Welcome to my founder newsletter series, where I will be sharing the secrets of how we are building the first personalized health data company.
This weekend I was contemplating wearing my Amazon Halo again when I remembered how in the early days of wearables, I found myself lost. I was trying to understand why I was tired at 3 pm or why some days I thrive with 5hr of sleep, and others I am dragging myself with eight hours. On the other hand, my Fitbit was congratulating me for taking 15,000 steps and getting deep sleep. But I was not feeling accomplished. Something didn’t connect.
For me, science has always been important, but it has to be simple and relatable. That’s why I founded Base to bring data and science closer to consumers in a way that it’s applicable. Measure what matters when it matters.
After working at Instagram, Facebook, and Amazon creating cutting-edge technology (and some cool patents!), I realized that we are not using those tools to personalize health. Personalized for real*, not let-me-do-a-silly-quiz-and-call-it-personalized. What would the world look like if we could use the AI behind the Amazon ‘You may be interested in…’ recommender algorithm to our health. I take pride in creating a couple of those algorithms during my time there!
Information + visualization = motivation. To get motivated to take care of our health, we need information. Getting notified when a hormone is going off track. Identifying what nutrient is missing and making us tired. Knowing exactly what to buy in the supermarket. A push notification from your doctor to chat based on your latest lab test will change the world.
In summary, we need the data that matters. The one that traditional science has been using for ages: hormones, vitamins, nutrients. I am excited to be leading a company where we educate consumers on 1) why a low-fat diet is causing weight plateau 2) discover the root causes of brain fog, 3) sleep issues using your blood data, and more. It is about time that we push for the evolution of our health system.
Meet me on the other side!
