Optimizing Healing: A Journey with MEND CEO Eziah Zaidi-Syed

Value Drivers

Eziah Zaidi-Syed, CEO of MEND, discusses the company’s evidence-based approach to optimize healing with personalized nutrition and their platform's focus on enhancing patient care during and after surgical procedures. Eziah delves into the company’s unique integrated platform for precision care and the challenges and insights on fundraising, handling rejection, and leveraging connections in the startup environment. The episode highlights the importance of executing contracts and scalability in healthcare, offering a peek into MEND's entrepreneurial journey and future growth prospects.

Key Lessons

• Personal experiences with slow healing led to the establishment of MEND, which focuses on evidence-based approaches like personalized nutrition for faster recovery.

• MEND's revenue streams come from direct-to-consumer sales, institutions like the military and professional sports, healthcare, and a digital health model for surgical support with payer-based reimbursement.

• MEND utilizes AI and ML models for predictive insights to enhance care as it scales and explores the potential to become a digital therapeutic in the future.

Summary

This episode features a discussion between Peter Ho and Eziah Zaidi-Syed, the founder and CEO of MEND. Throughout the conversation, Eziah shares insights about his background, the company's business model and revenue, the evidence-based approach to healing, the market size, competitive landscape, funding and team building, strategic frameworks, book recommendations, and the challenges faced in running and scaling a startup.

Eziah's background includes senior positions in innovation strategy at Deloitte and Citibank, as well as experience in founding and scaling startup ventures. His passion for innovation and strategy led him to start MEND. The business model of MEND is diversified, focusing on direct-to-consumer wellness products, products for healthcare institutions, and digital health services with a payer-based approach. The company also emphasizes evidence-based approaches to healing, integrating nutritional and scientific evidence into its products and services. Additionally, MEND is focused on agility in a rapidly changing healthcare landscape and is working on leveraging AI and technology for efficient operations and improved customer experiences.

Eziah also discusses the use of frameworks such as "Playing to Win" and OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) to guide the company's strategy and execution. He also shares the challenges of running and scaling a startup, including the need for self-sustainability and profitability, as well as the need to constantly prove the company's value to investors and the market.

Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity by Peter Attia MD

https://www.amazon.com/Outlive-Longevity-Peter-Attia-MD/dp/0593236599

The Disease Delusion: Conquering the Causes of Chronic Illness for a Healthier, Longer, and Happier Life by Dr. Jeffrey S. Bland

https://www.amazon.com/Disease-Delusion-Conquering-Chronic-Healthier/dp/0062290738

Anticancer Living by Lorenzo Cohen

https://www.amazon.com/Anticancer-Living-Transform-Your-Health/dp/0735220417/

Resources:

https://mend.me/

Stay Updated: Please visit Brio360 on other episodes and resources on driving value creation https://brio360.com

Follow our host: https://linkedin.com/in/peterhocm

Please note that information provided in the podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and is not a recommendation to take any particular action, nor an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or services presented. It is not investment advice. Brio360 does not provide legal or tax advice.