From Sidewalk Conversations to a Life-Saving Solution: The CheckMySpot Story

Sometimes, the need for a solution shows up and becomes impossible to ignore. For Elizabeth and Mike Webb, it showed up on sidewalks, in grocery stores, and around town in Florence, Alabama, where people would stop them in public to ask about suspicious spots on their skin. Mike, a board-certified dermatologist and Mohs surgeon, had spent 30 years treating patients in North Alabama. He had also seen the consequences of delayed care up close: skin cancers that might have been caught earlier, treated sooner, and become far less serious. But with dermatologist shortages and long wait times, many people simply could not get answers fast enough. In their Florence clinic, patients sometimes waited as long as 12 weeks for an appointment.

This was a growing need that had to be addressed.

When telehealth began expanding during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Webbs saw an opportunity to do something practical and potentially life-saving. They created CheckMySpot, a hybrid mobile app designed to help people get potentially serious skin lesions evaluated and get treatment sooner. What started as a response to a real healthcare gap became a mission-driven business built in the Shoals.

For Elizabeth, the company’s roots in Florence are part of the story. She and Mike have lived there for 30 years. They built their dermatology practice there, raised their children there, and chose to launch their next chapter there too.

“The Shoals felt like the natural choice,” she said, pointing to a community where neighbors show up, leaders make introductions, and people rally around ideas that solve real problems.

Like many entrepreneurs, the Webbs did not build alone. In the early days of CheckMySpot, the Singing River Trail Launch Tank competition became a turning point. At the time, the company was still young, and the learning curve was steep. But stepping onto that stage helped sharpen their message and strengthen their confidence. More than that, Singing River Trail Launch Tank opened doors. As Elizabeth put it, “Launch Tank was a catapult—connecting us with people who were not only willing, but genuinely excited to help us move our mission forward: getting serious skin cancers to treatment sooner.”

Since then, the company’s journey has taken them far beyond what they expected. They’ve made podcast appearances in New York City and attended national conferences and client meetings across the country. CheckMySpot has also earned national recognition, including Innovator of the Year at the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchasers Coalition’s Annual Forum. But at its heart, the company remains focused on one simple goal: helping people get care sooner. Perhaps that is what makes the CheckMySpot story so inspiring for other founders in North Alabama. Elizabeth offers this reminder: “You don’t have to be early in your career to build something meaningful.” In a region where innovation and community go hand in hand, CheckMySpot is proof that a powerful idea can grow from local experience and become something that changes lives.

Learn more about CheckMySpot