What are the biggest issues you deal with when managing or living with an autoimmune condition(s)? Managing labs? Getting Dr to pay attention? Getting help/answers in general? Getting accurate diagnosis? Figuring out what is happening to your body in general?
Mine always surround the Dr experience being shitty and a folder of labs that I have in a manila folder.
Hi I'm George and vibe coded my way to what is a very solid platform. It's a private patient companion that is Native AI (not a wrapper), has functions like lab analysis, dr visit prep reports, an AI chat, check ins/PRO's, and a series of other really deep tools and functions that are unique to this patient population.
The tool was built with requirements straight from a large patient population so it was built by patients for patients. I've gotten traction with some industry patient org's that are looking to refer their members to use this tool and also use the data to help public policy efforts in D.C.. Their member registries are 1M+ so if that pans out, even a small modest conversion would be fantastic traction. I've gotten pretty far solo but to get taken seriously I need a team.
A technical cofounder and also a clinical (MD) co founder are needed. I can handle the industry outreach and have spent 15 years doing enterprise transformations, operations planning, and program management. I'm in the US too.
Maybe a bit of a rant or vent, but I’m also just generally frustrated because I don’t understand the pre-seed and accelerator options.
I have built a real product. It works great. Not an idea. I feel I have to say this because each time I meet with people they are shocked at the product maturity or that it’s more than an idea.
I have users. Real people/patients. It’s a patient facing product. They like it. The thing works great.
I try to apply for accelerators and VC projects for pre-seed companies and each time I get rejected because I need more traction, cofounders or people working with me, and a better business/monetization model (going direct to patients is what I recognize [saas] is a extremely difficult path).
I recognize these things. I knew going in. But my interest in joining an accelerator is getting some help on the different pathways/monetization strategies. I also hoped to find cofounders or support in gaining more traction with partnerships that can open marketing channels.
But these rejections make me wonder, who am I supposed to ask for help? If I’m solo, I have pilots getting worked out with large patient groups, I have real users signing up each day through word of mouth, but if pre-seed options all want more traction, what’s before pre-seed? I’ve met people who are founders and have only an idea getting millions, many more getting thousands in investment and support. And they don’t have any users, any product, or any traction at all.
What am I missing?
Maybe a bit of a rant or vent, but I’m also just generally frustrated because I don’t understand the pre-seed and accelerator options.
I have built a real product. It works great. Not an idea. I feel I have to say this because each time I meet with people they are shocked at the product maturity or that it’s more than an idea.
I have users. Real people/patients. It’s a patient facing product. They like it. The thing works great.
I try to apply for accelerators and VC projects for pre-seed companies and each time I get rejected because I need more traction, cofounders or people working with me, and a better business/monetization model (going direct to patients is what I recognize [saas] is a extremely difficult path).
I recognize these things. I knew going in. But my interest in joining an accelerator is getting some help on the different pathways/monetization strategies. I also hoped to find cofounders or support in gaining more traction with partnerships that can open marketing channels.
But these rejections make me wonder, who am I supposed to ask for help? If I’m solo, I have pilots getting worked out with large patient groups, I have real users signing up each day through word of mouth, but if pre-seed options all want more traction, what’s before pre-seed? I’ve met people who are founders and have only an idea getting millions, many more getting thousands in investment and support. And they don’t have any users, any product, or any traction at all.
What am I missing?
Maybe a bit of a rant or vent, but I’m also just generally frustrated because I don’t understand the pre-seed and accelerator options.
I have built a real product. It works great. Not an idea. I feel I have to say this because each time I meet with people they are shocked at the product maturity or that it’s more than an idea.
I have users. Real people/patients. It’s a patient facing product. They like it. The thing works great.
I try to apply for accelerators and VC projects for pre-seed companies and each time I get rejected because I need more traction, cofounders or people working with me, and a better business/monetization model (going direct to patients is what I recognize [saas] is a extremely difficult path).
I recognize these things. I knew going in. But my interest in joining an accelerator is getting some help on the different pathways/monetization strategies. I also hoped to find cofounders or support in gaining more traction with partnerships that can open marketing channels.
But these rejections make me wonder, who am I supposed to ask for help? If I’m solo, I have pilots getting worked out with large patient groups, I have real users signing up each day through word of mouth, but if pre-seed options all want more traction, what’s before pre-seed? I’ve met people who are founders and have only an idea getting millions, many more getting thousands in investment and support. And they don’t have any users, any product, or any traction at all.
What am I missing?
Maybe a bit of a rant or vent, but I’m also just generally frustrated because I don’t understand the pre-seed and accelerator options.
I have built a real product. It works great. Not an idea. I feel I have to say this because each time I meet with people they are shocked at the product maturity or that it’s more than an idea.
I have users. Real people/patients. It’s a patient facing product. They like it. The thing works great.
I try to apply for accelerators and VC projects for pre-seed companies and each time I get rejected because I need more traction, cofounders or people working with me, and a better business/monetization model (going direct to patients is what I recognize [saas] is a extremely difficult path).
I recognize these things. I knew going in. But my interest in joining an accelerator is getting some help on the different pathways/monetization strategies. I also hoped to find cofounders or support in gaining more traction with partnerships that can open marketing channels.
But these rejections make me wonder, who am I supposed to ask for help? If I’m solo, I have pilots getting worked out with large patient groups, I have real users signing up each day through word of mouth, but if pre-seed options all want more traction, what’s before pre-seed? I’ve met people who are founders and have only an idea getting millions, many more getting thousands in investment and support. And they don’t have any users, any product, or any traction at all.
What am I missing?
I’m frustrated and doing a small personal experiment: I’m curious if everyone else with a chronic/autoimmune condition has the same experience I do with their doctors and managing their conditions, so I’m asking this in multiple groups.
As background: I have MTHFR mutations, Hashimoto's, AFib, and battled vertigo for years. My wife has Crohn's. Close friends have MS. So between my own conditions and the people around me, I feel like I've seen a pretty wide slice of what chronic illness management actually looks like day to day.
In my experience, the appointments themselves don't give me much to go on. Basically, I wonder if anyone’s doctor actually does anything and if so, what type of doctor is it?
My endocrinologist really just considers a dosage change and nothing more. My primary doesn't go much beyond the basics like antibiotics. MTHFR is treated like a non-issue and I definitely don’t even consider it as an issue which I have a feeling isn’t true. For the vertigo, nearly every doctor was useless except a few specific vestibular PT’s. My wife's GI seems similar and rolls the dice with biologics treatments.
I just feel like I’ve been forced to figure these out myself and I can’t believe this is everyone’s experience. There must be a specialty or autoimmune or chronic condition that has some good support and in between doctor appts is more than just a ton of google searching.
So I'm asking:
When you get new symptoms or feel like something is off — do you reach out to your doctor, or do you just deal with it yourself and wait for the next appointment?
If your labs come back technically in range but you still feel terrible — does your doctor actually do anything differently, or is it textbook regardless of how you feel?
I’m frustrated and doing a small personal experiment: I’m curious if everyone else with a chronic/autoimmune condition has the same experience I do with their doctors and managing their conditions, so I’m asking this in multiple groups.
As background: I have MTHFR mutations, Hashimoto's, AFib, and battled vertigo for years. My wife has Crohn's. Close friends have MS. So between my own conditions and the people around me, I feel like I've seen a pretty wide slice of what chronic illness management actually looks like day to day.
In my experience, the appointments themselves don't give me much to go on. Basically, I wonder if anyone’s doctor actually does anything and if so, what type of doctor is it?
My endocrinologist really just considers a dosage change and nothing more. My primary doesn't go much beyond the basics like antibiotics. MTHFR is treated like a non-issue and I definitely don’t even consider it as an issue which I have a feeling isn’t true. For the vertigo, nearly every doctor was useless except a few specific vestibular PT’s. My wife's GI seems similar and rolls the dice with biologics treatments.
I just feel like I’ve been forced to figure these out myself and I can’t believe this is everyone’s experience. There must be a specialty or autoimmune or chronic condition that has some good support and in between doctor appts is more than just a ton of google searching.
So I'm asking:
When you get new symptoms or feel like something is off — do you reach out to your doctor, or do you just deal with it yourself and wait for the next appointment?
If your labs come back technically in range but you still feel terrible — does your doctor actually do anything differently, or is it textbook regardless of how you feel?