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Name: Anne-Laure Le Cunff

Business: Lysa 

Location: London, United Kingdom

Industry: Healthcare, Wellness & Fitness 

Reason for starting? Sugar is the biggest killer of our century. There are more people dying from weight-related health issues than from violent crimes in the world. According to the NHS, one in four British adults is obese. Despite those alarming signs, people struggle to manage their diet. Contradictory information, high cost of preventative care, and inadequate approaches focusing on calorie-counting and restrictive diets are all culprits. If Lysa empowers even only a few people to get back in control of their health, in a way that fits their life and their lifestyle, I will consider my job done.

The reason for starting is also personal. My grandma is diabetic, my mom is pre-diabetic, and they have to follow a strict diet to manage their health. I’ve struggled myself with silly, restrictive and unnecessary diets. There’s so much pressure from society to look healthy, but very few people focus on how you feel and how healthy food fits into your daily life. I wanted to be one of those few people.

Related: Read about another Health & Wellness entrepreneur here. 

How do you define success? The meaning of the word “success” has been distorted in the past few years. The original meaning is “positive outcome.” To me, success means having a positive impact, how big or how small. Success means that the world is a slightly better place because you’re in it. Success doesn’t have to be founding a multi-million dollar company. Any time you’re helping someone, making a friend smile or contributing to a cause, you’re being a successful human being.

Biggest success: My proudest moment was when Jay, my incredibly talented technical co-founder, officially offered to join the team. I couldn’t believe my luck to have such an amazing partner embark on this adventure with me! A few of my friends then pointed out that I shouldn’t feel lucky. I should have felt proud, because he would have never joined if he was not convinced both by the product idea, and my ability to support him and the team. I now try to not think of events in terms of good luck, bad luck or serendipity, and to appraise them in an honest way, so I can feel good about what I did well, or learn from my mistakes.

What is your top challenge and how you have addressed it? One of the perks of working at Google was that we had an amazing team of finance, legal and accounting experts, so I never really had to worry about that part of the business. As a business owner, I now have to spend more time on the administrative stuff. I don’t find it particularly fun, but it’s necessary, and still interesting to pick up new skills along the way!

Related: In the Business of Women’s Health 

Who is your most important role model? I’m grateful for my previous managers at Google, Amy Brown, Feng Xu, and Nishma Robb, who gave me the tools and the courage to always do what feels right, both in my personal and in my professional life. Other women I admire include my friend Joséphine Goube, the CEO of Techfugees, who’s helping displaced people through technology, and Michelle Hua and Marija Butkovic, two talented women who have built a strong and supportive community of women in the wearable industry.

[box_light]Website   https://lysahealth.com/
Twitter   @lysahealth
Facebook   http://facebook.com/lysahealth
Instagram   @lysahealth[/box_light]

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Edited by The Story Exchange