Meet Fiona Bao, a bio-engineering graduate from Zhejiang University who transformed personal frustration into a revolutionary healthcare solution. After experiencing firsthand how women’s health concerns are often dismissed by medical professionals, Fiona founded GENPULSE, an AI-powered diagnostic platform specifically designed for women’s health. Starting with Lushair, a scalp diagnostic tool trained on over 30,000 medical images from prestigious institutions like Stanford Hospital, her startup has already captured 3.6K paying customers across 28 countries and achieved an impressive $550K annual recurring revenue.
In an exclusive interview with Entrepreneur Loop, Fiona shares her remarkable journey from a routine dermatologist visit that sparked her entrepreneurial fire to building a platform that democratizes hospital-grade diagnostic capabilities. Her story illustrates how technical expertise combined with genuine empathy for underserved markets can create both meaningful impact and substantial business success in the rapidly evolving intersection of AI and healthcare.
Please provide a brief introduction of yourself and your professional background.
I’m Fiona Bao, a bio-engineering graduate from Zhejiang University who found my calling at the intersection of healthcare and AI. After being incubated at NUS and working at Airwallex in fintech, I became deeply passionate about women’s health—a $1.1 trillion market that receives less than 4% of healthcare R&D funding. My technical background combined with firsthand experience of how women’s health concerns are often dismissed led me to founding GENPULSE.
Please tell us a bit more about your startup – what does it offer, what problem does it solve, and who is your target audience?
GENPULSE tackles the massive underfunding in women’s health research through AI-powered diagnostic tools. We started with Lushair, a scalp diagnostic platform trained on 30,000+ medical images from Stanford Hospital and leading Asian medical centers. Our target audience spans three groups: everyday women seeking better health insights, healthcare providers wanting AI-enhanced diagnostics, and researchers building the future of women’s health. We’re essentially democratizing access to hospital-grade diagnostic capabilities.
What inspired you to start your own business? What was the “aha” moment?
My “aha” moment came during a routine dermatologist visit where I was told my hair concerns were “just cosmetic” and dismissed without proper investigation. That same week, I learned that 50% of women experience hair loss, yet there’s virtually no innovation in this space. I realized we could combine AI technology with real healthcare needs to create something revolutionary—a platform where women’s health data becomes valuable for advancing medical research while providing immediate diagnostic value to users.
What were some of the biggest initial challenges you faced in getting your business off the ground? How did you overcome them?
The biggest challenge was bridging two completely different worlds: traditional healthcare and cutting-edge AI technology. Healthcare moves slowly and requires regulatory compliance, while tech innovation moves at lightning speed. Building credibility required securing partnerships with established medical institutions like Stanford Hospital and National Skin Center Singapore. We also had to prove market demand, so we started with a simple AI diagnostic tool and focused on generating real revenue before expanding our capabilities.
How did you identify a gap in the market or need that your business fulfills?
The gap was hiding in plain sight. Women make 80% of healthcare decisions yet receive a fraction of research attention. I studied the healthcare AI landscape and realized that women’s health, especially preventive diagnostics, was severely underserved. Unlike other medical fields with established AI tools, women’s health lacked accessible, accurate diagnostic solutions. The convergence of AI capabilities, mobile technology, and growing awareness of women’s health inequities created the perfect timing for our solution.
What has been your approach to funding your startup? Did you use your own savings, seek investors, crowdfund?
We took a revenue-first approach. Rather than raising large amounts upfront, we built Lushair initially with $100K self-funding as a paid diagnostic service to prove product-market fit then raise $500K pre-seed in a month. This $550K ARR gave us credibility when approaching investors. We’re now raising our seed round, targeting healthcare-focused VCs and AI investors who understand the massive opportunity in women’s health. Having real revenue and paying customers has made fundraising conversations much more productive than if we were just presenting a concept.
How did you go about building your team and attracting talent in the early days?
I leveraged my NUS network and previous Airwallex connections to find mission-driven people. Our CTO is an NTU AI PhD with 149 academic citations who was fascinated by the idea of democratizing healthcare AI. What attracted top talent wasn’t just equity—it was the vision of building technology that could genuinely impact women’s lives globally. We also built an impressive advisory network including channel experts from Apple and Sephora, plus 30+ year veterans in cosmetics manufacturing, recognizing that healthcare and beauty increasingly converge.
What have been some of the toughest decisions you’ve had to make as a founder? Any stand out as pivotal?
The toughest decision was determining our go-to-market strategy. We had a working AI product, but had to choose between targeting consumers directly or partnering with healthcare providers first. The pivotal moment was realizing that consumer adoption would validate our technology faster and give us the data needed to improve our AI models. We decided to start direct-to-consumer while building partnerships with clinics and beauty retailers for broader distribution.
What have been your key strategies for growth and gaining traction/users?
Our growth strategy focused on quality and word-of-mouth. We prioritized delivering exceptional diagnostic accuracy, which led to organic referrals—3.6K paying customers across 28 countries, with each user contributing valuable data that improves our AI. We partnered with beauty influencers and health advocates who genuinely believed in our mission. Now we’re expanding through B2B2C partnerships with beauty retailers and dermatology clinics to reach women where they already seek health and beauty solutions.
How do you stand out from the competition in your space? What sets your product/service apart?
Unlike generic health apps, our AI is trained on hospital-grade data from top medical institutions, not consumer selfies. We focus specifically on women’s health rather than trying to be everything to everyone. Our diagnostic accuracy comes from deep partnerships with medical institutions and continuous learning from our user base. Most importantly, we’re building a comprehensive platform—starting with scalp health but expanding to skin conditions and eventually full women’s health diagnostics. We’re not just an app; we’re building healthcare infrastructure.
What have been some mistakes or failures you’ve made along the way as an entrepreneur? How did you recover and learn from them?
Early on, I tried to build everything at once—multiple diagnostic capabilities and partnerships simultaneously. It was overwhelming and unfocused. We learned to sequence properly: perfect one diagnostic tool first, then expand. Another mistake was underestimating the importance of regulatory clarity in healthcare. We now work closely with legal experts specializing in health data and medical devices. The key learning: in healthcare tech, you can’t move fast and break things—you need to move fast and build trust.
What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were first starting out?
Revenue validates everything. In the tech space, it’s easy to get caught up in features and technology, but traditional metrics like ARR and paying customers give you credibility with both investors and partners that pure user metrics can’t. Also, the women’s health space is much more receptive to innovation than I initially thought—women are eager for better solutions and willing to pay for them. I wish I’d had more confidence in the market demand from day one.
What are the most important skills someone needs to be a successful founder, in your opinion?
Communication skills—the ability to translate between different worlds. In our case, that’s healthcare professionals, AI researchers, business partners, and everyday consumers. Each group speaks differently and cares about different things. Resilience is crucial because you’ll hear “no” constantly, especially as a woman in both healthcare and tech. Finally, genuine empathy for your users’ problems. Our users trust us with intimate health data—that responsibility keeps us honest and focused on real impact over hype.
What does a typical day or week look like for you? How do you manage work-life balance?
My days split between technical product development, partnership meetings with healthcare institutions, and fundraising conversations with investors. I start each morning reviewing user data and AI model performance—staying close to the product is crucial. Afternoons are often spent on calls with our medical advisors or potential partners across different time zones. Work-life balance is challenging when you’re building something you’re passionate about, but I’ve learned that taking care of my own health makes me a better advocate for others’ health. I practice what we preach by using our own diagnostic tools regularly.
What do you find most rewarding and most challenging about being an entrepreneur?
Most rewarding: Receiving messages from users saying our AI caught something their doctor missed, or helped them advocate for better care. Recently, a user in Malaysia told us our scalp analysis helped her identify early signs of alopecia that her local clinic had overlooked. Most challenging: Operating in the heavily regulated healthcare industry while maintaining rapid innovation pace. Healthcare has strict compliance requirements and patient safety considerations that require constant vigilance and expert guidance, but these constraints also ensure we’re building something truly valuable and trustworthy.
What are some future goals or plans you have for your business in the next few years?
Short-term: Expand Lushair to 50+ countries and launch skin condition diagnostics by Q3. We’re also developing partnerships with major beauty retailers for in-store diagnostic experiences.
Medium-term: Build a comprehensive women’s health platform that other healthcare providers can integrate with. We want to become the go-to AI diagnostic infrastructure for women’s health.
Long-term: Expand beyond diagnostics into treatment recommendations, clinical trial matching, and personalized care pathways. Our vision is a world where every woman has access to AI-powered healthcare insights regardless of geographic or economic barriers.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs who want to start their own company?
Start with a real problem you’ve personally experienced—your passion will sustain you through the inevitable challenges. Focus on building something people will pay for before adding complex features. Revenue validates everything and gives you credibility with investors and partners. Most importantly, especially for women founders: your perspective is needed. The fact that women’s health has been overlooked for so long means there are massive opportunities for those brave enough to tackle them. The market is ready for solutions—you just need the courage to build them and the persistence to see them through.
Fiona Bao’s journey with GENPULSE exemplifies how personal challenges can become powerful catalysts for systemic change. By addressing the massive $1.1 trillion women’s health market that receives less than 4% of healthcare R&D funding, she’s not just building a business—she’s pioneering a future where women own their health data and outcomes. Her revenue-first approach, focus on hospital-grade accuracy, and commitment to democratizing healthcare access offer a compelling blueprint for entrepreneurs looking to tackle meaningful problems while building sustainable, scalable businesses. As GENPULSE expands to 50+ countries and develops comprehensive women’s health diagnostics, Fiona proves that sometimes the most overlooked markets hold the greatest opportunities for those brave enough to serve them.
