Jon Reifschneider
Trialogix – MICRO Fall 2025
Published June 10, 2026
As part of our ‘Meet Our Founders’ series today, we introduce Jon Reifschneider, CEO and Co-Founder of Trialogix based in Cary, NC. Trialogix is an AI-powered software platform that helps biotechs and CROs design more precise clinical trials, reducing cost and risk.
Q: What problem are you trying to solve and what influenced you to start your company?
A: Clinical trials are extremely lengthy and costly, with average costs in the millions to hundreds of millions (depending on trial phase). The risk is high, as >90% of new drugs do not make it through all three phases. A large driver of the high failure rate is poor design – the endpoints were not well structured to meet required levels to show efficacy, or inclusion criteria were set too tightly, leading to large delays and cost overruns in recruiting. We believe that there is a better way to design trials – by bringing in more data analysis and scenario modeling to optimize trial design. This is what we are doing with Trialogix.
Q: When did you know you wanted to take an entrepreneurial path?
A: I’ve always been entrepreneurial in the sense that I love creating things and find a lot of satisfaction in seeing people use them. I’ve built several software applications, some of which did well commercially and some of which did not. I also spent several years leading a division of a larger tech company, where I developed a better understanding of the sales and marketing operations required to successfully scale up a business. While I enjoyed the experience, I found that I get a lot more fulfillment in creating new things that did not previously exist and shepherding them into the world vs. managing products that already exist.
Q: What have you enjoyed most about starting your own company?
A: There are two things I love about starting my own company:
1) As mentioned in the previous question, I get a lot of personal satisfaction in seeing people use things that I create. Knowing that I am helping them do their job better or improve the quality of their life in some small way through something I made is very fulfilling.
2) I also love getting to know what people do and how they operate their workflows in a very detailed way. To create successful new software products, you have to intimately understand how people work. I find this process fun because I love to learn, and it’s a great opportunity to do so.
Q: What is one thing you wish you understood about entrepreneurship before you ever got started?
A: One thing I wish I had understood better is how to do “real” customer discovery. As an engineer I have a tendency to want to just build things and then go and show them to people to get feedback. I’ve learned that true customer discovery involves talking to people about their problems, not about solutions.
Q: What other passions do you have besides your business?
A: I am an avid runner, have two little boys that keep me busy, and am a faculty member at Duke Engineering (I love teaching).
While visiting Cary, Jon recommends:
- Get NC BBQ! We love Lawrence Barbeque.
Support Trialogix and Jon by:
- Please connect us with any contacts you may have who are involved with clinical trial design.
