My first startup

Born out of pharma interest in our academic models

Near the end of my PhD, pharmaceutical companies became deeply interested in the disease‑progression models we were developing.

They wanted better ways to analyze trial data, especially in Alzheimer’s, where late‑stage trials can cost more than $1B. Many standard statistical tools were designed for diseases where patients recover, so you can clearly separate placebo from treatment. Neurodegenerative drugs don’t (yet) reverse disease. They aim to slow progression over years, which makes effects harder to detect.

That interest led to academic partnerships. But academia quickly became an obstacle to scaling the work. My PhD supervisor and I turned it into a company right after my defense.

I took the CTO role. Our first contracts were signed with major pharma groups in the U.S. and Switzerland. Between pharma contracts and international grants, we stayed fully bootstrapped and grew a team of ten.

Docmemo.com: helping patients with memory concerns

Analyzing trial data was only half the equation. As the company gained traction, it became obvious we should collect our own patient data. I took the CPO role to build Docmemo.com, a public-facing product for people with memory concerns.

Our promise was to structure patients’ medical journeys, guide them toward trained healthcare professionals, and, when relevant, help them join clinical trials.

For patients, it reduced medical wandering and gave them a clearer path forward. All while rebuilding the patient journey: online testing, access to trained physicians, and standardized consultations.

For clinicians, it brought qualified patients with their medical history upfront, plus standardized flows and tools that made visits both faster and more informative. No‑shows dropped to fewer than one per month.

For pharma and recruiting centers, we screened participants for top‑tier Alzheimer’s trials in France and the U.S., matching eligibility criteria to real‑world profiles at scale.

Over time, we screened 45,000+ people.

I started a new chapter when Qairnel became mature enough

By 2025, Qairnel had become more structured and focused on U.S. screening contracts. The motion was repeatable: acquire participants at low CAC, screen and filter, then propose a trial when eligible.

At that point, the company’s path was clear: scale what worked.

But what pulled me most wasn’t the machine. It was where the system breaks: handoffs, drop‑offs, Excel files, daily call loops—the operational debt that frontline teams quietly compensate for.

That’s the layer I wanted to work on again, full‑time. So at the end of 2025, I left Qairnel. The company is still operating, and we stay in touch when it’s useful.

Now I’m building again. Healthcare is still where I want to spend my time, with a focus on care coordination.

I’m always happy to talk with people working on similar problems.