• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less

1

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic

2

The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting

3

Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
TechStartups & Venture

How a pharmacy delivery startup has capitalized on the coronavirus pandemic

Jeremy Kahn
By
Jeremy Kahn
Jeremy Kahn
Editor, AI
Down Arrow Button Icon
Jeremy Kahn
By
Jeremy Kahn
Jeremy Kahn
Editor, AI
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 21, 2020, 10:30 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Like many people, Nicholas Potts feels as though the coronavirus has warped time—that he’s lived months in days.

For Potts, the founder and chief executive of ScriptDrop, a technology company that enables pharmacies to deliver prescriptions to customers’ homes, the coronavirus pandemic has meant a sevenfold increase in order volumes—and the execution of a multiyear business plan in just six weeks.

Potts founded ScriptDrop in 2016 in the not-so-trendy tech hub of Columbus. The company sold software to pharmacy networks and established integrations with the prescription-management software pharmacies use to run much of their business. The company partnered with specialized courier services, all of whose drivers had to be compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), for same-day delivery. ScriptDrop charged the pharmacy a fee for each delivery, which the pharmacy either passed on to the consumer or chose to absorb.

ScriptDrop was growing rapidly, Potts says, but it was a strictly business-to-business company. It didn’t have a consumer-facing app or interface—although one was on the company’s long-term road map, Potts says: “We had built a pilot app and tested it about six months ago. But we weren’t planning on rolling it out yet.” With ScriptDrop’s B2B model growing so quickly, there seemed little reason to complicate life with a consumer-facing service.

Then the coronavirus pandemic hit. Suddenly a trip to the pharmacy, an essential journey for those with chronic health conditions, became potentially fraught with peril. And with social distancing measures taking effect, more and more pharmacies wanted to offer home delivery. In addition, busy pharmacists wanted to make it simpler for a patient to initiate a delivery request, rather than relying on the pharmacy to inform the customer about the service.

So ScriptDrop accelerated its business plan, sprinting to put in place a consumer-facing ordering system. “It has been a lot of long days and long nights for a lot of the team,” Potts says.

In the end, he says, the company decided against making its already built pilot app the centerpiece of its new consumer-facing offering. Instead, patients can just text the word “deliver” to a number on their phone—helpful for older people who might not be proficient at installing apps—and walk through a series of messages that will route their order to whichever pharmacy the patient wants to use.

Patients provide their prescription and insurance information, make their co-payment, if needed, and pay a delivery fee. For most addresses in the U.S., ScriptDrop can provide same-day delivery if an order is placed before 11 a.m.

In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the company has instituted a nationwide pricing plan: $8 for same-day service, as long as the pharmacy is within five miles of the delivery address. “Ninety-five percent of the country lives within five miles of their pharmacy,” Potts says. As before, the fee is charged to the pharmacy, which can pass it on to the customer or absorb it.

The company contracted with UPS and FedEx to handle deliveries nationwide for less time-sensitive prescriptions, and has expanded its network of HIPAA- compliant local couriers. It’s even started helping courier companies screen prospective applicants for jobs as drivers. “We now have 15,000 drivers available, and we’ve had thousands of drivers apply through our website,” Potts says.

ScriptDrop gives the pharmacies special packaging for prescriptions, with an outer label containing only the patient’s name and address, preserving their privacy. If there’s room in the package, Potts says, pharmacies can include over-the-counter medication or other items in an order, too.

Before the outbreak, ScriptDrop required its couriers to view a patient’s identity documents, like a driver’s license, and to get a signature. Now it allows it couriers to simply place a prescription on a doorstep or front porch—although they still ensure someone is there to pick up the package, usually coordinating with the recipient by phone.

In this time of explosive unemployment, Potts has spent many of the past few weeks hiring. At the beginning of the pandemic, the company comprised 90 workers—but Potts says he thinks ScriptDrop will employ double that number within five weeks. Its order volumes have already surged at least 600%, and he says he expects another 200% to 300% increase in the next month. The company had expected to achieve $30 million in annual sales this year, but now Potts thinks the figure may be even higher.

To date, ScriptDrop has raised $26 million in venture funding, from backers that include angel investors, the Ohio Innovation Fund, and Chicago-based venture capital firm M25.

Potts thinks one benefit of the pandemic is that it may persuade tech investors—particularly those in Silicon Valley, who often insisted they would only invest in companies in their backyard so they could have lots of face-to-face contact with the founding teams—to look farther afield for promising startups.

“I think the fact that everyone is having to work remotely is going to make investors more comfortable with people outside the traditional tech hubs,” he says.

More must-read tech coverage from Fortune:

—As businesses adapt to remote work, tech isn’t their biggest problem
—Thermal-imaging tech is on the rise. Can it help fight the coronavirus?
—More surveillance and less privacy will be the new normal after the coronavirus has been contained
—AMD CEO Lisa Su on supercomputing and leading a global company through a pandemic
—Listen to Leadership Next, a Fortune podcast examining the evolving role of CEOs
—WATCH: Best earbuds in 2020: Apple AirPods Pro vs. the Sony WF-1000XM3

Catch up with
Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily digest on the business of tech.

About the Author
Jeremy Kahn
By Jeremy KahnEditor, AI
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jeremy Kahn is the AI editor at Fortune, spearheading the publication's coverage of artificial intelligence. He also co-authors Eye on AI, Fortune’s flagship AI newsletter.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Lux Capital cofounder Josh Wolfe’s limited-odds, high-stakes 2027 predictions
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Lux Capital cofounder Josh Wolfe’s limited-odds, high-stakes 2027 predictions
By Allie GarfinkleJune 25, 2026
2 hours ago
Micron drives global rally tech stock rally as traders abandon their fear of an AI bubble
InvestingMarkets
Micron drives global rally tech stock rally as traders abandon their fear of an AI bubble
By Jim EdwardsJune 25, 2026
2 hours ago
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman (left) and Broadcom CEO Hock Tan holding their new AI chip, “Jalapeño.” (Photo courtesy OpenAI)
NewslettersFortune Tech
OpenAI and Broadcom’s AI chip has a name: Jalapeño
By Andrew NuscaJune 25, 2026
3 hours ago
What bubble? JPMorgan says the $5.5 trillion AI capex explosion is profitable–for now
AIFinance
What bubble? JPMorgan says the $5.5 trillion AI capex explosion is profitable–for now
By Sheryl EstradaJune 25, 2026
3 hours ago
Jen Wong, chief operating officer at Reddit, speaks during the OMR digital and marketing trade fair
Big TechReddit
Reddit COO targets 1 billion users as internet’s ‘odd duck’ aims for new heights
By Sam BirchallJune 25, 2026
3 hours ago
Man in a suit and tie
InvestingAmazon
Bill Ackman, David Tepper, and other billionaire fund managers are quietly piling into Amazon
By Amanda GerutJune 25, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
Success
Now worth $200 million, Sarah Jessica Parker credits being ‘one of eight kids that struggled financially’ for her hunger, ambition, and work ethic
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 24, 2026
1 day ago
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
Economy
The Pentagon said Iran War costs $29 billion, but the real cost is closer to $200 billion—and counting
By Jacqueline MunisJune 24, 2026
1 day ago
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
Retail
Amazon's record Prime Day masks a darker truth: Americans are spending more and getting less
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
22 hours ago
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
Asia
Ray Dalio just finished a 10-day trip to China. He says global leaders know America ‘doesn’t have what it takes to fight to maintain its empire’
By Nick LichtenbergJune 24, 2026
23 hours ago
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
Success
After forcing workers back to the office, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase are now letting their staff work remotely—but only for the World Cup
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 23, 2026
2 days ago
Trump’s international student crackdown kicked off a domino effect that could shave nearly $500 billion off the economy
Economy
Trump’s international student crackdown kicked off a domino effect that could shave nearly $500 billion off the economy
By Tristan BoveJune 24, 2026
18 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.