What would Facebook look like if it had been created by medical professionals, meant for use by doctors and medical students? Maybe just like Neuros, a social network that combines casual interaction, study aides, and medical knowledge sharing. Just please try to hold off on posting about the next successful procedure until the patient is out of the operating room. Sound fair, Doc?
Co-founder of Neuros, Dr. Waiz Wasey, knows firsthand that medical students are hard pressed to find time away from the books. While students need lots of information, they have to stay quasi-human, too. Neuros provides a platform form swapping health tips, meeting colleagues, and sharing those stories from anatomy class that beg to be told but might not make for appropriate dinner banter otherwise.
Dr.Wasey graciously put on the scrubs to give KillerStartups a look at the innards of his now live project and his entrepreneurial vision.
How’d you come up with the name for your company?
We wanted to name our network with a medical term. Neuros is derived from Neurons, which we thought would be apt as a lot of neurons are involved in socializing and studying.
What’s the very first thing you do at work everyday?
Check how much we have progressed since yesterday. And then have a team meeting to discuss our goals for the day.
How many people did you start the company with and how many people work for you now?
In the beginning, it was just me and my friend & partner, Ravi. Now we have around 6 people working for us and a handful of volunteers.
Remember the early days starting up? Maybe you can share one anecdote that describes the struggle you went through?
The start is always the difficult part. We were criticized about the idea and support was lacking. But once we launched Neuros, that attitude changed. People realized this was something new, fresh & interesting.
How do you handle frustration? When/how was the last time you dealt with frustration?
I haven’t really felt frustrated so far. The team I work with is really efficient, and they understand my ideas and views. There are times when we don’t meet our goals, but there are also times when we overachieve.
How do you picture your company in 5 years?
I picture it as the largest hangout of medical students & doctors, and the largest hub of medical knowledge. And if things go as planned, we might have our own line of illustrated study aids and text books.
Who or what inspires YOU? Role models? Quotes? Running? Video games? Snack food? Give us the deets, dude!
The aspiration to learn by medical students is what inspires me. I just want to give them a better platform, where they can engage themselves in what the world calls 2.0 style.
How’d you fund this venture? VC? Self-funding? Crowd-funded? Where’d you get the money, man?
Self-funding. Whatever me & Ravi make from our other ventures, we invest a part of it here.
Got any great bootstrapping tips for the lean startups out there?
“Big things have small beginnings.” If you believe in your dream, make it happen.
What would you be doing if you had one year off and $500,000 to spend (and you couldn’t spend it on your current startup / projects)?
- Charity work
- Go on a vacation; spend some quality time with family
- Support someone financially who has ideas and is as enthusiastic as me.
Do you consider yourself a successful entrepreneur right now? If not, what’s it gonna take to make you feel successful?
I would say I have done well so far, but there is always room for improvement.
Website you couldn’t live without and why?
Facebook – it’s important to stay in touch with friends and family. In a way, they are a great support and source of inspiration.
Mobile App you’re in love with and why?
Instagram – sometimes pictures describe what words cannot.
Dogs or cats?
I prefer fish lol. They are beautiful, quiet and easier to maintain.
iOS or Android?
Android.
What’s the greatest thing about your company/website/idea?
The idea that we are not just helping med students & doctors around the world to socialize, but giving them “relevant” medical topics to talk about and providing them with a platform where they not only benefit themselves but help one another.
Where can our readers get a hold of you? Facebook? Twitter? Google+? Personal blog? Any other projects you’re working on that we should check out?
I would prefer Facebook, but they can also get in touch with me through my personal website, DrWaiz.
We are also working on battledesigns.com – it is still in the pipeline. We are discussing ways to make crowdsourcing more interactive and see if we can give it a more social network approach
Who are the people that you would like to thank?
Ravi, who has understood my views & ideas – and helped bring them to life. Ravi C. with whom I went to med school. And my sisters Nida & Neha, who have been a good source of support all the way, and still are.
