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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />She offers candid insights on:<br /><ul><li>Her incremental approach to fundraising as a first-time founder</li><li>The realities of hiring and why not everyone is a good fit for startup life</li><li>How scaling consciously can save your startup from chaos</li><li>What it took to recover when rapid growth nearly broke the company</li></ul><br /><br />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.<br /><br /><b>Chapters:</b><br />00:18 – Welcome and Introduction<br />00:51 – Oriana’s Career Background<br />03:00 – Inspiration for AOA Dx and Ovarian Cancer Diagnostics<br />05:00 – From Concept to Funding<br />07:54 – Current Stage of AOA Dx<br />08:12 – Challenges Along the Way<br />09:41 – People-First Philosophy<br />12:44 – Building a Robust Hiring Process<br />14:07 – Balancing Learners and Guides in a Startup<br />15:56 – Scaling Consciously<br />18:16 – Organizational Systems and Operational Infrastructure<br />21:02 – Final Words of Wisdom for Founders<br />23:02 – Where to Find AOA Dx<br /><br />----<br />Stay connected with our host, <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateadams22/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kate Adams, here on LinkedIn</a>! <br /><br />Learn more about AOA, visit: https://aoadx.com/<b><br /></b>