What does it take to build a biotech startup tackling one of the toughest challenges in women’s health? In this episode of Startup Success, we sit down with Oriana Papin-Zoghbi, Founder and CEO of AOA, whose company is pioneering a novel approach to detecting early-stage ovarian cancer.

Oriana shares her journey to founding AOA, the mission-critical lessons she learned from scaling her team too fast, and why she believes “doing the hard things the right way” is the key to long-term success.

She offers candid insights on:

• Her incremental approach to fundraising as a first-time founder
• The realities of hiring and why not everyone is a good fit for startup life
• How scaling consciously can save your startup from chaos
• What it took to recover when rapid growth nearly broke the company

If you’ve ever questioned what it really takes to turn an idea into a thriving company, this conversation will challenge you to think differently about growth, grit, and what it means to build something that lasts.

Chapters:
00:18 – Welcome and Introduction
00:51 – Oriana’s Career Background
03:00 – Inspiration for AOA Dx and Ovarian Cancer Diagnostics
05:00 – From Concept to Funding
07:54 – Current Stage of AOA Dx
08:12 – Challenges Along the Way
09:41 – People-First Philosophy
12:44 – Building a Robust Hiring Process
14:07 – Balancing Learners and Guides in a Startup
15:56 – Scaling Consciously
18:16 – Organizational Systems and Operational Infrastructure
21:02 – Final Words of Wisdom for Founders
23:02 – Where to Find AOA Dx

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Stay connected with our host, Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn! 

Learn more about AOA, visit: https://aoadx.com/