Diversity, equity and inclusion are core to BrightInsight, and we are committed to identifying ways that we can educate our team about unconscious bias, ensure inclusion and diversity are part of our recruiting and hiring efforts, and more. We know that we have a lot more we can learn and do here and strive for continuous progress.
That being said, we are proud of the diversity of our Leadership Team and our broader team we have built around the globe, and will continue to celebrate the amazing people we work with.
On our Leadership Team, almost half of the team members are female, and we wanted to share more about these powerhouse women with you all.
Maria: To help build the platform and the products that will transform healthcare and improve outcomes for patients.
Jamie: I was at Qualcomm Life before BrightInsight, which had grown from 3 of us to 300+ employees with established products extending across the healthcare continuum. While I loved the team, I was eager to build something again from the ground up. I love those early days of a startup where it’s just a handful of you in bootstrapping mode. Very fun. Kal, our CEO, is also a very good recruiter!
Swati: From its early days, BrightInsight had the conviction to make a change in healthcare. The founders knew that to make a true impact in healthcare, you can’t just play in the “health and wellness” space like so many companies out there- you actually have to move into regulated digital products. The other aspect that I loved about BrightInsight was that it was therapy and use case agnostic, which means that it can support any disease state in healthcare. For someone like me who doesn’t want to be focused in just one specific area, this was a perfect match.
Mia: To be part of a leading company supporting customers’ path to digitization in the life sciences industry.
Swati: Do it. It’s the perfect intersection of healthcare and technology with a heavy emphasis on the end users (patients)
Mia: Networks are a great resource as are industry events. We’re also seeing more companies entering the space as time goes on, which will add more opportunities on traditional job posting websites; it’s good to periodically check what’s out there.
Maria With a background in software engineering, I come from the technical side of health and life sciences, so I would say get familiar with key technologies and regulations. Cloud computing, mobile development, data privacy and security – these are some of the main components that help us to support our customers and most importantly, reach patients! Everything that we do is on a foundation of safety because patient well-being is at the heart of our platform. I would recommend learning about how to make robust and reliable software, how to architect safe systems or how to design simple, beautiful user experiences that help patients to manage their conditions safely every day.
Jamie: All of healthcare will soon be digitized, so the first thing to do is figure out whether you want to be part of a digital health startup or a larger healthcare company that is working on digital products. There are also a LOT of siloed, one off digital health widgets out there. There’s an app for everything and there’s a ton of connected medical device or wearable companies. Find a therapeutic area that you’re passionate about with a product that isn’t siloed from the rest of the ecosystem – a company that is interconnected with the larger ecosystem will be more successful and will have a larger impact.
Jamie: Right now! While the early days were certainly fun (I was Employee #9, so I mean EARLY days), we are at this inflection point right now that is exhilarating. With our recent $40M Series B, we are growing our teams, further investing in our platform, and scaling around the globe. There’s an energy that I can’t quite describe – it just feels like our moment to cement our position as the de facto regulated digital health platform… and we are ready.
Swati: The day we secured our first round of external Series A funding. It validated that we had a real product that the market valued. I really appreciate all the financial and operational support we received from our then parent company Flex, but carving out of a big corporation is always a negotiation and securing venture funding in the private markets is even harder when you’ve been incubated in a large corporation
Mia: A recent favorite moment was on a zoom call with the leadership team where we all got into a laughing fit at some well-timed jokes. It reminded me how much I enjoy our work culture.
Maria: Having recently joined, I have to say my favorite moment so far was the recent strategy presentation given by the leadership team. The shared vision for the future is really engaging, the energy and excitement across the team was palpable. I was very impressed by the overall level of transparency throughout the organisation and I’m delighted that I joined at this point on our journey.
Mia: I’m in the process of redesigning our finance infrastructure to support more efficient financial reporting and facilitate better forecasting and decision-making. Once completed, we’ll have a stronger foundation from which the organization can easily scale.
Maria: I’m in the process of building the EU Delivery Centre and scaling up the team who support our customers projects across Europe. I am busy recruiting and looking for top talent! I am also getting into the technical detail of the platform and our solutions, so that we can figure out even better ways to deliver for our customers.
Jamie: My top priority right now is hiring two rockstars for our Director of Product Marketing and Director of Demand Center roles. Absolutely critical roles where you can make a big impact.
Swati:
Swati: Honestly, on a daily basis I have to give my husband a lot of the credit. He picks up 60+% of the demands of our homelife in addition to his full-time job.
Maria: I’m balancing my day across time-zones. Our customers are awake early and our team in San Jose is working well into my nighttime. In order to be responsive, I split my working time into working with the EU and US within regular working hours, having dinner with my boyfriend and seeing friends in the evening, and then catching up with tasks and emails later on. I make sure to take some time for lunch in the afternoon, and I’ve scheduled time for exercise in the mornings before the day really kicks off!
Jamie: Currently writing these responses while my 17-month old daughter, Margaux, naps…Prioritizing is critical. I swear by time batching. Plus, my nanny. She’s also critical.
Mia: Where possible, I protect my time. Being accommodating and helpful is generally a good thing in life but can lead to burn out in the workplace. For example, instead of assuming every request is urgent, find out when the work product is truly needed and plan accordingly. If someone needs to talk and you’re in the middle of a project/analysis/etc., instead of dropping everything, check to see if the conversation can happen later when you’re freer. It’s not about always saying “no” but more about better managing the “yes”. Prioritizing projects is also hugely important (it can happen weekly, daily, or even multiple times a day) – it helps me manage external expectations and still meet important deadlines. Lastly, it’s important to empower your teams to have the skillset to independently perform their duties and know when to escalate upwards. Martyrdom in the workplace is not something to envy; rather, communication, collaboration, and trust allow all of us to operate together and ensure good work-life balance for the team.
Maria: BrightInsight takes mental health very seriously and so my favourite perk is the additional time off given to employees to help with work/life balance. And also, my new shiny Macbook Pro.
Jamie: The bureaucratic-free environment. Things like track free attendance. Managers trusting their employees and letting them do their thing. It’s rare and so, so refreshing.
Swati: At the moment, while in SIP, it’s the fact that we can go to the office and bring home office furniture including the full sit/stand desk to build a comfortable home office. I’m not just talking about the sit/stand extension you can add on to any desk, I’m talking about the whole desk!!
Maria: I worked in technology consulting for nearly 15 years. I led medical device and medical diagnostic product development projects at PA Consulting in their Cambridge technology centre, UK. I worked on lots of new to world technologies, helping clients to create products that make an impact. One of my recent projects was in the cell and gene therapy space – working with a startup to help to create a cheaper, faster, high quality way of getting cancer treatments to patients.
Jamie: I have been focused on B2B software marketing in healthcare for over a decade. I was one of the first employees focused on healthcare at Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM), the world’s leading wireless innovator. I had the opportunity to help grow Qualcomm Life from its initial launch to its position as a global leader in the digital health industry.
Swati: I worked at Samsung’s Strategy and Innovation Center running Business Operations for a Digital Health Start-up incubated at the center. It was my first introduction to building a start-up and all the excitement that comes along with wearing multiple hats and creating something new
Mia: I worked in finance over 15 years, recently at two startups, one of which was acquired for over $800M and the other successfully achieved a Series C financing round. Prior to that, I did a stint at business school and worked at Ernst & Young LLP as a financial statement auditor for enterprise and startup companies in the health and SAAS industries, helping two of them successfully complete an IPO.
Swati: I’m a quote collector. I have a book of quotes I’ve been collecting for at least 15 years. My latest favorite is “When we are no longer able to change the situation, we are challenged to change ourselves” – Victor Frankl
I also like “I need to teach my facial expressions to use their inside voice”
Mia: “Between the great things we cannot do and the small things we will not do, the danger is that we shall do nothing.”
Maria: “Do or do not; there is no try”.
Mia: Pre-COVID-19, I could be found going on a road trip, having a picnic near the water, enjoying a new restaurant, taking a hike, and/or spending time with extended family and friends. In today’s environment, I do some of the above but in a far more limited capacity and with much social distancing and mask-wearing. I’ve also had more time to focus on house projects.
Maria: Pre-COVID-19, I could often be found in the mountains, hiking and climbing. I also row for a club in Cambridge. I love to travel, ideally combining my love of new places with my love of good food. During lockdown, I have been practicing my cooking and baking skills, as well as doing some DIY and home automation.
Jamie: Biking, hiking or skiing with my husband and baby daughter in Sun Valley, Idaho. Or enjoying wine in my yard. Either of those.
Swati: Pre-SIP it was spending time with friends with my family in tow. It energized me both on the home front and for work. I equally love going out on date nights with my husband, dinner outing exploring the latest restaurants in SF with girlfriends or spending time with other parents when I coordinate playdates for my kids.
During SIP- I’ve found time to reconnect with myself by doing puzzles and actually being able to finish a book in 2 weeks vs. months, Oh- and now I’m starting to catch up on all the Netflix series my friends have been raving about for months.
We will continue to feature our other female team members beyond the leadership team here on our Employee Blog.