Physician Builder Spotlight: Andrea Braden

We’re shining light on MD-entrepreneurs! Each week, we feature an entrepreneurial doctor who’s building a cool product, company, or working on a big idea that you definitely want to know about. This week, meet Andrea Braden, Founder and CEO of Lybbie, which is building tools to support breastfeeding through science, technology and empathy. You can connect further with Andrea on LinkedIn.

1. Andrea, what inspired you to become a physician entrepreneur? It all started when I tried to leave medicine after having my first baby. That was the first time I woke up and realized that I needed something different. At that moment, it was either I leave medicine altogether and do the things I needed to do to be happy as a person or find a way to integrate fully. That ultimately became an entrepreneurial journey for me. I started not accepting the status quo and that really led me to creating methods and frameworks that work better for my life.

2. Tell us what your company does and what problem you're trying to solve. At Lybbie, we’ve created the first continuously wearable sensor that can tell you about your in vivo milk productivity. Breastfeeding moms wear it continuously on the breast, and just like a WHOOP or Oura ring, it provides minute by minute data about their milk supply and how it is ebbing and flowing. This gives moms confidence about their choices and how they feed their babies, because now they know what things are affecting their milk supply, and whether or not their milk supply is actually problematic. This is a huge part of the problem, the range anxiety which is almost like having a car with no gas tank and you don't know how far you can go. We offer peace of mind with our app, and put it together with behavioral habits, check-ins, and physical and mental health, to help individuals come up with a picture about their own milk productivity and learn what things actually affect it as well as where they can catch problems before they start becoming bigger problems. The world of breastfeeding has been in the world of paper maps for a long time, and I've created the first GPS to help people have more guidance along the way rather than having to wait for appointments and go through all the barriers they need to go through to try to get professional help.

3. What’s your advice to anyone thinking about entrepreneurship or a non-traditional career in medicine? You’ve got nothing to lose. I think so many doctors feel trapped in many ways by our training. We've spent all these years getting to this point and we don't consider that we are well-trained for other things. What I've learned over time is that I don't need an MBA. What we as physicians have is passion and, you know, drive that is unmatchable. I think reaching out and getting out of your bubble is seeing that there's so much more out there with a medical degree that can be done. It just takes taking that first step and gathering that data. If you're not sure if this is an option for you, find somebody who's done it and shadow them, just like you would in medicine.

4. How can a physician get over the start problem? I think it's networking. I think it's finding communities. For me, getting into Facebook groups for non-traditional physicians and non-clinical careers, seeing what other people do, going to conferences, and putting yourself in these spaces. Take the day off. Invest in it like you would your medical career. Invest in learning more. You can do a lot of this on your own.

5. What's the number one lesson you've learned since building your company that wasn't obvious to you before? If I had to pick one, it would be that I don't need permission. I feel like going through training was very structured; there was a path, and all the milestones, board certifications, and all the things you need to do to be a doctor are defined. Physician entrepreneurship is very vague and there are so many different ways to define it. There is no rulebook, but that's also liberating. Maybe that's scary for physicians, but you don't have to ask for permission. You can just do it.

6. What are the resources you have found to be most helpful? Non-clinical career Facebook groups. LinkedIn, where I have found some great consulting gigs and using it to build my network in circles outside of medicine. As far as other resources, there are a lot of universities that have technology programs through their tech transfer offices. I got that through Emory University. I did the SkyDeck accelerator program, and they have a lot of resources. Y Combinator has a ton of free online content to learn about cap tables, and all of these things that are really nitty-gritty with starting a business that people look for when you're fundraising. There’s even a program in Philadelphia called the Capital Readiness Program with the University Science Center. As a women's health provider, the Women's Health Innovation Summit is also great. HLTH is a huge opportunity to go and meet people to see what else is out there and even South by Southwest is a great conference that brings people together.

7. How can other physicians support you? I'm on LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, Substack, and my website is DoctorBraden.com. Having more conversations would be great and I do have an open angel round, so I do think there are a lot of physicians who have a high net worth and would like to invest but don't know how to get started. I’d love to speak with physicians who understand the problem like I do and want to get involved that way.

Are there any breastfeeding physicians who read this newsletter? I am always testing so I would love to connect with anyone who is in that specific scenario.

Bonus! Here Are the AI and Productivity Tools Andrea Uses

Just for Offcall members! We're making available Andrea’s list of top AI and productivity tools to help her in her work and life.

We asked her the question: "What are your favorite workplace tools and AI tools specifically for work and productivity?" Her response?

"There’s a reason my nickname is "AI Andrea" in my clinical circles! I am actually considering making a masterclass on my personal tech stack to help other physician entrepreneurs."

So see the full list of Andrea's favorite tools that she can't live without today below: