Biotech operator turned founder, learning to build with AI
Hi Product Hunt! I’m Nora, a biotech operator turned founder based in San Francisco.
I’ve spent most of my career working across biotech strategy, operations, and commercialization, and completed my MS in Biotechnology and MBA at Harvard. I’m now building at the intersection of digital health, consumer technology, and AI with my app, Nervana.
Lately, I’ve also been learning how to build and code using AI tools. As someone without a traditional technical background, it has been incredibly exciting to see how quickly I can turn ideas into working products and operate with a level of efficiency that would not have been possible a few years ago. I honestly feel like AI coding was built for someone like me, who loves to multi-task and check things off a to-do list!
I’m especially interested in connecting with other founders working in health, AI, consumer products, and mission-driven companies, as well as other nontechnical founders learning to build with AI.
I’ll be launching Nervana soon and sharing more about the story behind it in an AMA. For now, I’m excited to meet everyone and see what you’re building!
Replies
Hi! Welcome! It’s great to meet you.
What made you shift from a serious enterprise role to developing your own product?
@alexe_ev Thank you! I had a personal experience with chronic pain, GI issues and insomnia. I felt like I was constantly trying to manage my symptoms, and I got better after enrolling in a clinical research study while a grad student at Harvard. This research study didn't offer any drugs, it was purely education about the brain body connection, and practicing safety in your body. This approach is called neuroplastic recovery, helping your brain to stop sending "danger" signals to your body. This type of (nearly free) treatment completely worked for me, and naturally, it blew my mind that I didn't know about it earlier!
So honestly I just felt really passionate about spreading the word, so that's why I built Nervana to try to make this approach more mainstream!
@nora_rodden It's great and really interesting! It seems like lately there's a feeling that many people are dealing with burnout or mental health issues, but that doesn't mean these problems have just started appearing. It just means people are talking about them more openly, which is fantastic, because a problem people don’t discuss feels like it doesn’t exist. The more people talk about it, the higher the chance they'll start working on themselves and their health. I think it's a wonderful direction. I wish you huge success!