A Founder's Story: Lauren Romanish, Co-Founder of Apo

In this new edition, we are spotlighting apo a pre-seed healthtech start-up and co-Founder Lauren Romanish .

Tell us more about Apo

'Apo is democratising musculoskeletal healthcare by integrating AI-driven personalised treatment plans with holistic care approaches, directly improving patient outcomes and reducing healthcare expenditure. Pillars of the Apo care model include Move, Discover, Nourish, & Unwind- all delivered in the palm of users hands. Treatment plans take into account users preferences, ability, conditions, lifestyle, and goals to ensure every user experiences care as unique as they are.'

'From our perspective, it is pretty plain to see how critical this work is. There are currently 1.7 billion people across the globe facing musculoskeletal(MSK) conditions. MSK conditions can range from a bad back to rheumatoid arthritis to scoliosis. Often MSK conditions significantly reduce quality of life and ability to perform basic daily tasks. Besides the individual impact on quality of life, these conditions cause over 30 million working days lost a year just here in the UK! In simple terms, these conditions could be costing the UK economy ￡3 billion pounds a year just in productivity loss from missed working hours, never mind the additional economic burden of the NHS having to treat these issues.'

How did you end up as a Founder of Apo

'The journey to founding Apo began with a deeply personal challenge: a battle with chronic costochondritis. This condition, often misunderstood and underdiagnosed, can mimic the pain of a heart attack and sends millions to the hospital globally each year. Faced with debilitating pain and armed with the conventional prescription of opioids and rest—solutions that conflicted with my upbringing in a household grappling with addiction— I took my health into my own hands and set out on a journey to find a better way.'

'My quest for relief led me to explore the realms of eastern medicine, natural remedies, and holistic practices. This path was transformative in managing my condition and in reshaping my approach to health. This exploration led me to Ed Timings, D.C. USA , who played a pivotal role in my recovery. Together, Ed and I Embraced a comprehensive holistic protocol that included physical care, mobility training, nutrition planning, cortisol reducing techniques, and Acceptance Commitment Therapy philosophy.'

'Inspired by this life-changing experience and partnership, Apo was born to extend these holistic health solutions to others facing musculoskeletal conditions, turning personal adversity into a global mission for healthier, happier lives.'

What is the most challenging part of being an under-represented founder?

'I think the challenges we face as underrepresented individuals in the startup ecosystem simply mirror those we face outside of it.

• People want to know our plans for the future, not because they care but because they want to know if we will be pregnant in the next 5-10 years, which in their eyes would put your productivity at risk.
• Stereotypes and implicit biases are at the forefront of our minds day-in and day-out. Underrepresented founders often encounter questions or comments that subtly — or sometimes overtly — question our expertise or capabilities based on background or appearance.
• There is an issue of credibility and having to prove oneself repeatedly to gain the same level of trust and respect as our peers who are not from underrepresented groups.?

Constantly validating our capabilities and defending our right to privacy, all while pretending it doesn’t bother us is discouraging, derailing and time consuming.

We face scepticism and additional layers of scrutiny our peers simply do not.'

'Being an under-represented founder undoubtedly comes with its unique set of challenges, yet presents extraordinary opportunities to drive change and innovation. One of the most empowering aspects is the ability to pave the way for others. By breaking barriers and succeeding against the odds, we inspire others and expand what’s considered possible for the next generation of founders.'

What is next for Apo

'The future is looking incredibly bright for Apo. The response to announcing Apo after a phase of initial research and validation has been more than I could have hoped for. We’ve received a handful of speaking engagement opportunities, Investor chats, supportive engagement from the community and the list goes on. It’s been an interesting journey to get to this point and I’m so incredibly excited for what the future holds for us.'

'In the coming years Apo is projected to impact a significant number of patient lives just here in the UK. We have big ambitions for market penetration in mainland Europe and the US. The UK will serve as an incredible launchpad.'

How can you help Apo?

Apo is looking for a CTO to join their C-suite!

Don’t miss the opportunity to shape the future of digital health!

???? https://www.dhirubhai.net/jobs/view/3962069133

Joey with Sasha Nagarajah and Dr Abhinav Bhansali need help. Forward this onto what’s app parents groups and if you are a parent yourself, feel free to join:?

Hi everyone, a GP friend of mine has started a business that connects parents directly to child health specialists via WhatsApp for any non-urgent and non-mental health concerns. They have a free digital allergy clinic for ages 0-12 running until Friday 5th July if you fancy getting your questions about child allergies answered by a doctor for free. Check out https://askjoeynow.com/allergy-clinic. It’s like having a mate who’s a doctor that you can text - the dream! ??????        

Marjo Palanee from Possible Spark Consulting (Yay, me!) I am looking for consulting projects from social media strategy, to event planning and marketing, content strategy to email marketing to community building. I am particularly excited to help early stage start ups in navigating their growth phase. Reach out if interested.

Gluey with Torbj?rn Maaherra is looking for (a) any introductions to companies that are in need of integrating parcel carriers and looking for a solution, and (b) speaking to software engineers that are thinking about joining early stage companies ??

Okhtapus with Mehrnaz Ghojeh and Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy, WEDG are hiring for a Founder Associate and a Global Engagement and Community Manager reach out to them if interested.

To feature an ask in the newsletter, just message me and I’ll add how we can help.?

Healthtech:

• S?kerData , a Biotechnology Research pre-seed start up and Dr. Elsa Zekeng https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/founders-story-elsa-zekeng-co-founder-s%C3%B6kerdata-marjo-palanee-wzmqe/

Often, I am being asked key contacts who can help founders in their journey. In this newsletter, I am sharing who I can highly recommend:

Coaches

• Nicola Butcher (CPsychol, ACC) who has been my wonderful coach through the Zinc program
• Natalie Hahn who has been my coach when I was part of the Leadership team at Tubular Labs UK
• Danielle Johnson who has been my coach at Tubular Labs and is based in the US

Other coach I recommend: Marivanna Chessa and Cédric Petitpas

Legal

• Kyri Papantoniou Tanzum Mozammel and Dionysia SAVVAS from gunnercooke who have been fantastic - perfect for startups and commercial agreements.

This newsletter was born following my personal founder’s journey in the Zinc Venture Builder Program from 0 to raising VC funds to leaving.?

In this newsletter, I will continue to support and advocate for under-represented founders trying to solve the biggest problems in the world. +1 if related to health, climate and economic empowerment.?

?Each month, I will spotlight an under-represented founder and share one of she/he/their asks. I’ll take on any feedback but my goal is to use my skills to make the founders shine! Reach out if you’d like to be featured!

Thank you for reading my newsletter, don’t hesitate to share any comments, questions, suggestions of resources to help me in my journey or even experts to follow on LinkedIn! Don’t forget to subscribe?