SmartBridge uses the collective brainpower of 52 top oncologists from around the world to improve health outcomes for cancer patients.
Co-Founder, Hua Wang
Name: SmartBridge
Location: Santiago, Chile
Website: www.smartbridgegroup.com
Product / Service Offering: 24/7 on-demand digital platform that uses the collective brainpower of 52 top oncologists from around the world to improve health outcomes for cancer patients
Co-founder Interviewed: Hua Wang
Other Key Management Team Members: Jeremy Force, Paul Peou, Charlotte Moser, Chris Mecoli, Russell Eggleton
This article is part of our Women Entrepreneurs Spotlight Series featuring female entrepreneurs and their companies. We hope these founders’ interviews will inspire and motivate you as you undertake your own entrepreneurial journey.
Tell us a little about yourself with a focus on what motivates you?
I have a lot of early deaths in my family from cancer. I am therefore very passionate about connecting patients with care informed by the latest and best practices and preventing and correcting misdiagnoses and unnecessary or failed treatments.
When did you establish your company and where did the idea originate?
SmartBridge incorporated as a company in 2016. The traumatic and life-changing health-related events in my family put me on a mission to revolutionize cancer care.
I am fortunate to have physicians as close friends, and I saw firsthand how powerful it is to have a physician fighting for you in the hospital. I want to democratize access to top oncologists and empower patients everywhere.
What need or needs does your company seek to fill for its customers?
Our main product is an expert medical opinion – a review of diagnosis and treatment from a handpicked oncologist who is likely a chief or chair of a major academic medical department.
What is the one thing that sets your company apart from its competitors?
SmartBridge is the world’s first 24/7 on-demand digital platform that connects world-class, leading-edge oncologists with patients. We are fluent in all the major languages and we speak human.
What was the biggest challenge you faced while getting your company up and running, and how did you overcome it?
We initially struggled with getting top oncologists to join us. However, we were fortunate to find two top oncologists to join us as co-founders, which gave us added credibility and access to their networks.
Are there resources you have utilized that other founders might find compelling or useful?
I am grateful to Rent the Runway’s Project Entrepreneur (a weekend accelerator for top female founders).
What steps have you taken to secure funding for your company and what, if anything, would you do differently if you had to start over?
We initially bootstrapped our idea before raising funding from Start-Up Chile and Rockstart.
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What challenges, if any, are you grappling with?
We are currently looking for cancer patients and their families to use our services and are offering FundingSage readers a special promo code for 20% off (“FundingSage20”).
Advice to women entrepreneurs?
Time management is very important. I start each morning thinking on and executing the most important priorities I have to accomplish that day. I used to aim for inbox zero at night, but now I realize it is not an effective way to spend my time as a CEO. Often times, those emails are not that important. What is important are the meatier problems that probably take more time and mental energy and endurance to solve.
Want to learn about other women led startups? Check out our Women Entrepreneur’s Spotlight Series.
Are you familiar with other Women led startups? If so, we would like to hear from you. Tell us about them, sharing your comments below!
Liz Bennett
Liz is the Assistant Director of the ETSU Innovation Lab, adjunct faculty for the College of Business and Technology at ETSU, Kelley School of Business MBA graduate and former intern at Plug & Play Tech Center in Silicon Valley. A lifelong learner, she is interested in all aspects of entrepreneurship and enjoys helping startups explore the possibilities. She currently sits on the TurboFunder Product / Market Advisory Board.
