Welcome to another episode of Category Visionaries — the show that explores GTM stories from tech's most innovative B2B founders. In today's episode, we're speaking with Doctor Nan-Wei Gong, CEO & Founder of FIGUR8, a musculoskeletal (MSK) health and injury data solution that has raised over $40 Million in funding.
Here are the most interesting points from our conversation:
- Origin and Evolution: Nan-Wei’s journey from a musician and material scientist to a tech entrepreneur was fueled by her fascination with sensor technology at MIT's Media Lab, leading to the foundation of FIGUR8.
- The Entrepreneurial Leap: Winning the MIT $100K competition shifted Nan-Wei’s trajectory towards entrepreneurship, demonstrating the potential impact of her sensor technology in the market.
- The Mission of FIGUR8: Nan-Wei discusses FIGUR8's mission to revolutionize MSK health by making comprehensive biomechanics assessments accessible and efficient for everyone, shifting from elite sports to a broader healthcare focus during COVID-19.
- Challenges of Introducing Technology in Healthcare: Introducing new technology into the conservative field of physical therapy presented unique challenges, requiring FIGUR8 to adopt a comprehensive solution approach beyond mere hardware sales.
- Commercial Strategy and Customer Engagement: The discussion delves into FIGUR8’s B2B model, emphasizing the importance of understanding the complex ecosystem of payers, providers, and patients in healthcare to successfully introduce and market new technology.
- Advice for Entrepreneurs: Nan-Wei emphasizes the importance of being close to customers and the value of aligning a tech startup’s goals with those experienced in the healthcare industry, underlining the significance of addressing real problems to achieve sustainable growth.