In health tech, there is only one direction, and that is forward – there is no turning back. The focus on health will just become stronger as people become more educated and wealthier. People want to stay healthy and are ready to spend money for it. Health, wellbeing, as well as awareness of the body and mind will become mainstream, so these markets are already growing massively. The need is very clear.

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People want to stay healthy and are ready to spend money for it.

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We see that demand for digital health is rapidly accelerating, while more technologies become accessible. Wrist watches can measure the oxygen in my blood with a visual sensor and software. You have apps using machine learning to battle common diseases like constipation, tools to manage diabetes, and startups that spot rare diseases with technology. How crazy is that?

What matters most is helping people. Good things are good! That is the biggest appeal. However, healthcare is also tougher than most other markets. There is a lot of friction, it is harder for health start-ups to gain trust, you have different regulations everywhere, and it tends to be capital intensive. But once you’ve figured it out, it is also more difficult to compete with you. Since health tech is such a hard nut to crack, you need a fund like Calm/Storm that knows the space inside out. They also have the advantage of being lean and sharp, without the complex politics that more established funds struggle with.

Another advantage of Calm/Storm’s approach is that there is a very clear focus on the founder; always trying to understand what their problems are and looking for ways to deal with them. Calm/ Storm’s Academy, which I am part of, provides helpful support for founders – those who are open to it. In my opinion, it is important to have such a resource, because being a founder is always tough. For start-ups the conditions are mostly rough. You are fighting from one quarter to the other, against your cash flow. Fighting to hire clever people because

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The faster you want to move, the slower you need to act – just like in slow motion

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you lack the brand and the appeal of your competitors to attract them. You could pay them more, but the problem is: you do not have the cash for it.

Even if you are growing, that does not mean that the water is becoming any calmer. The waves are just getting bigger. That is why you need a strong partner who provides calm during that continuous storm.

I have been through a very rough sea as a founder and investor myself. I have been defrauded and almost went bankrupt twice. There was a time when I thought that I needed to work many hours to achieve something. In hindsight, that is a completely broken concept. The opposite is true. Instead of doing more, you need to do less and think more. The stormier the weather, the calmer you need to be.

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Hasty decisions lead to mistakes, which must be fixed – and that costs energy and time. The faster you want to move, the slower you need to act – just like in slow motion. I ask myself constantly: why am I doing this? I guess it is in my blood to move things forward and sometimes that implies choppy waters.

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When there is no wind, it is no fun to sail anyway.

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