E27 | [Rebroadcast] Alexandra Eavis – Harnessing Tech To Improve Lives
Alexandra (Alex) Eavis is the co-founder of three distinct businesses that are tied by a common theme: harnessing technology to make life better, in a meaningful way.
In 2017 Alex co-founded two companies. In January she took on the role of Director as Co-Founder of How Do I?, a social enterprise for a special needs school that uses NFC technology in vocational learning. By the end of the year she helped launch a blockchain platform to drive better information sharing in healthcare as Co-Founder and CEO of Dovetail Lab. She previously Co-Founded Alcove, another tech-based company that uses machine learning to assist older and disabled adults in their lives, and careers.
For entrepreneurial success Alex credits hiring people who are smart and passionate, and talks about the importance of doing what you love.
On the podcast we talked about:
- Investing in technologies to revolutionize for the future
- What it takes to make a social impact, and a profit
- The democratization of content creation
- Creating aspirational products
- Creating a space for a digital detox in our lives
Links:
Harnessing Technology to Help Those Who Need it Most
Alex Eavis, co-founder of multiple technology-based companies, didn’t start out building successful businesses. She actually spent a meaningful amount of time in corporate finance. But in her heart, she always wanted to make an impact.
In the past five years, she has launched three business that do just that. Leveraging machine learning technology, she co-founded Alcove, which identifies opportunities for intervention in the care of older and disabled adults. Leveraging technology to make a difference in a community she cared deeply about, she met an unexpected opportunity to continue her success as Co-founder of two more companies in 2017.
She first started How Do I?, a social enterprise to promote independence for special educational needs by using digital tools to make learning more accessible. The company has grown to offer a democratization of content for companies that makes onboarding and the transfer of institutional knowledge seamless.
By the end of the year she also was tapped to Co-Found a blockchain platform to drive better information sharing in healthcare at Dovetail Lab where she serves as CEO. Her excitement for the future of healthcare is as strong as her energy to make a meaningful impact. Which she admits is absolutely necessary for fulfillment, “You have to love going to work every day if you are going to run your own company.”
The future of technology for healthcare
Alex sees healthcare technology today sitting in a similar position as the nascent stages of online banking. People are reasonably concerned about the use of their personal data, but at the same time assume medical professionals have access to that data in emergency situations. While many in healthcare tech are focused on AI, the real potential is to encourage intentional and purposeful sharing of data to contribute to the greater good. Within a decade there is an opportunity to see a major shift in the way we perceive and use our health data.
What annoys people, she cautions, is when their data is used to make other people money.
You don’t have to be a charity to be mission-driven
Alex’s success is found in her capacity to recognize that profit and social impact are not mutually exclusive. As she raises capital for her enterprises, she’s had to clarify some misconceptions among investors who don’t know whether to categorize her ventures as charity or business. But she challenges the notion that you have to choose, and has been smashing preconceptions about the capacity to make a meaningful impact while also operating as a business.
Success is also found in working with people who are passionate about the work, and, she admits, in hiring people who are smarter than you.
Book recommendations
What book would she recommend?
- Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
She also recommends unplugging, reading for pure entertainment, and making an effort to make a digital detox a part of your life.