Building Astropad
Trailer
Bonus
Episode 42
Season 1
Building a hardware startup with Aneela Idnani
I talk with Aneela Idnani of HabitAware, a company dedicated to helping people with Body Focused Repetitive Behavior – like hair pulling, skin picking, and nail biting. HabitAware makes a smart bracelet called Keen that helps control unwanted repetitive behavior.
They've been incredibly successful too, winning the MN Cup, named a Best Invention of 2018 by Time Magazine, and they've won government research grants from the NIH and NSF.
On this episode, we talk about she got started building hardware, what the early days of the company were like, why she is so passionate about mental health, and how they've funded the business so far.
On this episode, you'll learn:
- What BFRB's are and why they are focused on curing them
- How they built their first hardware prototypes (and why they built custom hardware)
- Why there's a big space to help people with mental health
- How Aneela has funded her business through unconventional methods
- What's next for HabitAware
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