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Shashwata Narain
CEO & Co-Founder @ Veera Health
Shashwata Narain is the Co-Founder and CEO of Veera Health, a digital healthcare platform dedicated to providing holistic solutions for women suffering from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). She co-founded the company in 2021 with her sister, Shobhita Narain, driven by their personal experiences and frustrations with existing healthcare options for PCOS, which affects approximately 1 in 5 women in India.13
Background and Education
Shashwata Narain has a strong academic background, having studied at the Wharton School and previously worked at McKinsey & Company. This experience has equipped her with the skills necessary to lead a startup focused on women's health.24
Veera Health
Veera Health aims to create a supportive and judgement-free environment for women dealing with PCOS. The platform was launched as part of the Y Combinator 2021 batch and has since raised $3 million in seed funding from notable investors, including Sequoia Capital India’s Surge and Global Founders Capital.13 The platform emphasizes evidence-based care and ongoing monitoring, addressing the fragmented nature of PCOS treatment options.1
Under her leadership, Veera Health has developed a community-oriented approach, leveraging social media to raise awareness and provide support to over 20,000 women.1 The company has also established partnerships with healthcare experts to enhance its treatment protocols.2
Vision and Impact
Shashwata is passionate about improving women's health access and education. She believes that health is a fundamental aspect of women's lives and advocates for early intervention in chronic conditions like PCOS. Her efforts have contributed to creating a significant online community where women can share their experiences and seek guidance.12
Highlights
Midweek question - What skills do your favorite people to work with have in common? And how do you interview for these skills and hire for them?
As a Founder, for me these skills increasingly are:
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Ability to not just find problems but fix them
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Be on a constant learning and experimentation journey - e.g. proactively share 5 new insights about the customer or product every week
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Speedy execution. Things happen in hours and days, not weeks or months.
What skills matter to you and how have you hired for them? 🧐
““My doctor pretty much thought it was all in my head,” Dr. Fejzo said. He told her that women make themselves sick during pregnancy to gain the sympathy of their husbands, and later, that her illness was a ploy for attention from her parents, who were helping with her medical care.”
Really interesting read about Dr. Marlena Fejzo in the NYT today. Hyperemesis is extreme nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. It often went undiagnosed and untreated and, back in the day, was thought to be a psychological reaction of women against their pregnancies 🤷🏽♀️ Thankfully today things are different.
Let’s get more women in healthcare to solve the problems that science thinks are too “complex”💪🏽
#healthcare #womenfounders # #science #startups #healthtech #womenshealth
https://lnkd.in/dMCw77JR
Image credits: NYT
