the pharmacy, test at home, receive their results from MISTR, and connect to care if needed. The CDC has called HIV in Atlanta an epidemic and one in 51 people in Atlanta may be living with HIV/AIDS at any given time, which is on par with some of the highest rates of HIV infections in the world. MISTR’s presence in this area is making a huge difference in accessing testing and ending the spread of HIV.
What advice would you give other corporate leaders considering taking action on HIV?
Just keep moving forward. We have made so much progress since the beginning of this epidemic, and if we continue to get people on PrEP, treat those who have been infected, and educate the public. I really do believe that we can stop the spread of HIV.
What personally motivated you to become involved in working to address HIV?
When PrEP first came out, there was so much uncertainty around it. What is it? How to get it? Will it even work? Slowly, as I learned more about it, I thought, “Why is everyone not taking this? We could end HIV right here and now.” I started to educate my friends about it and help them to get on PrEP. The more people I got to get on PrEP, the more it made sense to create something like MISTR, where people can easily get tested and prescribed to prevent/treat HIV. What started as a passion project eventually just snowballed into what MISTR is today, serving 396k patients across the country.
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This month, we are pleased to spotlight Tristan Schukraft, CEO at MISTR
Please include a brief bio, including a description of your current role.
I am proud to be the CEO of MISTR, a telemedicine platform dedicated to HIV prevention and long-term care. This innovative platform has provided essential healthcare services to over 396,000 patients across the United States.
In addition to my work in the healthcare sector, I have invested in a diverse portfolio, including Tryst Hotels, a collection of luxury gay boutique hotels that offer an upscale, inclusive experience for guests seeking high-end accommodations with a vibrant and social atmosphere. The Abbey, a staple in LA LGBTQ nightlife, and a recent investment in Fire Island commercial real estate are also in my portfolio.
My entrepreneurial journey is characterized by a blend of innovation, strategic acumen, and a genuine commitment to improving lives.
Why do you believe it's important for businesses to play a role in our nation's efforts to end the HIV epidemic?
It’s important for businesses, especially any business that touches the LGBTQ+ community, to make an effort in ending the spread of HIV. As a business we can make real changes, far more than someone on their own. This takes form in DEI initiatives, healthcare coverage, financial contributions, and our platforms. MISTR takes immense pride in our marketing because we are plastering social media and public spaces with the message of safe sex and HIV prevention - , breaking down decades of stigma.
What is MISTR most proud of so far about your work to address HIV?
One thing that we are proud of is the sheer number of people (over 396K) that we have gotten prescribed PrEP through our platform since 2018. Our ultimate goal is to eventually eradicate HIV, and this generation is the first generation that has the opportunity to do so with help from a company like MISTR. It’s been over a decade since the FDA first approved PrEP in unaffected adults. I strongly feel that we owe it to those who lived through the AIDS crisis and lost their lives and loved ones to take a proactive approach to our sexual healthcare.
Why is it important for MISTR to be part of HAA’s U.S. Business Action to End HIV coalition?
MISTR is an active member of the Health Action Alliance (HAA), which is aligned with our mission to end HIV/AIDS. Through U.S. Business Action to End HIV, MISTR has been able to partner with major corporations to educate their employees about PrEP and the importance of regular HIV testing, while fighting HIV stigma. This has also allowed MISTR to build stronger partnerships with other member organizations, like Walmart, to expand MISTR's reach to new populations.
MISTR is an innovative telemedicine platform working to expand access to HIV prevention services. What are some of the innovations or programs you've developed that you're most excited about?
MISTR recently announced a program with seven Walmart locations in Georgia in which customers are able to access MISTR’s at-home HIV testing kits at zero cost. Customers can simply walk into one of the Walmart locations, pick up a free kit from the pharmacy, test at home, receive their results from MISTR, and connect to care if needed. The CDC has called HIV in Atlanta an epidemic and one in 51 people in Atlanta may be living with HIV/AIDS at any given time, which is on par with some of the highest rates of HIV infections in the world. MISTR’s presence in this area is making a huge difference in accessing testing and ending the spread of HIV.
What advice would you give other corporate leaders considering taking action on HIV?
Just keep moving forward. We have made so much progress since the beginning of this epidemic, and if we continue to get people on PrEP, treat those who have been infected, and educate the public. I really do believe that we can stop the spread of HIV.
What personally motivated you to become involved in working to address HIV?
When PrEP first came out, there was so much uncertainty around it. What is it? How to get it? Will it even work? Slowly, as I learned more about it, I thought, “Why is everyone not taking this? We could end HIV right here and now.” I started to educate my friends about it and help them to get on PrEP. The more people I got to get on PrEP, the more it made sense to create something like MISTR, where people can easily get tested and prescribed to prevent/treat HIV. What started as a passion project eventually just snowballed into what MISTR is today, serving 396k patients across the country.
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