Diana is a seasoned neuroscientist and neuroAI entrepreneur with an interest in bringing neurobiological insights into AI and robotics. She holds a PhD and 2 postdoctoral fellowships in neurobiology, with over 12 scientific publications, as well as a major in Philosophy of Science with a focus on Logic. During her PhD, Diana perfected a method for extracting the input-output computation from a living neuron, using two-photon microscopy and electrophysiology in awake mice. She then applied this method in world top-level labs and institutions.
She helps coin the term Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) from the perspective of Whole Brain Emulation (WBE). With all these insights, she is currently the CEO and founder of neurobotx which is aimed at bringing real neurobiological insights into robotic AI, as well as Uplifter, the first AI life optimization coach. She also works with several LPs to help find the best VC funds and win emerging deep tech startups. In her spare time, she loves to do yoga, volunteer, kayak, and spend time at the beach.
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Here we sit down with Diana, to know a bit more about her journey as an entrepreneur.
Q. What inspired you to become an entrepreneur?
Diana: Elon Musk. I have a lot of admiration for the products he builds, and managing teams and scaling them in order to reach truly world-changing goals such as colonies on Mars, the Singularity, and more recently brain implants that actually work. During my PhD it made me realize that my ambitions are probably too big for just academia, but also I want to bring in my scientific rigor in the work that we do in order to make sure that what we create is truly valuable! So now I am doing my best to mentor the future generation to be excellent in both science and entrepreneurship, and have fun during the whole process!
Q. How did you get started?
Diana: With Uplifter, it was my own experience. As a founder, I downloaded lots of meditation apps, trying to be the best CEO I can be. At some point, I had more than a dozen wellness apps on my phone constantly sending me notifications. If anything, they made me more stressed about not keeping up with my meditation 🙂 Then I tried therapy, and I realized it was very patient-‘expert’ oriented, lacking empathy and using age-old psychology methods, and definitely not an exact science as therapists often project their own personal opinions. Having a Philosophy and Neurophysiology background, I have a lot of respect for the complexity of the human mind and its individuality, There is so much kindness behind the stereotypical interactions waiting to come out, and the truth is social networking apps are not bringing out that beautiful side in people. So then I was at the beach with some friends, when I realized what people need is this genuine, kind, honest, free-flowing interaction, talking about all the important things, like career, finance, personal life, but also travel, nutrition, wellness, family. Do you know that feeling of being among your friends and lifting each other up? That’s Uplifter.
Q. What was your biggest startup challenge? What steps did you take to overcome it? What did you learn?
Diana: Probably trying to get people in the right emotional mindset to invest in, build and deploy something of quality. Working with a lot fo VC funds and technologists that have been strongly affected by the pandemic, the influx of wellness coaches was very welcome. With every coach we onboarded, I felt a little lighter and more inspired to make a positive impact on people, not just for science. I am very, very lucky to call all these people my colleagues.
Q. What is the Most Memorable Thing You’ve Done Since you Started your Business?
Diana: Too many but probably one of them was meeting an investor via Zoom, and them saying they’d like to keep the camera off because they are feeling sad and upset…and I said okay. I think the world definitely needs a detox from Zoom and the digital world in general.
Q. What is one book you recommend, and why?
Diana: I am reading a book called ‘Connections’ by Karl Deisseroth. He is the inventor of Optogenetics, a method that allows us to color specific neurons in the brain, which has had a monumental impact not just in neuroscience but also inspired a lot of painters. His book though is about his humbling experience as a psychiatrist, and witnessing the breakdown of the human mind. I love that someone so well established in Neurobiology is looking at every new human interaction with curiosity and an open mind, and it did have a strong impact on how I built Uplifter.
Q. What are your top 3 favourite online apps, tools, or resources and what do you love about them?
Diana: Linkedin is great for generating content and sending that to your target audience if used correctly. I owe a lot of my success to Linkedin. I might be biased, but I think the only competitor is Uplifter 🙂
We will add a lot of resources soon, narrated by me, but based on hundreds of hours of discussions with experts, starting from basic life skills like handling debt, to handling conflict, to time management, basic fitness and nutrition tips etc. Our aim will be less focused on getting clicks and more on generating helpful content.
Q. In terms of legacy, what is the mark you’d like to leave on the world?
Diana: If Uplifter reaches the size I hope it does and surpasses Facebook (and some of our KPIs are already higher for our corresponding stage), then I imagine a world where the majority of people are uplifting each other in every way, and know-how to heal themselves and those around them from damage, be it deep or superficial: mentally, emotionally, but also through volunteering, altruism, sustainability, and overall kindness. This is a future that I’d very much like to be part of. And if we do achieve that, then I think we will deserve to expand on other planets.
Q. In one sentence, what’s the best advice you’d give to someone just starting out on their entrepreneurial journey?
Diana: Learn how to deal with rejection and adversity, because you’ll need to self-heal really fast. Most successful founders I know got several rounds of 70+ rejections until they found the people that ‘get them’, or their tribe. This is especially hard with clients and investors, since people can have very different values and personalities, and it is important to keep that positivity throughout all that.
To keep up to date with Diana and her journey, connect with her on Instagram.