Munich Startup: What motivated you to found the company?
Nora Sommer, Raya Diagnostics: The most important reason for founding Raya was an undesirable development in the industry: there are more and more radiological examinations, but fewer and fewer specialists and experts who can cope with them. With Raya, we are stepping up to ensure excellent patient care throughout the country today and in the future.
To this end, we are bringing new working models and innovative technology to radiology, so that we can provide location-independent support through telediagnostics as a flexible partner. At the same time, we keep knowledge in the industry by enabling attractive and family-friendly working models.
Munich Startup: What would you have liked to know before your first startup?
Nora Sommer: A lot was new for me. The hospital ecosystem works very differently from a growing, young company. The most important thing is to always be clear about what is the right thing to do in the current situation in order to take the next step with the company. It is important to focus precisely on this and to concentrate all your energy in order to move forward quickly and in a structured manner. It is always important not to get caught up in too many ideas and projects at the same time.
Munich Startup: How has your company been financed so far?
Nora Sommer: We have received startup help from private individuals and funding programmes.
Raya: Good dynamics through a diverse team
Munich Startup: When and where do you get the best ideas?
Nora Sommer: Ideas often come to me when my thoughts have free rein. As a founder and mum, there are few really quiet moments, one of which is when I’m gardening. However, I also have to say that many ideas arise in exchange with my co-founders and the team. The combination of doctor, developer and businessman gives us a dynamic in which ideas not only emerge, but can also be thought through and implemented quickly. At Raya, we follow the approach: the best idea wins. These usually come from the various teams – from working students as well as from management.
Munich Startup: What are your 3 favourite work tools?
Nora Sommer: As a doctor, many tools and possibilities were completely new to me. I am fascinated by all the tools that make work easier. Whether it’s Planerio for automated, digital rostering of our growing team of radiologists, or Personio for staff management – we use both tools at Raya – or cool tools that facilitate remote collaboration, like Miro.
As a radiologist, I cannot do without Smart Reporting, a medical documentation technology for efficiently recording, structuring and processing clinical data. This speeds up the day-to-day radiological reporting of me and my colleagues at Raya and at the same time improves the quality of the reporting.
“Authenticity is the be-all and end-all”
Munich Startup: What is your top tip for pitching?
Nora Sommer: The elevator pitch has to be spot on. Often you only have a short time (and a short attention span of your counterpart) to present your story. The USPs must be clear, understandable and convincing. Moreover, authenticity is key: as a doctor, I like to explain passionately how our service facilitates the daily clinical routine of colleagues on site and why the topics of telediagnostics and telemedicine will play such a central role in the future of healthcare. When it comes to numbers and tech, I clear the field for my co-founders Christoph and Tobias.
Munich Startup: Does it seem like a good time to start up right now? Why?
Nora Sommer: Yes! Because even if the situation on the capital market tends to get worse, I am sure that good ideas, products and services will always find advocates and support.
Healthtech has a lot of potential
Munich Startup: What technology or industry would you focus on for your next startup?
Nora Sommer: For me, the health sector remains obvious due to my education and currently we still have some ideas that we will develop with Raya Diagnostics. Especially in the healthtech sector, I see a lot of potential in the area of digital solutions and digital transformation of processes. Artificial intelligence is also gaining ground in medicine and will revolutionise the industry. But in my view, the topic of disease prevention is also being neglected in Germany and still has a lot of room for improvement.
Munich Startup: What do you think could be improved in Munich as a startup location?
Nora Sommer: I think that especially in the founding and initial phase of a startups, intensive exchange within the team is super important. Even if a lot of things work remotely today, brainstorming, working out and joint working sessions on site are important. But where? Expensive rents and the availability of office space with the individually required and appropriate infrastructure are certainly a particular challenge for founders in Munich.
Munich Startup: Which founder would you like to meet in person? And what would you ask him or her?
Nora Sommer: Raya gave me access to software development and I am thrilled every day when we can implement the wishes of our radiologists directly in technical terms. In the best case, you develop an understanding for each other in order to understand each other better. I would love to exchange ideas with Reshma Saujani. She originally came from a different field, namely law, and has really dug her heels in. And incidentally, of course, encouraged girls and women to code themselves. I would ask her about a good female developer who wants to code for Raya.