This week, I got to sit down with Karol, the co-founder and COO of Healthnix—a healthtech startup that’s seriously shaking things up in the world of chronic pain care. Karol’s journey from his corporate gig at Amazon to launching his own company is honestly worth a listen.

Here’s a quick rundown of the coolest takeaways from our chat:

Karol’s Journey:

• From Amazon to Entrepreneurship: Karol kicked off his career as a Business Intelligence Engineer at Amazon Prime Video Channels. Even though it was a solid experience, he started feeling like his work and personal values just weren’t lining up—especially when the pandemic hit.

• Educational Background: He studied Arts and Science at UCL, majoring in economics and politics, then went on to do a master’s in Business Analytics at Imperial College Business School. That mix of business and tech know-how totally set him up for what came next.

Pivotal Moments:

• Life Book Program: Karol credits a personal development program called Life Book for helping him get super clear on his goals and giving him the structure he needed to make the leap from corporate life to entrepreneurship.

• Reconnecting with a Friend: A random reconnection with a close friend (who later became his co-founder!) turned out to be a game-changer. This friend’s honest feedback and intro to Life Book were huge for Karol’s journey.

Introducing Healthnix:

• Tackling Chronic Pain: Healthnix is on a mission to revolutionize chronic pain care by using “food as medicine.” They help people figure out personalized dietary changes to manage symptoms—a way more sustainable option than just relying on meds or surgery.

• Personal Inspiration: The spark for Healthnix came from Karol’s co-founder Maja’s own struggles with chronic pain and how personalized nutrition totally changed her life.

Insights and Advice:

• Making the Leap: Karol’s advice for anyone thinking about ditching their corporate job to chase their passion? Dive deep into some structured soul-searching to really nail down your goals, and surround yourself with people who get it and are on a similar journey.

• Vision for the Future: Karol dreams of a future where chronic pain is tackled mainly through lifestyle medicine, and he sees Healthnix leading the charge in that transformation.

Karol’s story is proof that a little self-reflection, some structured personal growth, and a bit of courage can help you build a life that actually matches your values and passions.

Helpful Resources

• Healthnix

• Karol’s LinkedIn

• Some tl;dl resources:

  • how to level up your CV

  • how to use AI for your CV

  • how to apply for startups