Predicting Asthma Attacks

Speaker 1: [Music] We provide a really holistic system that meets people where they are and gets them to understand and really become experts at managing their care. So that one of the things we're most proud of is that within 6 to9 months 100% of people report reduced symptoms. 90% of people sleep better and two out of three that were having attacks every month before they joined the program have no attacks and that's been independently validated. So, it's very life affirming and really meaningful for me to be able to do what we do. I'm Melanie Bar. Welcome back to the Sheba podcast, your go-to place to empower you to live the life and business that you crave. I'm here to talk about everything from having the courage to make life and career leaps to the details of how to lead effectively, create successful teams, implement strategies for growth, and infuse tech innovation. I'm here to celebrate your wins and navigate through your challenges. I live in the city now, but I grew up in a town of a thousand people. I've navigated major life leaps, a senior level corporate career, worked in professional sports, and now as a successful entrepreneur who loves business, technology, family, and making meaningful connections with you and the She Built It Community. I also love a good workout and dose of self-care.

Speaker 1: Magic happens when we focus on the part of ourselves and our business that brings us joy. So, turn up the audio, open your favorite notes app, grab your favorite drink, and here we go. Welcome to the Sheila podcast. Thank you for joining us, Sharon. Let's start with your story. Tell us who you are and what inspired you to build healthcare originals.

Personal story

Speaker 1: Thank you, Melanie, and it's such a pleasure to be here. Thank you for the great work you do with this podcast. It's amazing to highlight the successes of female builders. The most important thing I would say about me is I have asthma and that's really what drove me to start Healthcare Originals. It's not just the fact of having asthma. It is really looking at the fact that I almost died many times from having it. >> Sorry.

Speaker 1: >> Thank you. And the effect that it really had on my family. What I say to people is respiratory diseases more than most. Very immediate in their impact and they're really thieves of joy. So I share a story. The first time I almost died from an asthma attack. I was five and we it was Mother's Day. We were all supposed to be going to church and having a planning a great day, but I couldn't wake up. And I ended up having to be hospitalized. And I remember looking at my mother while I was on oxygen and seeing how she was crying.

Speaker 1: And my sister tells the story of driving home with my dad. She's nine, sitting in the back seat, of course, and my dad, who was the original tough individual, pulled the car aside and broke down because he had almost lost his 5-year-old kid. And I say these diseases take such a toll on family that really people want peace of mind. And I'm doing this for every experience that my parents had like that. I'm doing this for my spouse who now worries and helping more than 690 million people in the world with this condition. And I bring to bear on this lots of experience in building and deploying innovation.

Speaker 1: This is the best thing that I have ever done and it will be the best thing that I have ever done. >> That is great and I'd like to hear more about your company and what you do for people.

The care system

Speaker 1: >> Yes, we help people with chronic respiratory diseases, specifically asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD live well with their condition. So we have a technology base where we have this wearable device that is soft and and flexible and elegant. And what it does is it sits on the upper torso front, side or back and hidden under the clothing. And what it does is you could consider it like a stethoscope on steroids where it's listening and with AI on board it's interpreting the signals that the sounds that are coming from the lungs. So very different from a phone or a watch, we are able to listen to the lungs in high fidelity. And you could say that what we do for respiratory disease is similar to what continuous glucose monitors do for diabetes. When the technology was originally premised, three clinical studies were done at the University of Rochester that showed that we could predict asthma attacks up to 3 months in advance. And that is my gamechanging.

Speaker 1: Yeah. And important. Now >> the corollery to that is we don't want people walking around worried if they're always on the way to an attack. So what we do is we pair the device with expert respiratory therapists who help people to understand when the device is saying this what they should do to prevent an attack. And so we provide a really holistic system that meets people where they are and gets them to understand and really become experts at managing their care. So that one of the things we're most proud of is that within 6 to9 months 100% of people report reduced symptoms. 90% of people sleep better. and two out of three that were having attacks every month before they joined the program have no attacks and that's been independently validated. So, it's very life affirming and really meaningful for me to be able to do what we do. >> Yeah, that is amazing. And you're helping so many people and it's so interesting how one child can be affected, the other one not be. I'm a twin mom and my son had severe sleep apnea, trouble breathing. He had to be hospitalized one time because he just could not get the air in. We ended up removing his tonsils and he's now he sleeps through the night. But I went through one of those scary moments of going to the hospital and as a parent sometimes you don't know what to do in those situations. You're doing everything you can to try to help them.

Speaker 1: >> Yeah. And thank you for sharing that story. I'm sorry you had to go through that. It's so interesting cuz they should Are they identical twins?

Speaker 1: >> A boy and a girl. No. >> Okay. So fraternal. Yeah. Okay. That explains it. And I'm glad that you were able to get through that. Yeah.

Speaker 1: >> Since we've had his tonsils removed, that has helped, but I've been through those scary moments of not knowing what to do. And I'm sure you're helping so many families. I tell people as a child I was aware that everyone around me was going crazy. I can't tell you that I panicked. We help provide support for parents so they understand what they need to do because they're the ones that are panicking. So that's a part of what we do. But it really is about providing peace of mind more than anything else. Yeah.

Speaker 1: >> Yeah. And I would say I remember that night, it was middle of the night. I drove him around in the car with the window down, everything they tell you to do to try to get the air in. And he was just kept gasping for air. And that's terrifying. That's when I said, "Okay, he has to breathe. We're taking him to the hospital." But it's amazing that you're doing this for parents cuz you don't know. And then sometimes you can't get a hold of a doctor in the middle of the night. >> Yep. And I grew up in the Caribbean, so we had a personal relationship with the family doctor. So, this was me traping to my doctor's house in the middle of the night when it always seemed to happen in the middle of the night for my poor parents. So, I get you and I'm so sorry, but I'm glad that he has some relief now, but you get it. And what I tell people is when you can't breathe, nothing else matters. That is the difference between this and other diseases like cardioabolic diseases. Not that I'm saying those are not serious, but really the immediiacy of the need in this is what differentiated. >> Yeah. And how great that you can look out 3 months ahead. >> Yeah.

Speaker 1: >> It's so great. >> Yeah.

Speaker 1: >> Good. Great peace of mind for parents, too.

Speaker 1: >> Yes. Exactly. And that's what we tell people. What we're really doing is delivering peace of mind for people. >> You've led successful commercialization efforts in three different fields. What's the through line that help you succeed where others couldn't? >> Pure dumb luck. No. I feel that way, but I'm sure that's not the answer. >> I do. This is always very difficult for me to say, but I'll couch it in because I'm probably too humble for my own good. But I'll say the thing that distinguishes my career and what I know has been very successful for my genius co-founder whose advice is his brainchild is an ability to build from first principles and don't be distracted by noise. So in my first application of innovation, I was in an industry that was many years old. The factory was 65 years old. I got into there as a new graduate of university. We're only woman among 250 men. And there was a sense of we've always done it this way. Why? This makes no sense. And as I grew older, I didn't see it quite like that. There's this whole tendency around accepting the status quo which has never been a problem for me cuz I'm restless that way. I want things to make sense. And so the through line is really that I've always approached things from first principles and if something didn't make sense then it had to be fixed and that has been eminently successful in terms of solving manufacturing problems in my first career then building factories and then deploying one sustainable innovation and it's the same through line which is why my co-founder is excellent at what he does.

Speaker 1: A lot of people said what we do with our device could not be done and he got it done because he built from first principles as opposed to looking at what was the status quo and accepting it. >> And good for you for having the confidence in your operation skills and abilities. Cuz that's really what it is looking at something and saying I can operate this better.

Speaker 1: >> Yeah. I will tell you now many years later I'm able to articulate that. At the moment it just felt oh this needs to be fixed. Okay. And then this needs to be fixed. And you never know when you're going through it. But looking back now, I can see the through line. And that's a great question that you asked.

Technology's potential to scale

Speaker 1: >> What was the moment you knew this technology could make a real difference?

Speaker 1: Not just work, but also scale. >> Oh, I would say there were two moments.

Moments of impact

Speaker 1: So the first moment I was doing the same thing that I just described. This is a problem to be fixed. Oh yeah, we could do this and we could do this. And then we got an award by the what is in the CES, the consumer electronic show. We got an award and I remember we only had a prototype at the time but we were called gamechanging. We were putting a prototype in a showcase and I'll never forget I was like wow this is actually real. People understand what we're trying to do. I lied there three moments and then the second moment was when we had gone to the exhibit at a conference called Techrunch in New York City. We had a great time. We knew people from HP, the computer technology company, came by our booth, but we didn't know they were actually evaluating us for an award. And I remember it was coming down to the end of the program and a guy stopped by the booth and then proceeded to share a story with us about how his sister died from an asthma attack like a year before this. And those things impact us deeply. And so we ended up being very sad. And we so we packed up and we left not knowing that there was a whole award show going on. And so we're driving back to Rochester cuz we were driving from New York City to Rochester and my Twitter feed starts mentioning us all the time. I'm like why are people mentioning us on Twitter? I was like oh I was like my co-founder's name is Jared. I said Jared are we up for an award? I don't even know. Cuz we were so sad. And then it turned out HP had recognized us as breakthrough innovation technology. So we won that award. Now the third time and the time that it has really resonated and continues to resonate is when we move from being a device company only to actually adding the respiratory therapist to help people understand what to do to prevent the attack. The first time we got the results back and somebody wrote us a testimonial and said that we helped them and they had gotten back to all their goals and their life was so different. I get very emotional. I'm a sap. It's true. And every time that has happened, it eclipses everything else. And so those are the moments that kind of stand out in your memory that we knew regardless of whatever happened we had helped people. >> Yeah. Yeah. And what a great feeling to be building a business but also helping so many people.

Recognition

Speaker 1: >> Yeah. >> And what does that recognition mean to you? >> We do have investors. We have fundraising going on right now. I'm very happy that it means it'll be a good investment for our investors. But really, if we can prevent people from suffering like I did or how people do every day, that's what it means. That there really is great reward for my entire team. I'm not just talking about me. Every single person on our team has a connection to respiratory disease. That's what keeps us going. And I tell people it's doing well while doing good.

Protecting ideas

Speaker 1: As an innovator and inventor with more than 12 patents, what have you learned about protecting your ideas and turning them into impact? People always have to convince me that something that I've done is new. So, I've given up. Like, we have great IP attorneys and my co-founder is great at understanding. I just think everything makes sense. That doesn't mean I'm not obnoxiously like brilliant. I really am not. I'm very practical. So, I tend to think everything is practical. I will say that people need to be aware that patterns allow you to practice your innovation. They don't necessarily block somebody else from doing it. And so understanding IP strategy or protection strategy in a multi-layered way is what has been gamechanging for me. And I've had the opportunity to learn from some really good people. And so it's not just about patterns, but it's also about how you layer on what you have as trade secrets that you never disclose versus what you announce in public. And just the whole strategy around that has been interesting because everybody else I thought okay I patented it and now I'm good. That's actually not the case.

Speaker 1: Patenting it means that you nobody else can block you from doing it. Doesn't mean that nobody can follow you. And so you have to have several layers of security and confidentiality to what you do.

Taking on what’s new

Speaker 1: >> And I'm sure it's really complex and almost like a puzzle which you probably enjoy figuring out at times. >> Yes, that is my besetting sin. I keep telling people apparently I'm a glutton for punishment >> for anyone doing something that has never been done before. But it's got to also be an incredible feeling. >> Yes, it is. And I have great respect for anybody who takes a leap and does a startup tries to change the status quo. Even if you fail in the eyes of the world, for me what I tell people is failing would have been not trying. Because if you're deeply passionate about something and you can afford to do it, you need to give it a go.

Leading teams

Speaker 1: >> When leading your teams at HCO, how do you balance deep tech development with the human stories of the people that you're helping?

Speaker 1: >> That's a interesting question. We started very much with the fact that I wanted to help people like me. So that has always been front and center. And in the first few years of development, I was the voice of the customer who kept saying no. And so like the whole idea of the wearable being what we call invisible being worn under the clothing was not just my experience but the experience of many people who are like we have inhalers we have lots of stuff that we have to carry. I don't need another way to advertise to people that I have a condition. And I would say that we took that feedback on board and because my co-founder has experience with both his mother and his spouse having asthma. I have that experience. Our early developers also had that experience. It was very easy to keep that front and center. And since we've expanded the team to include respiratory therapists, we have a great chief medical officer as well. It's actually difficult for us to do tech without understanding the human stories that drive what we're doing. So, we've been very fortunate in that response. We haven't been like tech people deep down in a solution and then hoping somebody will use it. It's been front and center for us all the time. What do you think other women in tech or health tech need to hear right now as they're trying to bring their ideas to market?

Advice for women in tech

Speaker 1: >> It's tough. Very few people are going to understand what it's like to build as a woman in deep tech. But find your community.

Speaker 1: Every woman who's been through this and has heard the silly nos, the silly rejections, and just I'm going to be blunt, plain things that don't make sense understands what you're going through. And so reach out to people like you and build a community around you cuz this isn't for the faint of heart and you need people who will back you in your corner and do what they say they will do and help you in any way they can. And I can't say that there's been a lot of publicity around people making things equitable or easier for women founders. I can't say that we're there yet. And so we need to support each other. >> It's also people like you paving the way. So thank you. >> Thank you. We'll see the jury still.

Speaker 1: We've certainly made a great deal of progress and there's still a lot of work left to be done and I'm happy to help whomever wants to go on this journey however I can. Yeah. >> What's next for you and healthcare originals and how can others support the work that you are doing? Next for us is we're really we have some great deals that we just signed and so we're laser focused on growing the company and growing our impact. I have a great team on board. We've expanded quite significantly in the last 6 to9 months. I've never been more excited about where we are and the fact that our message is resonating that not only do we help people who actually have the disease live well but we actually remove costs from the healthare system. So the two

Speaker 1: >> That's great. And I'm sure there's so many people that are. Yeah, we have now a community of over 385 ambassadors we call them.

Finding joy

Speaker 1: >> That's great. >> Magic happens when we focus on the part of our business and oursel that brings us joy. We've talked a lot about business today, but what is one thing that you do for you to make sure you're finding and living your joy? >> That's such a great question. So, for all of my career, I have been a workaholic, which is a sad thing. many of my guests and it's interesting because many of my guests can answer many questions. This one sometimes >> I've always been fortunate enough to work in jobs that have naturally intrigued me. I it seems like I can't take the easy road anyway. They're deep problems interest me. I get bored if it's not right really challenging. With this company in particular, what I tell people for anybody doing a startup, the money isn't enough. And that sounds very strange. I'm not talking about the founders who are really incredible at getting lots of funding and exiting with tens of millions or hundreds of millions of dollars. I'm talking about for the founder like me who is doing this on a mission. The money that we will eventually make when it's 1:00 at night and you still have 20 emails to send and there's nobody else to do it. It's not the promise of a reward 10 years down the road that keeps you going. It is that mission. So I do get genuine joy from most aspects of my current job. But what I do for me is I bake. My sourdough starters are 4 and 1/2 years old now.

Speaker 1: But I do as long as I am not traveling a lot. We always have homemade bread in our house and homemade cakes cuz I am a cake fanatic. But I also garden after a fashion where I love just like pulling weeds out. There's something very therapeutic about making sure you got the root. Analogy of course to the fact that I like the root cause of problems. Getting out the root and knowing that weed will not grow back. And we have a very great neighborhood in which we live in with a lot of old trees and big trees. So there's always a lot of bird song. So, I like to disconnect from my phone, go outside, weed, and listen to birds and beak. >> Yeah. I love the analogy about the root and everything leads back to nature. We feel so much better when we get back to nature. >> Exactly. Yes.

Speaker 1: >> Thank you so much for joining us today and sharing with us the incredible company that you're building and thank you for paving the way for many women.

Where to find Sharon

Speaker 1: Please share with us how and where we can find you. So you can find me on LinkedIn, my first and last name, Sharon Samjits. I'm happy to connect there and then continue conversations offline or on LinkedIn. You can find my company at healthcare.com and I mentioned the weunder link. I am not a big presence on any other social media platform, so LinkedIn is the best place to find me. >> Thank you for joining us today. I'd love to hear from you. Reach out to me at hello@sh shebiltit.com on our shebuiltit website or at shebuiltit on social. Thank you to my editor Rich Duffalino who always makes us sound good. Until next time, let nothing stop you from experiencing the life and business that you crave.