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What A Founder At WellSpace Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Digital Health Industry

Maria, a female founder in the digital health space, wishes someone had prepared her for the unique challenges of being a young woman entrepreneur, noting that "being a female entrepreneur is harder than just being an entrepreneur." This included facing skepticism and needing to constantly justify the importance of women's health, a fight that ultimately strengthened their resolve and expertise in advocating for their startup.

Entrepreneurship, Gender Equity, Women's Health, Startup Culture, Venture Capital

Advizer Information

Name

Job Title

Company

Undergrad

Grad Programs

Majors

Industries

Job Functions

Traits

Maria Ko (Kiejnich)

Founder

WellSpace

UCLA Class of 2020

Harvard Graduate School of Education, Ed.M. in Learning Design, Innovation and Technology

Economics

Healthcare, Medical & Wellness, Technology

Entrepreneurship and Business Owner

International Student, First Generation College Student

Video Highlights

1. Being a female entrepreneur presents unique challenges compared to male counterparts, requiring innovation not only in products but also in navigating the culture of entrepreneurship.

2. The industry may not automatically recognize the importance of a young female founder's vision, especially in areas like women's health, necessitating a proactive approach to seeking support and mentorship from those who understand the problem.

3. Pitching and advocating for the unique needs of a specific demographic (e.g., women's health) requires strong preparation and the ability to defend one's vision against potential biases and skepticism, highlighting the importance of data and facts in communication

Transcript

What have you learned about this role that you wish someone had told you before you entered the industry?

Being a female entrepreneur is harder than just being an entrepreneur. You can innovate not just in your products, but also in the culture of entrepreneurship itself. It's not necessary to recreate unhealthy hustle culture and expect burnout.

I think this is definitely an area of huge growth and discomfort for me. I've always been very comfortable being surrounded by opinionated men and their discussions, but I've never needed their opinions, nor have I felt their decisions affected mine.

That changed when I became an entrepreneur in digital health and got to know many VCs and other players in the startup world. The majority of them, especially here in Boston, were men with strong opinions about women's health, new trends, and how things should be done.

I wish someone had told me that being a young female with an important vision and working on a critical problem wouldn't be seen the same way. I wouldn't be given the same amount of attention and support from traditional players.

This also gave me an opportunity to look into female mentors in the industry. I sought out those who would understand the urgency of the problem I'm trying to solve. For a long time, pitching was uncomfortable.

Every time I said we were building a personal health assistant for women, the first question was, "Why women? Why not make it for everyone?" I then had to explain the urgency of women's health, the years of underinvestment and lack of proper care, and its current poor state.

I wasn't prepared to state the obvious or to fight for gender equity. That's something I wish someone had told me. Now I'm proud to be a female entrepreneur.

I'm so happy to be a female entrepreneur and I know how to defend my startup with facts and figures that open people's eyes. I took for granted that people would understand its importance and that I myself could do it. I've been undermined in many ways, and I do think it has to do with the fact that I am a young female.

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