People of Landscape — Chris Fernandes
How long have you been a founder for?
1.5 years as a first time founder at Bodii Technologies Ltd.
What’s your backstory on how you came to be a founder?
I’ve always had a fascination for forward thinkers who have managed to change the way people think and do things.
Surprisingly, my journey isn’t a result of watching Social Network or Silicon Valley on TV (they actually increased my affinity for startups!).
In my youth, I was a passionate and aspiring footballer, but unfortunately suffered 4 major injuries in my knee which saw me spend a good part of 6 years in the physio room trying to get better! I hated the experience, and spoke to people from all over who have faced the same lack of engagement and care! I set out to try and solve a deep rooted problem for patients like me recovering from injury through technology, by taking a problem first approach. Working with my early investors and venture studio at Nova, we have pivoted from a very bias approach to creating a solution that will truly benefit patients, therapists and the NHS.
What has been your highlight as a founder?
We carried out our first in person test, which involved comparing our Bodii device, to a physio’s current practice. The results were epic — we immediately saw the level of accuracy and efficiency we can offer in our solution. Not only was it was eye opening, but it gave the entire team encouragement and excitement to continue on our path!
What about a lowlight?
Naively expecting customers to come to us without building any branding!
How did you come across Landscape?
I came across an article on LinkedIn about a support community for founders at about 3.15am while stressing out on not so important things!
What is the biggest challenge you need help with right now?
We’re a D2C brand in the healthtech space that is trying to introduce a novel business model to gain a competitive advantage. Testing and validating this approach is difficult without being able to take the product to market quickly due to legal restrictions and supply chain.
Our customers inadvertently do get better, so pre-orders is not necessarily a great way of demonstrating traction!
Biggest mistake you’ve made so far and what did you learn from it?
Trying to bring on cofounders to fill in a gap too quickly without vetting the non-working relationship! That includes the vibes, ambition and commitment! The startup is a baby and if a big decision doesn’t feel right — don’t jump off the cliff, perhaps take a night!
Any good advice to other founders?
Spend time with family and friends regularly — you don’t have to hide in a cave. It will help you enjoy the journey and more importantly they will give you feedback and hold you accountable!
Most frustrating thing you find about the startup fundraising ecosystem at the moment?
How early you should be starting! Even if most of your relevant development and milestones might be met after engaging investors! Though this only applies for early stage businesses like mine!
What you would like to see change in the startup fundraising ecosystem within the next 5 years?
Difficult to say really! Would love to see the bar for Angels be really clear — almost like a checklist that founders can meet and subsequently increase the chances of engagement. No one likes the process of contacting too many unnecessarily!
You can connect with Chris on LinkedIn here and follow his Twitter here. He’s happy to be contacted via both social media sites or you can email him at chris@bodii.uk. Just drop him a DM or an email 💬.
Originally published at https://www.landscape.vc on September 15, 2022.
