Jean Pierre LeJacq and Brad Kain, co-founders of the cloud-based case management software startup Salus CM, are seasoned innovators in the technology industry. With a track record that spans tech consulting, information management, and media analytics, the pair have consistently focused on creating impactful solutions across sectors.
Now with Salus CM, they’ve turned their attention to the social services space—developing intuitive, accessible software designed to support the professionals addressing some of our country’s most pressing social challenges.
The platform streamlines workflows and simplifies complex caseload management, empowering social service workers to focus more on the people they serve and less on administrative burdens.
From Quoin to Salus CM
The framework for Salus CM dates back to well before the startup’s 2024 founding. In fact, it came about more than a decade ago when Quoin—LeJacq and Kain’s separate software consulting firm that builds custom applications and provides IT services—partnered with UNICEF. Around 2012, Quoin responded to a request for proposals from the U.N. for a global child protection case management system. Their proposal was selected, kicking off what would become a long-running collaboration with UNICEF.
Over the following years, Quoin led the design, development, deployment, and ongoing support of the platform they called Primero, working closely with UNICEF teams and partners around the world. What began as a complex software project evolved into a mission-critical system that now supports child protection work in over 100 countries.
With more than 14,000 active users, the platform has helped over two million children affected by war, displacement, natural disasters, and other humanitarian emergencies.
Primero has played a vital role in humanitarian responses across the globe—from the Syrian refugee crisis and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa to typhoons in Southeast Asia and the ongoing war in Ukraine. In each of these situations, case workers have relied on the platform to track vulnerable children, coordinate with partner organizations, and guide interventions that often span months or even years.
About two years ago, Kain and LeJacq, along with their sponsors at UNICEF, recognized that the case management platform they had built—Primero—needed a new funding model to ensure its long-term sustainability. To meet this need, they launched Salus CM, a domestic for-profit company built on the same framework that had already been successfully deployed worldwide.
How Salus CM works
Salus CM operates with official sponsorship from UNICEF and maintains a “contributions in kind” partnership, continuing to support and enhance the global platform while expanding its reach into new markets.
Salus CM manages the full case life cycle from intake to closure. Social service workers generally use the platform on a daily basis, as their main way to track each of their cases.
For example, say a caseworker encounters a homeless individual. They might begin by recording essential details like age, background, and family situation in Salus. From there, the caseworker would begin trying to connect the individual to local resources, like temporary housing or healthcare services—with the Salus database on hand to help.
Over the course of a case, Salus tracks the progress of the individual, making sure the caseworker never misses a step and is able to provide the best possible support for an individual.
In many instances, Salus is the first digital tool a caseworker has used to tracking cases, so it’s designed to be simple to use and easy to onboard. The platform is flexible, offering pre-configured workflows based on the social service a client is providing.
Given that the social services space is one dotted with nonprofits and governmental organizations that typically lack extra cash, Salus is also aiming to be affordable.
“We want to make this accessible to small nonprofits that are both not technical and also have to be careful of where they spend their money,” LeJacq said, “We have to make it make sense for them financially.”
QUICK BITS
Startup: Salus CM
Co-founders: Jean Pierre LeJacq, Brad Kain
Founded: 2024
Team size: 8
Location: Davidson, NC
Website: salus-cm.care
Funding: $8M-plus in non-dilutive funding; $400K raise for $1M raise
Salus CM is currently being used by 14 clients in just its second year. In Kansas City, a client uses the platform to provide support for unwed mothers. Another nonprofit uses the system to track and report child labor incidences in the coffee and cocoa supply chains in South America.
The Salus team is focused on gaining market traction in the coming years, as well as establishing itself as the go-to case management system for social service organizations of all types and sizes. The company aims to grow revenue and deliver strong returns for investors, while maintaining its commitment to UNICEF by supporting the ongoing stability of Primero through in-kind contributions.
“The main goal is helping case workers provide services to people that really need help”, LeJacq said.
