Mentor Profile: Fahad Aziz
Edited by Alicia Auduong
Part of what makes the Fung Fellowship great is its commitment to mentorship. This article is part of a series featuring the industry mentors who guide and advise students on their journeys and careers. From guest lectures, to workshops, to coaching, these mentors shape the story and the future of the Fung Fellows.
Fahad is the founder/CTO of Caremerge, a healthcare startup that leverages Artificial Intelligence and Voice to enhance life in senior living communities. Fahad is also a contributor at Forbes where he writes about digital health technologies and startups.
What inspired you to get into your field?
After working for several Fortune 500 companies, I got a unique opportunity to spend a few weeks in an assisted living community in Chicago. While there I met with senior residents, care providers, and visiting family members and observed significant challenges arising due to lack of communication. They were still using sticky notes, text messages, and phone calls to connect with each other. I felt I can use my experience and background in technology to improve the quality of life for all involved in this care continuum. Therefore, I quit my job in New York and moved to Chicago to build a care coordination platform. Today, our platform is used by over 450 communities across the country, touching 80,000+ senior residents and 30,000+ family members. We were named one of the fastest-growing companies in US by Inc5000 list.
What motivated you to be a mentor?
I made many wrong decisions during my entrepreneurial journey and they caused frustration and setbacks. I feel it is important to share those lessons I learned with the young entrepreneurs so they don’t make the same mistakes. Therefore, I take the mentorship opportunity to share my learnings with the students. I must admit that meeting young passionate students also helps me learn about new problems and ideas, and I can see the world from their eyes.
What advice do you have for our students?
My advice to students is that after you graduate, the learning should continue. The world is very competitive and if you have the curiosity and passion to learn, you will be successful. You can take online courses, do certifications, attend meetups and conference, or just read books. I also advise students that not everyone can jump into entrepreneurship on day one of their graduations. If you get to work for another organization or startup for a few years, it will help you build the reputation, network and experience you need to create a successful startup.
“The world is very competitive and if you have the curiosity and passion to learn, you will be successful.”
What’s something that’s exciting in the world right now?
A few weeks back we saw the first image of a black hole. It was a multi-nation effort, led by a young female scientist (i.e. Katie Bouman) leveraging the latest AI technologies. This is a window into our future! People any part of the world now has access to same technology and education as someone here in the silicon valley and they will put their mind and creative thinking into solving not only some of the most complex problems in the world but also the un-thinkable. I just cannot wait to see what more magical things will happen in our life that will bring people together for the bigger causes. Eradication of hunger? Chronic diseases? Water shortage? Climate change? Energy? Possibilities are endless and we are at the beginning of very interesting times.
