Cory Easton: How Confidio Founder Got 19 Offers & Nailed His Business Exit | Ep 010 | 05-29-2025
What happens behind the scenes when you pick up your prescription? Cory Easton pulls back the curtain on pharmacy benefits managemen, healthcare’s complex middleman industry that determines what you and your employer pay for medications.
In this conversation, Cory shares his remarkable journey from being employee #500 at Express Scripts to watching it grow to 35,000 employees managing $110 billion in pharmacy benefits. The turning point in his career came when his boss tore up Cory’s compensation request after a major sale and doubled the amount, teaching him a leadership lesson that would guide his future: “I can take better care of you than you can take care of yourself.”
This philosophy inspired Cory when he and his partner Scott Vogel founded Confidio, targeting the underserved small-to-mid-sized company market. Their partnership thrived despite a 14-year age gap because of shared values and mutual respect. “Everything’s easy when things are going well,” Corey reflects, “It’s when things get tough” that partnerships prove their worth. Their commitment to bootstrapping the business and hiring only “A-plus players” helped them reach #81 on the Inc 5000 list before a successful exit that garnered 19 acquisition offers.
Now, through his family office White Whisker Companies and philanthropic initiatives, Cory focuses on sustainability and legacy. He’s established an educational program at the University of Maryland and created an endowment funding 500 scholarships to introduce students intentionally to an industry most professionals enter “through the back door.” His story demonstrates that entrepreneurial success depends on people, passion, and intention. These are principles that continue guiding him in his post-exit chapter.
