anvajo: Congratulations on your new position as CEO of anvajo, Felix! What vision are you starting with as the new CEO?
Felix: Thank you very much! I am really grateful for the trust that our investors, but also our employees, have in me to be able to co-determine the direction of anvajo as CEO in the future.
In the last three years, anvajo's mission has also become mine: together with our great team, I want to develop a platform for chronically ill patients that simplifies diagnostics. With our point-of-care approach, we are not only focusing on target groups that have access to a good medical infrastructure, but also on connecting patients who do not have regional access to diagnostic testing.
In my vision, I see anvajo in five years as a company that can support the entire spectrum of medical solutions with its products, from therapy to production. Our fluidlab platform will play a decisive role in the early detection of diseases, the monitoring of these diseases as well as in the decision-making about therapy procedures. It will cover the entire value chain in the doctor's office as well as in the home environment and relieve doctors and patients in their everyday lives. In addition to our innovative products, strong partnerships with which we will bring our technology to the market are of course also important.
anvajo: What was your career like so far? How did you get into the health tech sector?
Felix: I started my working life in the classical way. I was a natural scientist and one evening I sat in a seminar at university on the subject of microfluidics. That was the first time I saw that malaria parasites could be detected in people's blood. That got me thinking about how to make a better impact on the world as a natural scientist.
The leap into diagnostics was then not far away. I started working for a microfluidics company and also took over the management there. After that, I came across anvajo and, as employee number 12, was allowed to develop the products that anvajo has on the market today together with my colleagues. And now I am really proud of our team, with whom we can continue to work on our vision.
anvajo: What makes anvajo a special company for you?
Felix: anvajo is so special because there are so many different people working here. For a young deeptech company like us, we have a very broad intersection of different disciplines, education and experience. From employees fresh out of university to colleagues who already have 10 years of industry experience. We use this melting pot of experience to create something that didn't exist before and build a great product range with a fantastic platform. That's what makes anvajo for me.
Regardless of our team, we also try to create the most productive environment an employee could wish for. From IT equipment and flexible working hours to short decision-making processes in which the best way for emerging challenges can be chosen in an agile manner. It is also important for us to create a good environment for all employees and we manage to do that when you look at our international and diverse team, where it is also a big concern for us to allow high flexibility for working parents.
anvajo: What a great approach! What do you think are the biggest challenges for young companies in Germany? And how do you plan to deal with them at anvajo?
Felix: The biggest challenge for young companies is definitely financing, but I tackle that the same way as all other upcoming challenges. Success always depends on your environment. If you have colleagues with whom you can talk about problems, if you have created a culture in which people talk openly about challenges, then I think the foundation has been laid for overcoming any challenge as a company and as a team. This is also seen by our investors, who not only invest in our technology, but also in our team.
anvajo: One last question: When you're not busy working, where can people find you?
Felix: Actually, my job requires a balance from me, which I need especially in the form of exercise. I go running or ride my bike. I'm also a great music lover and always up for a classical opera. By the way, one of the reasons why Dresden is a fantastic place to live, not only for companies but also for private individuals: the Semper Opera is definitely worth a visit!
Podcast Interview: Startup Insider (German only)
In this episode, our CEO Felix Lambrecht talks about our successful Series A funding and the journey to raise 17.7 Mio EURO in pandemic times.
Find the whole interview here.
