#7 She Left Everything to Fix the One Thing Nobody Talks About in Healthcare episode artwork

EPISODE · May 15, 2026 · 24 MIN

#7 She Left Everything to Fix the One Thing Nobody Talks About in Healthcare

from The Friday Sponge · host Jack Payne

She moved from Belarus, got a computer science degree in her second language, and watched doctors get crushed by insurance chaos from the inside. So she built an AI company to fix it.Stefaniya Barabanava is the co-founder of Sphere — a startup rebuilding how healthcare providers handle insurance communication."Many of the times they really don't know whether they're getting paid for the work they do."00:00 Introduction to Financial Literacy and AI in Healthcare02:45 Stefaniya's Journey from Belarus to Healthcare Innovation05:45 The Challenges of the US Healthcare System09:02 Founding Sphere: Addressing Pain Points in Healthcare12:02 Navigating the Startup Landscape: Lessons Learned15:01 The Weight of Responsibility in Healthcare18:06 The Importance of Mentorship and Collaboration21:12 Finding Purpose Beyond Profit24:00 Future Aspirations for Sphere26:51 Fundraising Insights and Storytelling for StartupsFollow The Friday Sponge for more stories like this.thefridaysponge.comConnect with StefaniyaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefaniyab/Sphere: https://sphereint.net/

She moved from Belarus, got a computer science degree in her second language, and watched doctors get crushed by insurance chaos from the inside. So she built an AI company to fix it.Stefaniya Barabanava is the co-founder of Sphere — a startup rebuilding how healthcare providers handle insurance communication."Many of the times they really don't know whether they're getting paid for the work they do."00:00 Introduction to Financial Literacy and AI in Healthcare02:45 Stefaniya's Journey from Belarus to Healthcare Innovation05:45 The Challenges of the US Healthcare System09:02 Founding Sphere: Addressing Pain Points in Healthcare12:02 Navigating the Startup Landscape: Lessons Learned15:01 The Weight of Responsibility in Healthcare18:06 The Importance of Mentorship and Collaboration21:12 Finding Purpose Beyond Profit24:00 Future Aspirations for Sphere26:51 Fundraising Insights and Storytelling for StartupsFollow The Friday Sponge for more stories like this.thefridaysponge.comConnect with StefaniyaLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefaniyab/Sphere: https://sphereint.net/

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#7 She Left Everything to Fix the One Thing Nobody Talks About in Healthcare

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She moved from Belarus, got a computer science degree in her second language, and watched doctors get crushed by insurance chaos from the inside. So she built an AI company to fix it.Stefaniya Barabanava is the co-founder of Sphere — a startup...

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