HealthTech Hustle

“Never lose that childlike quality of having an active imagination and knowing that something can fail but you will pick yourself up again and you will make it and succeed.”- Liesel Vaidya [25:17]  What is your background? [00:52]  Liesel and Madison founded Leda Health Company which was formerly called MeToo Kits Company in 2019. It initially started with a do-it-yourself examination kit designed for victims of sexual assault which can be utilized at the safety of your homes.  As advocates against sexual assaults, they pushed to make a difference in the lives of other people who went through or could still be going through these ordeals.  All they needed was a clear view of how much attention is needed in this field and how lacking the system is in the area of innovation and technology that can aid the survivors in knowing what courses of actions they can take to redeem themselves from the injustice they suffered. Using their expertise in technology and epidemiology, they teamed up and innovated on a kit that can be used to collect evidence, gather data and report from the survivor with utmost confidentiality, and make assessments on the  information that have been collected. The kit has undergone several upgrades and further innovations and is still currently being polished using both software and hardware technology to ensure a more holistic approach to sexual assault treatment will be covered.  How did they identify the problem in the healthcare system and the first steps they took to offer solutions? [12:58]   They found out there wasn’t much of a resource available to help and get a jumpstart on the courses of actions a sexual assault survivor should take. There was no application or technology available that could help them report the incident and be attended to as fast as it happened, capture evidence in a more timely manner, and record in confidence all the information documenting the incident. They both decided to innovate using this experience and came up with a technology that offers an easier and more convenient way for survivors to handle the experience they had to go through, on a more holistic level.  How did you get the word out about your company and reached the people you wanted to reach? [05:37]  They utilized technology to raise awareness to the media, and sent an email to the president of universities. They combined their skills and expertise, and reached out to people highlighting the value of their product and what it can do to help solve the identified problem.  What are the obstacles they encountered and what steps did they take to overcome them? [17:12] Fundraising has been a great obstacle for them and the only reason they had been successful was because they have failed a lot of times. They focused on the thought of fundraising and reviewed the cases of individuals who have higher standing in life in the financial aspect. They agreed that some of the wealthiest men happened to be not the best kind of people. After these well off individuals have been isolated and made it on their list, they spent 90% of investment calls painting a story to these individuals and most often got their buy in because of these painted stories.  How did they earn the trust of people on their product? [10:49] During the initial launch of the sexual assault assessment kit, there were a lot of skepticism about the product and the company even received a cease and desist order stating that they are practicing unfair trade and the tool lacked credibility to be used as evidence in the court. Liesel and Madison defended their product and made further enhancements involving hardware and software technology to ensure the collection of evidence is done thoroughly, flawlessly, and accurately. More so, it covers all the other aspects that a normal process cannot cover because the survivors feel more confident and at ease using the kit instead of taking the risk to rehash the incident in person to a person they don’t feel comfortable relating the details to.   What advice will they give to their 20-year-old selves? [27:48] Follow your guts when you meet people and understand who’s good and who’s bad. Think of life as half of a coin and imagine the best version of yourself and then be that person.   Liesel Vaidya and Madison Campbell  answer the rapid-fire round of questions. [26:18] Subscribe to the podcast:Apple Podcastshttps://apple.co/2x0G3UmSpotifyhttps://spoti.fi/3dVzK4X Connect with me:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RodneyHuJRInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/_jrboii_Twitter: https://twitter.com/RodneyHuJrLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodney-hu-ab7a0a16a/
 Relevant Links:Leda Health LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ledahealthLeda Health Website: https://www.leda.co/Leda Health Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ledahealthcoLeda Health Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ledahealth/Leda Health Twitter: https://twitter.com/ledahealthcoLiesel Vaidya LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lieselvaMadison Campbell LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madisonacampbell  

“If you really want to get into the healthcare industry, instead of thinking of ways on how to fix a problem, start thinking of ways to prevent those problems.”- Irewole Akande [26:01]

What is your background? [00:50] 

Irewole came from Abuja Nigeria, and came to the US to pursue engineering along with a dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur and inventor. 

He was taken by the number of cold cases Americans are reporting each year and internalized on the value of hygiene like proper hand washing as the best preventive measure to address this increasing number of cases.

He met Ibraheem Alinur who was to become his business partner and together they innovated on a specialized sink that aims to teach people how to wash their hands properly. They further developed this product by doing diligent research on various handwashing practices.  

He co-founded City Health Tech, a healthcare company that aims to develop products using technology that intends to build a community of healthier citizens and with a current goal of mitigating the spread of infectious diseases like the COVID-19.

Opal, the device that goes hand in hand with the faucet and sink is used to offer users a how-to guide and techniques on proper handwashing. 

How did he identify the problem in the healthcare system and the first steps he took to offer solutions? [03:57]  

It started with a friendly call out from a friend about not knowing how to do proper hand washing. Along with it are the nagging thoughts of how large the numbers that could be impacted if only individuals are observing proper hygiene procedures and have better education about the best techniques to clean the hands and how to build on that practice without feeling like it’s a mandatory routine. He worked with a partner, did a lot of research and utilized his background in engineering and developed an interactive device that gets people to immerse themselves in the whole handwashing process.

How did you get the word out about your company and reached the people you wanted to reach? [10:23] 

He went out to the community and connected with people. He presented his ideas, got into conversations with people from office bases, restaurants, schools and corporate spaces, and made sure to be clear on his goal to let people know he cares about them. He and his team also did outbound calls, catered to inbound inquiries, and networked via social media to let their products be known by the people who are looking for it.

How did he put his team together? [07:50]

He worked with an engineering team, met together constantly to talk about the product designs, brainstormed about how they can make money and what are the things they can do next after successfully completing one project. 

How did he overcome the problems that he encountered as an entrepreneur? [21:55]

The biggest challenge he faced is the difficulty to build his own venture as an entrepreneur while being a foreigner with a black skin. He had to work full time jobs while working on his business while working on his visa. He had to go the extra mile by going back to school which was the easiest way to secure his visa and worked to earn a living and sustain the needs for the products he was building.

How did he earn the trust of people on his brand? [17:09]

He made sure the products he built are not just ideas and promises of good things to come. He dedicated time and effort on the products to make sure their features are visible enough for the people who need it and that it can really solve their problems. He performed tests to guarantee outstanding quality and really immersed himself into the process of understanding the actual problem. 

What advice would he give to his 20-year-old self? [28:53]

Do it. That idea you’re thinking of,  do it. That thing you are working on, work on it. Spend all the time, extend all the effort. Work on it, meet people, pitch it. Do every single thing to make it work because there's no better time than now to do something. 

Irewole Akande answers the rapid-fire round of questions. [27:56]

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Relevant Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CityHealthTech/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cityhealthtech/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cityhealthtech?lang=en
Irewole Akande LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irewoleakande
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cityhealthtech

“Every problem can be solved. There are always ways to solve the problem. You may not always like those options but there are options.”- Ann Garnier [18:06]

What is your background? [00:45] 

Ann has been in the healthcare industry for 25 years before she started her own company, Lisa Health. She was an entrepreneur, an executive, and advisor to companies that are involved in femtech healthcare technology. 

When the demand to improve the technology dedicated to women’s health started to grow, a lot of women joined the bandwagon and stepped up to take part in this revolution. Ann decided to make her own mark during this transition and that’s when Lisa Health came into fruition. 

There has been a massive need for information on how women can navigate through the menopausal stage with more ease. Ann personally experienced this need. She utilized the same method she’s been using to create healthcare products to come up with a solution that can address her need for information and knowledge about how women can live healthier, happier lives despite the pains and discomfort of menopause. 

Lisa Health has been utilizing technology to create awareness, disseminate information, and connect women who are in the same life stage to deal with it together, learn from one another and be each other’s solid rock of support. 

Menopause has a huge impact on the lives of women and it is important for every woman to have access to credible sources of information that can offer a better understanding of how to manage the changes that comes with this stage. 

How did she identify the problem in the women's healthcare system and the first steps he took to offer solutions? [03:35]  

She reached the menopausal phase of her life and because of the changes happening in her body, she had to reach out to a doctor for help on how she can deal with the pain points better. That was when she realized there isn’t really much help she can get because menopause is one of the many under-served aspects of a woman’s life stage, particularly in the category of healthcare. She took matters into her own hands by doing her own research. She applied the years of training in creating healthcare products successfully to come up with a solution with the use of technology. She started tracking her observations using a spreadsheet and experimented on health products and lifestyle changes and has garnered positive results. 

How did you get the word out about your company and reached the people you wanted to reach? [13:15] 

She utilized social media, particularly Facebook and Instagram, to spread the word and made sure that the brand resonates.  She used these platforms to connect to people, to educate and offer empathy, and made sure the contents are interesting enough, are credible, and are educational.

How did she put her team together? [10:05]

Her experience in research taught her the importance of having a team who can work well together and win together. She had that in mind in choosing who to work with. Because of the kind of work they have to do, it was also a critical consideration for her to hire a team who has the same perspective in technology and have enough experience, skills, and knowledge in healthcare and femtech. 

How did she overcome the problems that she encountered as an entrepreneur? [17:38]

She believes that starting your own company is like a roller coaster and all entrepreneurs have their own highs and lows. She gave high regard to having a positive mental attitude, and operate with optimism. She is aware of the fact that there will always be problems and obstacles to deal with but all these problems have solutions. The solutions may or may not appeal to you but they are available.

How did she earn the trust of people on her brand? [15:44]

The contents she presented are research-based and evidence-based. She spent time creating these contents and made sure they’re different from those that are commonly available in social media. The facts being posted mostly came from experts who have done their homework, and have dedicated a fair amount of time doing research before sharing what they know to the people. That’s how she’s earned the credibility to be a solution provider to women who are having difficulties dealing with menopause.

What advice would she give to his 20-year-old self? [22:20]

Travel outside the country, travel as much as you can. That’s the best way to broaden your horizon and perspective. That’s how you can get in touch with that part of yourself that you’ll never come to know if you didn’t travel. 

Lisa Health answers the rapid-fire round of questions. [19:34]
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Relevant Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisahealthapp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisahealthapp/?hl=en
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LisaHealthApp
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/42326628/admin

“...you have to start with the endgame in mind, and it works back from that. If you do that, and you execute properly and fill in all the space you need with good people, you will be successful.”- Robert Niichel [21:47]

What is your background? [01:04]

Bob started out in the pharmaceutical space and spent several years working on the delivery system of prescription drugs and medicines. With the fast emergence of  wireless technology, he saw the potential of it moving further forward and that’s when the idea of SmartTab was conceived. He built this company as a platform technology designed to enhance the delivery system of prescribed drugs and medicines by utilizing wireless technology.  

The idea is to have a basic platform and out of this base, multiple technology platforms branch out and communicate to one another wirelessly to several target areas using an electronic system. Patients ingest a capsule and this capsule is released to target areas to treat specific diseases by releasing active ingredients. The goal of this technology is to make patients and medical workers' jobs easier and more efficient. 

It has been a prevalent concern about how untimely intake of prescribed drugs is causing more problems in the health of patients and is an impediment to the desired time of recovery from diseases. The capsule platform becomes a breakthrough solution to address this concern.

With COVID on the rise, this technology is a timely and reliable aid that is sure to offer huge support not only to the patients but more so to the health care workers who mostly got their hands tied on treating patients while adhering to precautionary and safety measures. 

How did he identify the problem in healthcare and the first steps he took to offer solutions? [03:58]  

He noticed that larger companies lack innovation and are being left behind in the area of technology revolution as more and more people focus on bringing innovative solutions to the market. Being in the pharmaceutical space, he used a combination of the skills he has - Science skills, business skills, and pharmaceutical skills to bring innovative technologies to the market. He saw this as an opportunity to start his own company. He went outside the pharmaceutical space and leveraged on technology to start on a company that allows people to live better lives. 

How did you get the word out about your company and reached the people you wanted to reach? [07:02] 

He joined different health care conferences and conventions and when COVID hit, he used LinkedIn and other social media platforms to promote and market his company’s missions and services. He and his team collaborated on creating content and posts to create awareness and simply to educate the patients on how their company can add value to their lives. 

How did he put his team together? [17:48]

He looked for people on start-ups who have the mindset that he has and people who can figure things out. He chose people who have the attitude that is hands-on, and with lots of initiative. He believes that having this kind of person when your company is only starting is critical because they will attract people who are similar. He hired people very much like himself. People who live up to the mission and vision of the company.

What are some of the problems that he faced as a CEO? [14:21]

Being a CEO requires wearing different kinds of hats. There are a lot of things on his plate that he needed to spend time on. The challenge is being bogged down by the details that eventually distracts him and makes him lose sight of the most important things. 

What advice would he give to people who want to start their own company? [22:52]

You will have internal failures. Things don’t go your way sometimes and so you adjust. Don’t look at it as failure, look at it as a learning experience. Move on because at the end of the day, how well you can learn from those that don't work is what matters. Take those learning experiences. The faster you can move and adjust the better. 

What advice would he give to his 20 year old self? [27:30]

Set your goals high, set a plan and strategy to execute on your goals and obtain your goals and get what you want. Just make sure everybody else gets what they want first.

Robert Niichel answers the rapid-fire round of questions. [26:36]

Subscribe to the podcast:
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Connect with Robert:

Website: https://www.smarttab.co/
Podcast: https://podcast.smarttab.co
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Veloce_SmartTab
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-niichel-54a48038/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/16154037/

“...It’s not the lack of data, it’s the ability to gain insight from that data that has always been a challenge.”- Suprit Patel [20:18]

Transitioning from the financial services to the healthcare tech industry [0:59]

He started in financial services after college but the bank he worked for in New York was shifting to Delaware and he did not want to go there. He switched jobs to a company that was doing research, healthcare, and tech in Washington DC. He has stayed in the healthcare IT world since then (the early 2000s) developing and designing new products for hospitals and health systems market and eventually started his own business serving healthcare clients. He recently started working in the data security space with Ionic as they look to expand into the healthcare vertical. 

Empowering healthcare startups to safeguard their data. [3:10]

The last few months have shown that people are willing to take control of their healthcare experience, including their data. They’re willing to communicate through virtual health platforms to providers- using the internet and telemedicine. Consumer habits are what the healthcare has seen during the Coronavirus period. Ionic empowers new companies, app developers, health systems, and medical device manufacturers to engage with people at a higher level where they produce products and services that benefit the people while safeguarding their data. 

The importance of data security [4:59]

Ionic came up with a powerful solution that ensures the security of startups’ data and information as they develop technology in the right way. That is why he ended up there to help the healthcare vertical in something he sees as necessary. The distribution of the workforce today needs data secured so that those that need the data have it and those who don’t want. 

Why healthcare tech companies need data security [8:16]

He goes out there to talk to people and present them with the idea of Ionic. He also looks for ways that can help organizations to acknowledge that they need Ionic solution as part of their going forward. They look for new content to make the program better and show healthcare companies their need for data security. 

How to use valuable content as a marketing tool [12:10]

They have a very talented and diligent team that is always outing rich content. They put out content that helps them stay in front of the client when they cannot physically be there which has helped them gain a lot of traction. They want to provide value to clients and potential ones.

The operational challenge of data security in healthcare tech [15:17]

Traditionally, he believes that the people in the art development community were the ideal data security clients since it all about cloud migration. But he sees that in healthcare, it is an operational issue and not just an IT issue. 

How to market to healthcare tech companies [16:37]

They have to bring more technical demos when having initial conversations with their clients. They give the client the technical presentations to show them why the program might be the right fit for their success. They support the client in the transitioning process and the onboarding of the program. And that is the team on that funnel that gets the messaging right to the clients (the marketing).

How to analyze and protect data in the digital world [20:03]

There is no shortage of data and there’s going to be more but the ability to gain insight from that data is the challenge. There’s a need to come up with ways to analyze the ever-increasing amount of data and be able to tell a story from that data and use that to fuel growth and make decisions, especially in the healthcare world. 

The challenge of educating clients before marketing and selling to them [22:48]

Healthcare has different sets of regulations which is a challenge as compared with other industries. Healthcare was also not as forward in adopting some cloud-based technologies which give them the responsibility of educating clients what they do. 

What you need to succeed in healthcare tech industry [24:30]

He advises learning what healthcare organizations are going through in the field that you would want to fulfil the need. Know that healthcare is unique and needs a certain level of expertise to understand the audience since they’re always going to be reluctant. Find people that understand vertical and provide educational information to your audience.

Subscribe to the podcast:
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Connect with Suprit:

Website: https://ionic.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suprit-patel-a752914/

“Don’t try to be everything to everyone, focus on who your customer is.”- Ryan Whitham [10:33]

The importance of being diverse-skilled co-founders [1:06]
He has a background in user experience and graphic design and has always been a creative person who
likes solving problems. He started in agencies after school and worked in a large bank in Canada. He
then switched into a product manager which was more challenging with a lot more responsibilities. He
later partnered with two more people to go do his own startup. They each had different skills which
included his design, tech, and healthcare because that was a great combination for the startup.

How to manage a product [2:29]
He takes care of the higher-level executive responsibilities and all aspects of the business. He, however,
takes a seat in the product management and design. He ensures that the product is taking the right
direction, it is solving people’s problems, and it is getting better.

How to validate an idea into a business [3:27]
One of his co-founders worked in the pharmaceuticals and had noticed a problem with people dealing
with too many systems. It was just an idea and did not know how to validate it form start to finish. He
read a book written by Google investors where he actualized the step by step idea in a boardroom with
five people. At the end of the day, they discovered that the problem would be solved by software. He
describes the process of how they scaled that hypothesis and started what is now a business. They now
operate with a team of seven people and have contractors and try to keep it all a cohesive team.

How to operate a product based on customer feedback [9:09]
They have two areas where they get feedback, with the first one being the sales channels. The second
one is from the users themselves who have a lot of influence since they’re still a small company. Their
customers give a lot of feedback every few weeks where they try to understand their problems and pain
better. They have narrowed their audience which works for them without being everything to everyone.

How to put systems and processes together [11:34]
He explains how they make and get the word out about changes in the software.

The learning curve of entrepreneurship [13:05]
They had small bugs on the software in the beginning, but the major problem was with their software
PDF viewer which was a pain for people. The process took months for something they would have
started with but he insists it wasn’t a failure but rather a learning curve.

Learning to create a consumer-friendly software [16:10]
He wants to make the software easy for the consumer- something that works for them.

How to create a working product within a short time [17:17]
Do not go overboard with the minimum viable product because many things go into creating a business
that you will learn in the process. Take as little time as possible to create software and get things rolling
with your business.

How to expand a network from ground zero [19:14]
He started at zero network but looked up to companies that had the same customers like them. This
strategy worked for them by giving information on what they needed. He mentions other strategies they
used to get people’s attention and see what works and doesn’t work.

Subscribe to the podcast:
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https://spoti.fi/3dVzK4X

Connect with me:
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Connect with Ryan:
Website: https://www.papercurve.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanwhitham/ &
https://www.linkedin.com/company/papercurve/
Book mentioned: Sprint by Jake Knapp

“The more failures you’ve had, the better of an entrepreneur you can be because of the fact that you can identify certain obstacles and patterns before they occur, and that is because you fell in pitfalls before.”- Ardy Arianpour [ 9:34]

How to combine your passions and create a business. [2:07] 

He started with a love for science when he was sixteen years old and went to work for a biological studies institute. He was also surrounded by a biotech community in San Diego. He started experimenting within research as a way of combining business and science because business came naturally to him while science was a bit of a struggle. He combined both disciplines which saw him experience success in his late 20s as an executive or manager and grew small startups into large enterprises. He was encouraged by mentors to start his business which he eventually did with Seqster and has been successful so far. 

What it takes to turn ideas into a successful business. [4:46]

He has always been good at drilling ideas since his teenage years, but he learned that starting a business is different. He thinks that entrepreneurship is worth it with all the advantages but also acknowledges that it is a very hard journey that comes with a lot of sacrifices.

The skill of time management as an entrepreneur. [7:59]

He has learned to adapt to some situations and being flexible to how things change from what is planned. He has learned to expect the unexpected with time and failing. He believes that the more times an entrepreneur fails, the more they become better at managing their time.

The power of having an effective team [10:28]

Every great entrepreneur has a great team- it’s not a one-man show but teamwork. Defining the goals that you cannot reach to keep everyone busy with it. Always keep in mind that you’re the only one who will pick yourself when you fail. 

He had worked with his team before and had learned to go through ups and downs together. He looked for people that had different skillsets than him so they could perform different tasks. He made it look like a cocktail where everyone had their particular tasks. He looked for people who understood that it was a long process that could yield greater rewards in the future. Find people who are smarter than you for the benefit of your business. 

Is there a perfect business growth strategy? [15:44]

They focused on solving a major problem first which they recognized by accident. The pandemic has opened doors for telemedicine to take off and his business had some aspects that have been advantaged. They focused on one problem which in a way led to their growth strategy. 

How to create user-centric software. [18:33]

They wanted to change the paradigm of how such platforms are created- from a sophisticated engineer-built platform to a patient-centric platform.

The right places to reach your target audience. [20:51]

They did not have a sophisticated way of reaching the target audience and everything fell into place by accident. He was also actively attending various conferences where he got the opportunity to not only demo the platform but talk about their story. There were many people interested in health tech in these conferences which saw many opportunities open up in the B2B enterprise and also gained huge investors.

Digital Health as a Service Vs Software as a Service [24:18]

He believes his platform is more of a digital health as a service as opposed to software as a service. He says that his platform helps all types of businesses that want to provide digital health solutions. This because of the way it was built and how it breaks down data silos that businesses and their customers are interested in. They differ in the healthcare tech because of the type of data that they have. 

How to overcome challenges in a digital SaaS company. [27:39]

There are no shortcuts to an explosion of growth in business. The journey gives you obstacles and it’s about how you overcome them in your own unique process. The biggest challenge he thinks entrepreneurs face is capital which can derail business growth. He explains that it is not about the amount of money you raise but what you do with it that matters. They were also careful from whom they collected the money from since some of it came with non-beneficial constraints.

The power of being authentic as an entrepreneur. [32:05]

He advises to be authentic by knowing who you are because it will speak for your product and lead it to success.

Subscribe to the podcast:
Apple Podcasts
https://apple.co/2x0G3Um
Spotify
https://spoti.fi/3dVzK4X

Connect with me:
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Connect with Ardy: Website: https://seqster.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seqster/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Seqster

“I got very interested in how we can navigate the system, coordinate better, and provide better
overall experiences for patients.”

Who is Robert Longyear and what does he do at Wanderly and Avenu? [0:39]
He wrote his book Innovating for Wellness that explores the intersection between health policy and
innovations that occur in the payment side of healthcare. Wanderly is a marketplace for contingent
healthcare staffing. Health practitioners use it to transparently look for jobs in invitation facilities across
the country. It has improved the stringent market and become a friend to nurses who come to the site
looking for an evaluation of pay packages and decide where they want their next assignment to be. Out
of Wanderly, they built Avenu, a company that will partner with physicians’ practices and health systems
to better reach homes to provide services if they have the connections and the technologies to do that.
They wanted to help health workers to cut down the paperwork and manual processes to increase the
speed of the market and access to the healthcare workforce.

Would you say that Wanderly is a platform that facilitates the process of job seekers and recruiters
connecting? [6:38]
It is a transparent and independent marketplace where they allow job seekers and recruiters to come
from both ends with guaranteed information security. They cater to both supply and demand.

What strategy are they using to go out and look for people who are seeking jobs or clinics looking for
workers? [7:21]
They work with staffing agencies that have contracts with hospitals and allow them to come to that
recruiter side of the platform. They bring their recruiters’ profiles on the platform and for the nurses,
they made things as friendly and as transparent as possible. The platform is a good resource for people
and they feel secure in it.

How did he put his team together? [9:15]
They have a CEO with a tech background and handles the necessary technical discussions and also have
business knowledge. They have a board member who has been in healthcare systems for a long time
and provides strategic guidance. They also have a chief nurse advocate who handles marketing and
social media presence which is where they connect with millennial nurse users and maintain a following.
Robert helps with the health service side of the business and digital health knowledge.

What is included in the digital book he wrote? [13:36]
He started writing the book almost a year ago when thinking about care management and the
information needed to facilitate that while considering moving from volume to value. He came up with
the points where technology is being inserted into healthcare. He talked to people with different
perspectives on key innovations. He merged healthcare policy with innovations to accomplish these
goals. He took the risk of turning his thesis into this innovative book. He used his story of caring for his
terminally ill mother to illustrate some areas where health innovations will bring the much-needed
change. He explains in detail how personal reasons inspired him to want to merge innovations and
healthcare policy to help people live healthily.


What advice would he give to CEOs and founders getting into the health tech space? [27:52]
Healthcare is very complex and you have to build an interdisciplinary team for support. It is not easy
agreeing with all these people but it’s more effective that way and required for long-term success.

Robert answers the rapid-fire round of questions. [30:09]

Subscribe to the podcast:
Apple Podcasts
https://apple.co/2x0G3Um
Spotify
https://spoti.fi/3dVzK4X

Connect with me:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RodneyHuJR
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Connect with Robert Longyear
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RLLongyear
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-l-longyear-iii-a8b284b9/
Innovating for Wellness Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086WT85SF/ref=dp-kindle-
redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

“Nine out of ten startups fail. But to be the one out of ten that succeeds, you need to be the one that stays hustling refusing to die.”- Kris Ramadurai [39:45]

Who are you and what do you do at the Neue Fund? [1:09]
He describes himself as ‘super nerd’ and was originally a researcher at Harvard University and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He had the best experience working there together with
prominent people even though the pay was not great. He worked with the UN and the government of
the US and wrote books that would help physicians across the globe. He loves putting science and
business together to relate these fields that are worlds apart.

Where does his job come in bridging the gap between healthcare and technology? [5:21]
His job at Neue Fund is to separate scientific facts from fiction and validate things. Healthcare systems
can be optimized to improve patients’ quality of life and save a life. The healthcare sector’s main focus is
to impacts people’s lives. As they help investors with money, they also want them to have the goal of
impacting people’s lives. He helps investors see where would be the greatest place to invest in but it is
also about cool technology.

Is there a common problem he sees with the industry or with just startups? [9:10]
Scientists are generally passionate about what they do and are needed for developing some technology
or experiment. But they do have a problem of communicating their needs to investors. That is why at
Neue Fund, they are passionate about investing in sustainable startups. Investors should have a founder
and all the other necessary things and make the science easy to get to the people is supposed to. Their
goal is to invest in startups that have cool and tangible technology. He lists all the qualities they look for
in founders- which is mostly the personality.

What separates the companies they want to work with apart from the ones they don’t want to work
with? [19:41]
They choose companies that have goals aligning with their investment objectives and look for the basic
fundamentals. He explains the step by step process they take before considering a company for
investment. He also explains the frame of time it takes before they issue the investments to whichever
startups align with them.

Do they mainly communicate with the founder or the team when a startup is pitching for money?
[28:47]
They communicate with the entire team since startups at that stage have tiny teams of 3-6 people. They
are pitched by the founders although there can be a dealbreaker if they were not pitched by the founder
themselves.

Do they prefer working with scientists, tech experts, and business people together or do they prefer
one over the others? [30:41]
Kris likes hanging with scientists like himself but he’s also professionally able to work with others. He has
to interact with founders to ask for a quarterly update especially during the COVID period to make sure
they can operate without capital raising.

What is the biggest advice he would give to founders in the healthcare tech sector? [33:42]
Validate your tech as much as you can especially in med tech by making sure your idea is totally
propriety and you get the IP on the idea. Don’t get nervous when you’re pitching and have simplicity for
scientific founders. Just make sure you’re transparent and your business model is working and effective.

Subscribe to the podcast:
Apple Podcasts
https://apple.co/2x0G3Um
Spotify
https://spoti.fi/3dVzK4X

Connect with me:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RodneyHuJR
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/RodneyHuJr
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodney-hu-ab7a0a16a/


Relevant Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/krishramadurai/

“If all you do is respond to what your clients are telling you today, you’re just going to be a
follower. You’re not an innovator, you’ll never be a market leader. If you get too far ahead of them,
nobody is going to buy.”- Adam Turinas [22:44]

What is your background? [1:14]

He describes himself as an ‘accidental healthcare entrepreneur’. He started in the field in 2012
completely by accident, he had previously spent 20 years in different types of marketing. He started a
little consulting firm where he was helping big companies with communication. One day when he was
having coffee with his physician friend, he mentioned a communication problem where the healthcare
systems and medical group relationships were broken. That was where they started a small consulting
firm working with hospitals which was trial and error.

Six months later, they came up with an app that made it easier for physicians to communicate with the
healthcare system. They pitched the idea and found a buyer, made a plan, created the app within six
months, tested it, and it was a hit. They completed the app and launched the product but had a hard
time selling it but they still got through.

In 2016 when they were raising for investments, they were rejected due to the competitiveness of the
industry. They later combined their company with another to offer greater value, found more
investments, and added other customers.

The competition was getting tougher as they grew and finances were not enough to get through. They
were forced to restructure and even though it was hard, it got the company back on track. Looking at
the future, the market seemed competitive and so they decided to put the company for sale. They
ended up selling the company in 2019 to a company called Harris healthcare which was a good place to
leave their customers. He stayed for six months for transition, took some time off, and is now helping
healthcare startups since he has a passion for it. He mentions some of the other projects that he is
working with as he shares his education in the industry.

How did he identify the problem in healthcare and the first steps he took to offer solutions? [15:55]

He explains how they were able to identify the problem, find the solution, take the problem to the
customer, and refine it to be hyper complaint. They heard a product roadmap that was a customer-
driven- they listened to the customers and continued to develop to cater to those problems. Listen to
your customer but be ahead of them but not too far that they don’t resonate with you.

Did they get customer feedback after they had started? [23:25]

His partner was a physician who was building the app for himself because he knew the problem well.
They later got the app in front of real users who liked it. Customers gave different ideas which led to
them developing something where common ideas were incorporated. They always got feedback with
some being structured and disciplined with the rest of it not so much.

How did he put together his team? [26:51]

They had a team of professionals who ranged from healthcare, technology, and himself with a business
background. They did not have hieratical leadership with the team which also worked with developers
from India and had to execute communication.

What are some of the problems that he faced as a business person? [30:37]

He realized that raising money is hard and they had worked with an advisor who helped for about a year
and turned out not to be the right fit for them. The competition was hard because they seemed to be
ahead of them. After combining the two companies, the board had senior people with old money but
very hard to manage. Restructuring can be crippling and was hard but had to be done at the end of the
day.

What advice would he give to health tech companies starting up or behind in their journey? [34:06]

To be successful especially in an impenetrable and hard industry as healthcare tech, you need money
and relationships. Keep in mind that your investors are as important as your customers.

Adam Turinas answers the rapid-fire round of questions. [37:45]

Subscribe to the podcast:
Apple Podcasts
https://apple.co/2x0G3Um
Spotify
https://spoti.fi/3dVzK4X

Connect with me:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RodneyHuJR
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_jrboii_
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RodneyHuJr
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodney-hu-ab7a0a16a/


Connect with Adam Turinas:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/turinas/
Website: https://healthlaunchpad.com/