EP26: Reimagining healthcare from first principles, with Forward Founder/CEO Adrian Aoun

Adrian is a serial entrepreneur and currently Founder/CEO of Forward. Forward is a healthcare startup that provides a membership-based healthcare system. Forward is redesigning the way healthcare is delivered using cutting edge technology that has long been neglected such as sensors, mobile, and AI.Before Forward Adrian founded AI startup Wavii which was acquired by Google, where he subsequently led Special Projects for the entire company. In this episode we dive into Adrian’s entrepreneurial journey and how Forward is redefining healthcare from first principles.In this episode we discuss:Wavii and early journey as an entrepreneur What led you into an entrepreneurial path?What was Wavii and how did it apply AI?How did you end up getting acquired by Google?How did you approach AI at Google post acquisition?Leading Special Projects at Google How did you end up working with Larry Page on Special Projects at Google?How did you approach structuring and creating the various Alphabet companies?How did you approach problems, prioritize opportunities and measure impact?What was working with Larry Page like and what were his greatest strengths?How did you apply first principles thinking when starting new projects at Google?Why is Forward not an Alphabet company?Reimagining healthcare with Forward What is forwards goal and what led you to founding the company?What were some of the principles that gave you conviction in building D2C healthcare?What is your perspective on competing with incumbent business models?What is your vision for Forward and shifting healthcare from inflationary to deflationary?Path to Product Market Fit and Scaling Forward What was your path to Product Market Fit and proving out the D2C business model?How did you maintain conviction and push back on calls to pivot in the early days?How did you figure out how to tell your story and start driving growth?What does your current scale look like and what have been the hardest parts to scale?From a consumer’s perspective, why should someone sign up for Forward?What do the economics look and how do you make them work without taking insurance?How do you supercharge doctors and build tools to turn healthcare into a product?What are the segments where you’re seeing the best fit today and expanding from?Closeout questions What are your superpowers that you find yourself leaning on often?What is the most challenging/difficult feedback you’ve received — how have you processed it and incorporated it going forward?Who’s the most talented person you’ve worked with & what do you respect most about them?LinksLearn more about ForwardFollow Adrian and Forward on TwitterHit subscribe to keep up with new episodes!Follow Ashish and Zane on Twitter for summariesClick here to give feedback — it only takes a minute