Romanian entrepreneur Diana Mereu has a professional career spanning more than 10 years that unites her passions for health and technology. Along the way, she transitioned into corporate life by holding leadership positions within international pharmaceutical companies, then founded her own HealthTech startup called HealthFluencer and has been actively involved in numerous initiatives aimed at supporting the healthcare sector.
Through HealthFluencer, Diana Mereu now aspires to redefine how healthcare, personal care and personal care brands communicate health information to their users in the digital space, while ensuring that this type of Marketing serves its purpose and establishes a connection that benefits all parties. In the process.
As the winner of The Recursive’s “Most Inspiring HealthTech Entrepreneur in CEE” award, Diana Mereu shares her vision for the future of HealthTech digital marketing, how brands should use this type of communication and reach their consumers, as well as what are the technology trends that will shape the healthcare industry in the years to come.
The Recursive: What is your background and what motivated you to start working in HealthTech?
Diane Mereu: I obtained my pharmacy degree in 2012 and my professional career has been dotted with experiences acquired in different contexts – from a student association, to a community pharmacy, to the National Medicines Agency, to a pharmaceutical company international, to a consumer health organization, and finally to becoming the founder of a HealthTech startup.
I have had the chance to meet brilliant people throughout my career, either those to whom I reported directly during my years in business, or those who became my mentors, as part of the Executive EMBA that I I followed with MSM (Maastricht School of Management). ) or a community of accelerators that I joined at InnovX-BCR.
HealthTech combines two of my most cherished fields – health and technology, each reflecting a part of my personality in one way or another. Health care, on the one hand, is very well established, well regulated, provides consistent performance and access to a close-knit community, while having a direct impact on the lives of individuals.
Technology, on the other hand, is fast-paced, constantly evolving, with new trends emerging, and leads to greater risk aversion, but at any time you can be a part of creating something extraordinary.
How do you leverage your expertise to help HealthTech startups overcome challenges and succeed in the market?
In 2023, I joined the Launch Community for Startup Founders as Director of the HealthTech Vertical and was also part of the LevelUp Health & Life Sciences accelerator powered by EIT Health as a mentor.
I truly believe that startups enrolled in such programs have the greatest chance of success. More specifically, I support HealthTech startups to harness a clear vision, overcome regulatory barriers and build their own ecosystem by identifying the right investors, partners and healthcare stakeholders.
What led you to found HealthFluencer and what is the premise behind the company?
Wellness companies these days are struggling to find the right influencer to properly communicate their brand. Although it is a highly regulated industry, communication issues remain on health issues, particularly in the digital space where health claims are not tracked.
That’s why at HealthFluencer, we’re rethinking how healthcare information is delivered by offering a tailor-made pairing for these companies with qualified “health influencers” who pass our “blue check” and ensure data is accessible to them to predict engagement impact and measure consumer response.
What role does influencer marketing play in the health, personal care and personal care industries today?
I believe there are two main beneficiaries of #healthfluencer marketing, who meet on the HealthFluencer platform for the following reasons, which are paramount to the activities they individually carry out:
- The company – make data-driven marketing decisions, adhere to an industry standard, meet regulatory compliance, build digital credibility and benefit from tailored connectivity;
- The health influencer – securing a new source of income, creating a personal brand, establishing corporate partnerships, passing qualifications validation, pre-testing the product/solution.
What trends do you foresee in the HealthTech sector, including in the context of AI?
In today’s digital environment, technology adoption is essential for healthcare. We are seeing many emerging trends, including portable devices which allow wearers to become active players in their health, 3D printed prototypes prostheses, bio-tissues and blood vessels, blockchain to keep electronic health records error-free, AI with multiple uses, from chatbots to virtual health assistants to precision medicine, pattern recognition, personalized diagnostics and treatments, Double foxglove as a digital replica of a patient for clinical trial purposes using computer models.
As an industry leader, how do you stay up to date with the latest advances in healthcare?
Health features in more than 5% of the more than 5 billion daily searches on Google. The Internet still remains one of the most sought-after sources of health information today, whether on search engines, social networks or directly on the websites of health products and services. There are also many scientific articles, industry newsletters and #healthfluencer channels that provide accurate and reliable updates. In addition to this, I consider events, conferences, seminars as a relevant source, not only for information gathering, but also for their networking potential with other leaders.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to enter the HealthTech field?
When I talk specifically about HealthTech startups, I firmly believe that it is above all about creating value and developing the ecosystem. I encourage founders to involve the authorities from the start and, if they have no previous experience in the field, to recruit at least one health advisor.
It’s also about looking around and mapping the competition with the aim of partnering with existing technologies, rather than reinventing the wheel. The last piece of advice I would give them is to commit for the long term and do it for the right reasons. And of course, they should have fun throughout the process.