In this episode of Venture Vitals, Tomas Studenik and Evgeny Shvarov talk with Marco and Jonas, the CEO and COO of ROOK, about their journey in building a health tech startup in the US, discussing the inspiration behind ROOK, team building, and overcoming challenges as international founders. They also delve into their strategies for achieving unicorn status, their EXIT plan, and the impact of FDA regulations on their innovative solutions.

“Build a tolerance for frustration and find the right co-founder!

Rook: https://www.tryrook.io/
Marco Benitez https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcobzg/
Jonas Ducker https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonas-d%C3%BCcker-37460bb3/
Tomas Studenik https://www.linkedin.com/in/studenik/
Evgeny Shvarov https://www.linkedin.com/in/evgeny-shvarov/
Caelestinus incubator https://caelestinus.tech

00:00 – Intro
1:25 – What is Rook?
3:20 – What is the key value of Rook?
5:07 – Marco, Jonas: how did you start Rook? What did you do before?
12:12 – Should Digital Health Startup be launched in the USA? Why the USA?
14:40 – What is the biggest challenge while relocating a startup to the USA?
21:00 – What about regulations in digital health? How do you get along with FDA and other regulations?
25:44 – How do you collaborate with big and small existing players in the digital health, wellness and fitness industry?
29:10 – How to build a successful B2B business in digital health? What is the working go-to-market approach?
31:45 – What is your biggest challenge for a digital health startup?
39:20 – Are you fundraising? What is the exit strategy?
41:35 – What is your vision of the future of digital health and the industry? And words about AI 🙂
46:50 – “Must haves” to launch a startup
49:00 – Yonas: “Find the right co-founder!”

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