Suggestions
Estelle Giraud, PhD
CEO & Co-Founder Trellis Health | Techstars Seattle '23
Professional Background
Estelle Giraud is an accomplished healthcare entrepreneur and a visionary in the field of genetics and genomics. As the CEO and cofounder of Trellis Health, a progressive organization dedicated to advancing personalized medicine, Estelle has successfully leveraged her extensive academic background and diverse professional experiences to propel innovation within the healthcare sector. With a strategic mindset and a passion for improving health outcomes, she has established her reputation as a leader who is not only committed to scientific advancement but also to translating complex genetic data into actionable insights for healthcare providers and patients alike.
Prior to launching Trellis Health, Estelle amassed a wealth of experience at Illumina, a global leader in genomics. Here, she held several key roles including Senior Manager, Arrays and Consumer Genomics Specialists for the Americas, where she played a crucial role in driving product development and market strategy. Her tenure at Illumina also saw her serve as a Senior Market and Business Specialist focusing on arrays and consumer genomics, as well as a Field Applications Scientist, providing scientific support and expertise to customers. These roles allowed Estelle to deepen her knowledge in market dynamics and consumer application of genomics, reinforcing her commitment to harnessing technology for better public health.
In addition to her work at Illumina, Estelle pursued initiatives such as founding Navnetics, Inc., showcasing her entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to innovation in the life sciences space. Her role as an Adjunct Principal Lecturer at Zhejiang University and her experience as a Research Assistant Professor at The University of Western Australia reflect her dedication to not only advancing her field through practical applications but also educating the next generation of scientists. She also served as a Founder Fellow (ODF4) at On Deck, fostering collaboration among entrepreneurs dedicated to transforming the landscape of healthcare and technology.
Education and Achievements
Estelle Giraud holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) with First Class Honors in Genetics, Biochemistry, and Psychology from The University of Western Australia. Her deep-seated interest in the intricacies of life and the genetic factors that contribute to health has driven her academic pursuits. She went on to earn a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Genetics and Genomics from the same esteemed institution, highlighting her commitment to research and her profound understanding of genomic science.
Her educational background laid a strong foundation for her future endeavors in the biotech and health innovation sectors. Estelle’s rigorous training in genetics and genomics has enabled her to approach healthcare challenges with a scientific and analytical lens, empowering her to lead teams effectively and strategically within fast-paced environments.
Estelle's notable achievements extend beyond the corporate sphere; her leadership at Trellis Health has contributed to significant developments in personalized genomics. Under her guidance, the company has made strides in integrating genetic data into healthcare practice, promoting better health management and patient care. Her commitment to continuous learning and collaboration is evident in her active participation in various health technology forums and her contributions to scientific literature.
With a career marked by dedication, innovation, and a commitment to advancing the field of genomics, Estelle Giraud stands as a paradigm of modern entrepreneurial leadership. Her journey reflects not just individual achievement but also the transformative potential of genomics to reshape healthcare delivery and enhance patient outcomes.
Highlights
So… the last 3.5 months have been wild, it’s bittersweet to say that it’s the end of our chapter with Techstars Seattle Accelerator for Trellis Health - but also just the beginning 🚀
6 months ago, Ryan Nabat and I were not even thinking about this, but it’s been one of the best decisions we’ve made. Some reflections and gratitude as we move forward in the next phase of growth
1️⃣ Techstars Seattle is one of a kind 💎 A crown jewel (IYKYK!) The purpose of an accelerator is to foster breakout companies - and give them fuel and support for outsized odds of success. Seattle Techstars is the third oldest Techstars program and has one of the most robust networks down the west coast/nationally. The 140 companies that have been through the program since the beginning (now with +24 from the current batch) have collectively raised $2.8B 🤯. Seattle also holds the record for one of the most successful accelerator cohorts ever with 30% unicorns within one batch (rumors are that the current batch might have a few in future too!)
2️⃣ The pace 📈 From day one, they push you to your limits and force you to up-level at an extraordinary pace. Our entire team worked almost non-stop the last 4 months including over the holidays (thank you!). We shifted targets, built our first ML features in weeks not months, pretty much doubled the team, and got laser focused on revenue and what it means to build a scalable repeatable business. The small batch accountability, support, and empathy within this program are unlike anything else. Weekly KPI accountability groups and the opportunity to solve problems and share challenges with a group of founders aligned on the journey is truly special. Every week we asked - what’s the single most important question you need an answer to and what are you doing to answer it. Weekly. Huge thanks to Yifan Zhang for guiding our pod.
3️⃣ the people ✨ The staff and network behind this program are incredible, they pour their energy in to support every single company, alongside dozens of insanely talented people. The dedication from the program staff, the EIRs, and the broader network of investors and mentors have been nothing short of phenomenal. Their belief in us is humbling, especially Marius Ciocirlan. Tears, hugs, ambition, advice - the friendships I have with my fellow cohort founders will be cherished. Lastly, with deepest gratitude to Marius Ciocirlan, Sarah Studer, Jacob Laes, Amanda Tsang, Carson Nye , Yifan Zhang, Bill Bryant, Arean V., Chris Pitchford, and the entire team. And a huge thank you to our mentors Christy Johnson, Skot Carruth, Behzod Sirjani, and Vamsi Narla - your generosity and guidance have made a lasting impact for us. Thank you!
I’ve worked my whole career at the frontier of science and #precisionmedicine, from this small corner of the industry that feels like a tight-knit community of innovators of the human condition → genomics.
I’ve seen how fast things can move - technology that consistently moves faster than Moores' Law at Illumina, global data that doubles every 7 months, medical knowledge that doubles every 73 days - & it's accelerating.
I’ve seen the systemic issues with our current healthcare system first-hand, and spearheaded enormous contracts that fell over in implementation because implementing anything within our current system is ridiculously complex (mostly on incentive structures & $).
I’ve also had the joy of seeing how much people care about their story & learning about the essence of who they are with the explosion of direct-to-consumer genomics, working hand-in-hand with companies like 23andMe. We all love our past story and are curious about our future.
In parallel, I’ve been a patient that almost fell through the cracks, and felt the shocking burden of responsibility of managing my own health through IVF, pregnancy and motherhood over the last 6 years. Women are superheroes and are mostly overlooked by a system not built for them.
In the end - we are all here to experience the human condition through as many healthy years as humanly possible, and hopefully leave a foundation for the next generation to live longer and healthier lives than we did.
So, I am beyond proud to start to share what we have been building at Trellis Health, alongside Ryan Nabat and this small but mighty team.
Trellis Health is a modern care-coordination platform and the first generational health record for consumers, starting with the epic pregnancy health journey. We are here to (securely) organize the world’s health information - one family at a time - to build intelligent tools for generational health. Ambitious goals are more likely to succeed than unambitious ones.
With Trellis Health - pregnant women can access their past with an organized timeline of their health history, leverage predictive and personalized tools to manage their present health (stay one step ahead), and start to build practical and learning resources for the future of health for their family (and other women globally).
We are now live in private beta and available on the App store (link in comments). Check out https://lnkd.in/ggfju3NT to learn more and if you or anyone you know is pregnant we’d love to have you join the private beta!
I cannot thank our early investors, angels and supporters enough - we wouldn’t be here without you. Ruby Gadelrab Tudor Matthew Kobach Jessica Kamada Brenda deGerald Jay Kaufman Maria Sevdali, PhD Molly Berkery, JD, MPH + MANY more.
To our early users - you are helping to build the next generation of medicine while, quite literally, building the next generation of humanity. #boldertogether
This is just the beginning.
