Learning Fast, Growing Strong

Several inputs are crucial to the success and growth of healthtech startups, but perhaps none are as vital as a high-functioning leadership team, particularly one that can learn and adapt quickly.

In the last few weeks, my co-founder, Govin Murugachandran , and I have been privileged to engage in meaningful conversations with several generous GP Partners. We've been gaining deeper insights into their goals and the challenges they face when optimizing health outcomes for their patients with chronic illnesses. These discussions have covered a range of topics—whether it’s maximizing the benefits of expensive tech innovations or simply motivating patients to take better care of themselves and attend their appointments.

From these discussions, coupled with my time on patient-facing asthma care sites like Asthma + Lung UK and The American Lung Association, I’ve developed a hypothesis: Zonder 's biggest impact might not just be in bringing tech closer to patients but also in helping them enhance their self-care. Our interviews with patients have reinforced this belief. There's untapped potential in boosting awareness—take asthma triggers and the prevention of exacerbations, for instance. While a minority of asthma patients experience exercise-induced symptoms, a majority could actually see reduced symptoms and risks through tailored exercise. There’s a strong link between being overweight and asthma exacerbations. The challenge for clinicians is conveying this information in a way that resonates, making sure it sticks, and providing ongoing support to help patients implement these lifestyle changes. This is where Zonder steps in: with systems and clinicians dedicated solely to chronic care, we aim to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care in a more efficient manner, easing the burden on primary care physicians.

This week, we also accelerated our learning by tapping into the skills of our intern, Valerie Huang , who summarized the Darzi Report on the NHS’s current state and its recommendations around chronic care. This analysis sparked exciting discussions on how we might leverage the increased focus on primary care to accelerate the adoption of our services.

On the subject of building a high-functioning team, we are now looking to hire our first Respiratory Nurse Specialist. We’re searching for not only clinical expertise but also someone with a growth mindset—curious, passionate about patient care, and keen to help us improve outcomes on a larger scale. We’ll be posting the role soon, including on the Zonder LinkedIn page. If you or someone you know fits the bill and enjoys remote work, please get in touch.

Fueling Growth

Funding is another cornerstone of startup success, particularly in healthcare, where patient care is involved. I’m delighted to share that we received confirmation on Friday that Zinc has approved our follow-on pre-seed funding. This means we can expand our pilot work with GP practices. While I was confident this would go through, it's still important to pause and celebrate the wins when they happen. This new funding will enable us to extend our pilot to another UK GP practice. If you're a GP leader interested in learning more about how Zonder could benefit your practice, please reach out.

This Week’s Updates:

• Lowlight: Taking stock of the fact that our time with full Zinc support is winding down. This is our last month of regular meetings with our venture partners.
• Highlight: Productive and insightful discussions with GP Partners, especially during our on-site visit to a pilot practice.
• Shoutouts: Alongside the ongoing support from our Zinc venture partners, Rosie Webster and Maria Fomina , last week we had productive sessions with our Product Coach, Lorna Flynn , and our Team Coach, Philipp Essl . Their guidance is pivotal in helping us make better decisions and accelerate progress. If you're a prospective founder considering the venture builder program at Zinc and similar startup champions, I’d be happy to chat from the perspective of a ‘graduate.’ You can find more information here.

By staying focused on these inputs—team, accelerated learning, and adequate funding—we're set to build a company capable of making a real difference in chronic care.

Read other perspectives from our cohort of founders here:

A Founder’s Story – Marjo Palanee, is now focusing the spotlight of her blog on under-represented founders and their startups whilst offering her services in building communities on social media. I highly recommend her workshops!

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Kuma Health - transforming immune mediated disorders care through personalized medicine

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