„SWEET & SOUR“ #5: ARIANA HEALTH

HOW TO START YOUR BUSINESS & AND HOW TO NOT START YOUR BUSINESS

Starting your own business can be the best and worst thing happening to you. Potentially even at the same time. „Sweet & Sour“ is a series about Wayra start-ups. Learn from other’s mistakes. Benefit from their experience.

Meet: Carol, founder of Ariana, an accelerating startup that builds AI chatbots for the healthcare industry. Health care professionals or qualified information are not always easily accessible when patients need them. Ariana closes this gap in patient care. In times of need, they connect patients to the healthcare resources they need to feel safe, cared for and informed. Ariana is a chatbot who simulates human conversation through artificial intelligence.

Carol, why did you start your own business and what has been your biggest challenge so far?

Because I passionately believe in helping people live healthier lives. I’ve worked as a doctor, a management consultant for pharmaceutical companies and on the World Economic Forum’s health team. Everyone had the same problem but was looking at it from a different angle. With my own company I can tie all these angels together into a business model that all stakeholders can profit from. The biggest challenge has been to stay open and have the courage to change our approach again and again until it worked.

What’s your personal advice for starting a business?

Be very honest to yourself about your long term goals and where you stand right now. Starting a business is hard and most likely it will fail. You need a lot of strength and courage and hope and stamina and time and money. And a network to support you so that when you’re knocked down, which will happen, you can pick yourself up again. Ask yourself if you really want that kind of life for yourself and the people around you. And never forget: no matter what other founders are telling you, they are struggling too. A friend from Wayra shared this twitter thread by one of the partners from YC (Y Combinator). I think it says it all.

What’s the most annoying advice you get over and over again?

One piece of advice that annoys me: You have to work at least 70 hours a week to succeed. And that time should be spent sitting at your laptop. I have my best ideas in the shower or in an art museum, so this approach simply does not resonate with me. Other than that I try to be open to any piece of advice someone has. Even if — in the end — I don’t take it on board, seriously considering it often opens a new perspective for me.

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If you are passionate about health, machine learning, enterprise sales and living your dream, reach out to Carol on LinkedIn or check out her website hiariana.com.