🎙️ Creating Your Own Path as a STEMM Professional with Dr. Anushi Rajapaksa

"If not me then who" - why you may actually be the one who should take the first step and how to get started.

What if your unique combination of STEMM degrees could solve a global health problem?

Are you a STEMM professional ready to pivot your career or start something new?

 In this episode, Dr. Anushi Rajapaksa—biomedical, mechanical and aerospatial engineer and medtech founder—shares how she used her diverse STEM background to create Misti, a groundbreaking respiratory care and lung advanced drug delivery innovation. Learn how interdisciplinary thinking, knowledge brokering, and imperfect action can help you build your own path outside traditional science careers.

🔍 **What You’ll Learn: 

• How to identify your unique "knowledge brokering" superpower and your purpose
• learn practical steps to start validating your ideas (even with Nobel Prize winners!),
• gain the confidence to take imperfect action because "scrappy progress is better than no progress."
• How to put together a roadmap that can get you started and later on grow

Listen now to transform your perspective from "I need more credentials" to "I already have everything I need to start."

 📌 **Key Topics:**

In this episode we explore additional themes, including :

• How to recognise opportunities
• The financials of getting through the first 6 months
• How to get your opinion heard and why it matters
• Why being clear on your message is the foundation of creating opprotunities
• Why you don’t have to be part of the 5am club everyday

And much more

Episode Timeline:

• [00:00] Introduction to Multiple Hats and Dr. Anushi Rajapaksa
• [02:45] What is Misty and why it should exist
• [06:30] The two product lines: My Misty and Med Misty
• [13:00] Anushi's academic journey: from electrical to aerospace engineering
• [16:30] The undervalued superpower of "knowledge brokering"
• [21:45] Early career experiences and grant writing lessons
• [28:00] Giving your expertise a voice and platform
• [31:30] First steps in founding Misty during the pandemic
• [37:00] Morning routines and managing priorities
• [38:45] Building a roadmap with IP, regulatory and customer focus
• [45:00] The role of accelerators and mentors
• [49:30] Funding journey: from small experiments to product development
• [55:30] Overcoming the perfectionism trap in product development
• [57:30] Customer engagement strategies without marketing
• [1:01:30] Privileges and systemic issues faced as a founder

🔗 **Resources & Links:**

Misti: https://www.misti.com.au

Anushi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-anushi/

Startmate Accelerator: https://www.startmate.com/

🤔 Reflection time:

What pivot could your unique combination of STEMM skills make possible?

Discover how your apparently unrelated experiences might be your greatest superpower.

Want to craft a career story that opens doors?

I help STEMM professionals speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose and show up as thought leaders —so the right opportunities find you.

📬 Let’s connect: angeliquegreco.com.au | LinkedIn 

⭐️ Help More People Reinvent Their Careers

If you enjoyed this episode, please:

• ✅ Leave a quick ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 🙏
• ♻️ Share it with a friend who's questioning their path in STEM

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Challenging outdated 3D design processes straight out of university, Sophia Kurianski turned frustration into a startup—and built Jinolo from the ground up

• How questioning outdated systems can spark breakthrough ideas
• How to validate a product idea before writing a line of code
• What building a tech startup as a solo founder really looks like
• Why grants and customer discovery are key early tools
• How STEMM professionals can reframe failure in sales as growth

Sophia Kurianski is a mechatronic engineer and the founder of Jinolo, a 3D collaboration platform transforming how technical and non-technical teams work together. Straight out of university, Sophia rejected “the way things have always been done” and built a startup that now serves over 500 customers. In this episode, she shares how problem-solving, lean execution, and persistence powered her entrepreneurial leap.

• 00:00 Welcome to Multiple Hats
• 00:29 Meet Sophia Kurianski: Founder of Jinolo
• 00:37 The problem with legacy 3D design workflows
• 01:21 Bridging technical and non-technical collaboration
• 03:34 Engineering roots and early work experience
• 13:01 How Jinolo started: the first iteration
• 19:26 Building a minimum viable product
• 22:30 Getting feedback + iterating
• 27:40 Customer discovery & early sales strategies
• 34:37 Launching solo: founder mindset
• 40:07 Hiring contractors and scaling
• 46:34 Technical scalability vs customer onboarding
• 55:00 Funding the startup & managing cash flow
• 58:58 Personal growth through selling
• 01:06:57 Final reflections + future vision

• Visit Jinolo
• Sophia Kurianski on LinkedIn

What processes around you feel outdated? Could your discomfort with “how it’s always been done” be the clue to your next move?

How might your STEMM background position you to create a better way?

Hey, I hope you have enjoyed this interview and the career twists!

While you listen, can you see the pattern - Founders tend to go get their destiny and create their own luck.

And so can you!

Creating your own luck has a lot to do with how you put yourself out there and speak about what you want to do.

Send me a message if you want to start being at the right place, at the right time and make your own stars align.

visit my website angelique.greco.com.au or send me a message on LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/angelique-greco

Want to craft a career story that opens doors?

I help STEMM professionals speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose and show up as thought leaders —so the right opportunities find you.

📬 Let’s connect: angeliquegreco.com.au | LinkedIn 

⭐️ Help More People Reinvent Their Careers

If you enjoyed this episode, please:

• ✅ Leave a quick ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 🙏
• ♻️ Share it with a friend who's questioning their path in STEM

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The Femtech revolution with Ida Tin, founder of Clue

Did Apple "forgot" to add a period tracker to the Apple Heath tracker at a time when Femtech was not a thing?

Imagine you’re pioneering a product in a completely new sector, carving out an entirely new market category.

That’s the journey of Ida Tin, the co-founder of Clue, one of the largest Femtech health apps serving 10+ million active users across 190+ countries.

Ida coined the term 'Femtech,' to provide a unifying banner for the sector dedicated to women's health technology.

We get to hear how it started from the ida of a home hormonal test ( a decade before home testing of anything was a thing) to taking a 100% digital approach to contraception.

• How Ida Tin co-founded Clue, one of the world’s most popular women’s health apps
• The origin story of the word "Femtech"—and how naming it shaped a $60B+ industry
• The workarounds of building a women’s health startup without a STEMM background
• Why data privacy, ethics, and inclusive design were non-negotiables for Clue and what happens to those who took shortcuts
• How to fund and grow a mission-driven product in a male-dominated VC landscape

Ida Tin is the co-founder of Clue, a pioneering period and fertility tracking app with over 10 million active users in 190+ countries. While she doesn't come from a traditional STEMM background, her vision and language helped define an entire sector: Femtech.

Her story is one of category creation, mission-driven innovation, and challenging the norms of tech, funding, and health.

 🗂️ Episode Timeline:

00:32 Meet Ida Tin: The Mother of Femtech

01:45 The Journey of Clue

03:55 Data Privacy and Ethical Considerations

07:09 Challenges and Innovations in Femtech

17:55 Building the Clue Team

33:33 The Birth of the Term 'Femtech' , definition and a new unifying banner

39:41 Inclusivity in Femtech: Bridging the Gender Gap

40:57 The Duality of Periods: Normalization vs. Medical Attention

42:28 Creating a Supportive Work Culture for Women

44:11 Challenges in Femtech: Data Gaps and Funding Issues

51:31 funding , Ethics and Success in Femtech: A Comparative Analysis

56:24 Navigating Gender Bias in Venture Capital

01:07:14 Balancing Motherhood and Entrepreneurship

01:09:23 Conclusion: Building a Unified Future

🔗 Resources & Mentions:

Follow Ida Tin on LinkedIn

Sign up for her upcoming Femtech book

Download Clue on your app store

Want to craft a career story that opens doors?

I help STEMM professionals speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose and show up as thought leaders —so the right opportunities find you.

📬 Let’s connect: angeliquegreco.com.au | LinkedIn 

⭐️ Help More People Reinvent Their Careers

If you enjoyed this episode, please:

• ✅ Leave a quick ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 🙏
• ♻️ Share it with a friend who's questioning their path in STEM

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• How to identify and act on the projects that resonate with your passion
• The importance of surrounding yourself with supportive individuals
• Strategies to embrace your unique combination of experiences—your "patchwork"
• Ways to overcome self-doubt and external criticism
• The value of taking risks, regardless of age or stage in your career

Angelique Greco is the host of Multiple Hats and founder of Thought Leadership Democratised, a coaching program that helps life science professionals position themselves as thought leaders and create career paths that align with their values and ambitions. With a background in drug development, real-world evidence, and science strategy, Angelique combines her expertise in storytelling, teaching, and critical inquiry to spotlight those reinventing what it means to succeed in STEMM.

• 01:02 The Importance of Community
• 01:50 Facing Detractors and Naysayers
• 02:58 Finding Support in Startup Communities
• 06:06 Real-Life Examples of Overcoming Detractors
• 13:37 Embracing Your Unique Path
• 17:17 The Value of Taking Risks
• 21:58 Age is Just a Number
• 25:38 Conclusion and Call to Action

• Take the Survey for a Chance to Win "How I Built This" by Guy Raz
• Angelique Greco's Website
• Angelique Greco on LinkedIn

• What project made your heart sing this year?
• Who are the people around you? Do they support or detract from your goals?
• What unique experiences make up your professional "patchwork"?
• What's one action you can take this month to move closer to your goals?

Want to craft a career story that opens doors?

I help STEMM professionals speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose and show up as thought leaders —so the right opportunities find you.

📬 Let’s connect: angeliquegreco.com.au | LinkedIn 

⭐️ Help More People Reinvent Their Careers

If you enjoyed this episode, please:

• ✅ Leave a quick ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 🙏
• ♻️ Share it with a friend who's questioning their path in STEM

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• How to spot real opportunities: Why a messy spreadsheet turned into a startup idea—and how to recognize your own “this could be better” moment
• Why you don’t have to wait until you’re 40: How two software engineers launched Toastie almost straight out of uni
• How to start without quitting your job: Smart ways to test your idea and keep your cashflow safe while working full-time
• How failure fuels future success: What second-time founders know about learning from what didn’t work
• What mindset helps you build for impact: How to go from frustration to mission-driven founder—even if you’re still figuring it out

Annabel Zhou and Vivian Shen are software engineers at Google and co-founders of Toastie, a health tracking app designed to help people with chronic illnesses understand patterns in their symptoms, meals, and daily routines. Instead of settling for messy spreadsheets, they built an app that transforms scattered health data into meaningful, doctor-ready insights. Toastie is proof that you don’t need to quit your day job—or have it all figured out—to start something important.

• 00:00 Introduction to Multiple Hats
• 00:37 Meet Annabel and Vivian
• 01:05 Living with chronic illness and tracking with spreadsheets
• 03:34 From personal pain to product idea
• 09:19 Building Toastie while working full-time
• 13:01 Lessons from their first startup
• 19:26 Validating ideas with real users
• 22:30 Support networks and community
• 27:40 Future vision for Toastie

• Sign up for Toastie’s pre-release

• Are you sitting on an idea sparked by a personal frustration?
• What skill could you apply right now to start exploring a solution?
• Could your “annoyance” be your next opportunity?

Want to craft a career story that opens doors?

I help STEMM professionals speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose and show up as thought leaders —so the right opportunities find you.

📬 Let’s connect: angeliquegreco.com.au | LinkedIn 

⭐️ Help More People Reinvent Their Careers

If you enjoyed this episode, please:

• ✅ Leave a quick ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 🙏
• ♻️ Share it with a friend who's questioning their path in STEM

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Welcome to a special series of Multiple Hats, created in collaboration with the UNSW Founders Program—one of Australia's leading startup accelerators for students, researchers, and early-stage entrepreneurs.

Whether you’ve already started building something or just have an entrepreneurial itch, this series is here to show you what’s possible when you dare to give it a go.

You’ll hear from:

• Founders solving real-world problems—from medtech to education to climate
• Program managers who power the supportive community behind the scenes
• Candid stories of near-explosions, “there-has-to-be-a-better-way” moments, and the turning points that sparked something new

It’s packed with insights on how to go from idea to realisation—and what it actually takes to build something with impact.

• Learn more about UNSW Founders

Want to craft a career story that opens doors?

I help STEMM professionals speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose and show up as thought leaders —so the right opportunities find you.

📬 Let’s connect: angeliquegreco.com.au | LinkedIn 

⭐️ Help More People Reinvent Their Careers

If you enjoyed this episode, please:

• ✅ Leave a quick ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 🙏
• ♻️ Share it with a friend who's questioning their path in STEM

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• Why the startup world needs more women founders—and how programs like New Wave open doors
• How to test your entrepreneurial curiosity without quitting your job or degree
• What makes UNSW’s New Wave program unique in lowering the barrier to entry
• How mentorship and confidence-building are just as important as funding
• Real-life outcomes: from AI health tools to inclusive innovation leadership

Victoria Rose Tucker is Program Manager of UNSW’s New Wave, an accelerator designed to empower women entrepreneurs—many from science backgrounds—to take the first step into the startup world. Victoria shares how the program’s structure, community, and low-barrier entry approach is helping women build confidence, test ideas, and change the face of early-stage entrepreneurship.

• 03:15 Overview of UNSW Founders’ entrepreneurial programs
• 05:13 Who can join and how it works
• 06:07 New Wave structure & what participants actually do
• 07:15 The real challenges women face—and how the program supports them
• 09:45 Success stories & future vision
• 16:46 Debunking the myths of what a founder “should” look like
• 32:22 Early-stage ideas: discreet solutions to real-world needs
• 32:37 Spotlight: AI-powered chronic illness management (Team Toastie)
• 34:05 Addressing the gender data gap in health
• 34:53 Mentorship, peer support & community
• 37:01 Building purposeful, diverse teams
• 39:02 Celebrating wins: showcase & awards
• 42:35 Victoria’s own path into entrepreneurship
• 48:21 Momentum Month: sustaining progress beyond the program
• 53:22 The future of inclusive entrepreneurship
• 54:39 How to create more opportunities for women in STEMM
• 59:48 Final reflections and call to action

• UNSW Founders – New Wave Program

• Could a program like New Wave help you take your first step toward entrepreneurship?
• What stories or stats shook your assumptions in this episode?
• Is there an idea you’ve been sitting on that’s worth testing—just to see?

Want to craft a career story that opens doors?

I help STEMM professionals speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose and show up as thought leaders —so the right opportunities find you.

📬 Let’s connect: angeliquegreco.com.au | LinkedIn 

⭐️ Help More People Reinvent Their Careers

If you enjoyed this episode, please:

• ✅ Leave a quick ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 🙏
• ♻️ Share it with a friend who's questioning their path in STEM

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How a Biotech Student Project Brewing Beer Led to a Bioplastics Startup: Alinta Furnell on Spotting Unexpected Opportunities

Armed with a biotech degree and a partner-in-crime, Alinta Furnell turned a student side project into Synbiote—a startup tackling sustainability with science

• Spark inspiration early: How a biotech degree and a chance lab visit sparked an unexpected founder journey
• Why you should always try something new to set you on unpexpected tracks: Why non-alcoholic beer became a stepping stone to sustainable materials
• Leverage every event to your advantage: How to navigate pivots, branding, and IP issues early in your startup life
• Where to find help: What community, accelerators, and fellowships can do for STEMM entrepreneurs
• Step into your growth mindset: The mindset needed to turn scientific curiosity into commercial innovation

Alinta Furnell is the CEO and co-founder of Synbiote, a startup creating high-grade industrial bioplastics. What began as a brewing project during university quickly evolved—after a surprising trademark hiccup—into a company at the intersection of biotech, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. With a background in biotechnology and a diverse range of early roles, Alinta has built a career rooted in exploration, creativity, and action.

• 00:00 The unexpected trademark hurdle that changed everything
• 01:05 Meet Alinta and the founding of Synbiote
• 01:22 Brewing non-alcoholic beer as a biotech student project
• 03:03 Rethinking what biotech really is
• 04:37 Building innovative, sustainable bioplastics
• 07:13 How the beer-to-bioplastics pivot happened
• 14:44 Alinta’s early career, side quests & science exposure
• 33:03 The brewing startup journey (and almost exploding a brewery)
• 34:00 Sales strategy and lean innovation
• 38:29 Brand, IP, and naming lessons
• 41:09 Scaling up production and thinking bigger
• 48:02 Finding support through programs and peers
• 54:53 Personal branding in science and tech
• 59:52 Privilege, access, and systemic barriers
• 01:01:31 Final takeaways

• Synbiote – Alinta’s startup
• Bioplastics overview – Nature article
• Bioplastics & sustainability – NCBI

• What project in your life started small—but might be more than it seems?
• Could your STEMM skills translate into solving real-world sustainability challenges?
• Have you underestimated how powerful community and storytelling can be in a scientific career?

Want to craft a career story that opens doors?

I help STEMM professionals speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose and show up as thought leaders —so the right opportunities find you.

📬 Let’s connect: angeliquegreco.com.au | LinkedIn 

⭐️ Help More People Reinvent Their Careers

If you enjoyed this episode, please:

• ✅ Leave a quick ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 🙏
• ♻️ Share it with a friend who's questioning their path in STEM

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

• Find your purpose and the unique piece you can deliver: How to use your existing expertise to solve overlooked global problems
• How to have it all: What it looks like to start a purpose-driven venture after raising a family
• Your age does not matter: Why it’s never too late to pursue innovation—and how life experience can be an asset
• Finding resources: How to work with accelerators, grants, and global partners as a first-time founder
• What matters to investors: What you can do when ROI doesn’t reflect your deeper mission—and how to keep going anyway

Dr. Sarah Crowe is a former ophthalmologist turned social impact founder. After decades in medicine—and with her children now grown—she launched OOXii Global and the 4eyesVision Foundation to make eye care more accessible in underserved regions. From her time as a young doctor in apartheid-era South Africa to deploying affordable vision kits in Papua New Guinea, Sarah’s journey shows how deep expertise, lived experience, and purpose can align into a powerful second act.

• 00:00 The ambulance driver who sparked everything
• 02:26 The mission behind OOXii and 4eyesVision
• 05:36 Sarah’s academic + medical career beginnings
• 08:19 Working in South Africa’s fractured healthcare system
• 13:00 Balancing motherhood with a medical career
• 17:18 Launching her own practice
• 23:24 The decision to found OOXii Global
• 34:51 Using what already exists to drive real-world impact
• 36:48 Training local healthcare workers for scale
• 40:30 Fundraising challenges + designing a sustainable model
• 46:01 The path from paper sketches to working tech
• 57:37 Cultural sensitivity in deploying healthcare innovation
• 01:07:29 Final reflections on risk, timing, and reinvention

• Learn more about Dr. Sarah Crowe
• 4eyesVision Foundation
• UNSW Founders Program
• 
  

• What part of your professional experience might be the foundation of a new mission?
• Is there an issue you care deeply about but assumed it was “too late” to tackle?
• What would your version of a second act look like?

Want to craft a career story that opens doors?

I help STEMM professionals speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose and show up as thought leaders —so the right opportunities find you.

📬 Let’s connect: angeliquegreco.com.au | LinkedIn 

⭐️ Help More People Reinvent Their Careers

If you enjoyed this episode, please:

• ✅ Leave a quick ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 🙏
• ♻️ Share it with a friend who's questioning their path in STEM

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

🔍 What You’ll Learn:

• The structure and support mechanisms of AUstralia top accelerator programs, UNSW Founders'
• There is not one size fits all personality in STEM entrepreneurship
• What you should start with
• Strategies for transitioning from a technical STEMM background to entrepreneurship
• The importance of community and mentorship in startup success
• Insights into the challenges and opportunities within Australia's healthtech landscape
• How interdisciplinary experiences can enhance innovation and leadership

🧠 About the Guest:

Dina Titkova is the Senior Manager at UNSW Founders, overseeing programs such as Health 10x and the 10x Accelerator. With over 15 years of international experience in biomedical engineering and business development, Dina is passionate about advancing healthcare innovation and supporting entrepreneurs in the STEMM fields.

📌 Episode Highlights:

00:00 Introduction to Dina Titkova and her role at UNSW Founders

02:30 Dina's journey from biomedical engineering to startup ecosystem leadership

07:45 Overview of UNSW Founders' accelerator programs and their impact

15:20 The role of mentorship and community in entrepreneurial success

22:10 Challenges faced by healthtech startups in Australia

30:00 Strategies for fostering innovation and resilience in startups

38:15 Success stories from UNSW Founders' accelerator alumni

45:00 Dina's insights on the future of health innovation and entrepreneurship

🔗 Resources Mentioned:

• UNSW Founders – Official Website
• Health 10x Program
• Peter Farrell Cup
• Dina Titkova on LinkedIn

🤔 Reflection Time:

• How can your STEMM background be leveraged in entrepreneurial ventures?
• What support systems are available to assist in your transition to entrepreneurship?
• How does interdisciplinary experience contribute to innovation in your field?

Want to craft a career story that opens doors?

I help STEMM professionals speak with clarity, confidence, and purpose and show up as thought leaders —so the right opportunities find you.

📬 Let’s connect: angeliquegreco.com.au | LinkedIn 

⭐️ Help More People Reinvent Their Careers

If you enjoyed this episode, please:

• ✅ Leave a quick ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify 🙏
• ♻️ Share it with a friend who's questioning their path in STEM

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.