July 17, 2024

Transitioning From Gymnast to Investor with Aly Raisman

00:21:39

Summary

Main Topic: The podcast episode features Allie Raisman, a two-time Olympic gymnast, discussing her experiences with elite athletics and entrepreneurship. She shares her perspectives on health, fitness, and investing, highlighting the parallels between being a founder and an Olympian.

Key Points:

Allie Raisman's intense training regimen as a young gymnast, which included 6 days of training in the gym, with Sundays off, and 4-7 hours of training per day.
Her experiences with mental health, including anxiety and depression, and how it took her a long time to get diagnosed.
Her transition from elite athletics to investing, and how she became passionate about financial literacy and women's health, particularly in the fertility space.
Her insights on the importance of patient experience and the need for more research and conversation around women's health.
Her unique value proposition as an investor, including her platform as a star athlete, her experience as a survivor of abuse, and her ability to bring a patient perspective to healthcare companies.

Participants:

Allie Raisman, two-time Olympic gymnast and investor
Julie Yu, A16Z general partner

Show Notes

Former gymnast and current investor Aly Raisman joins general partner Julie Yoo and investment partner Daisy Wolf of a16z Bio + Health.

In this episode, Aly Raisman shares her quest for healthier living—physically, mentally, and financially—on her journey from gymnast to a business investor. Having transitioned from an intensely structured routine, Aly emphasizes the need for more open conversations about mental health and financial literacy. She speaks passionately about the gap in women’s health solutions and hopes to inspire entrepreneurs to create impactful businesses. Aly’s experiences as a patient, survivor, and global figure adds a unique dimension to her perspective as an investor. This candid conversation with Aly and Julie Yoo sheds light on Aly’s passion for more education within the investment space, offering invaluable insights for entrepreneurs, particularly in biotech and healthcare.

Resources:

Find Aly on Twitter: https://x.com/aly_raisman

Find Julie on Twitter: https://x.com/julesyoo

Find Daisy on Twitter: https://x.com/daisydwolf

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Transcript

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Olivia: Welcome to today's episode of Raising Health, where we explore the real challenges and enormous opportunities facing entrepreneurs building the future of health. I'm Olivia.

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Chris: And I'm Chris. Today, we're joined by Allie Raisman, a two-time Olympic gymnast, investor, and part of A16Z's Cultural Leadership Fund. She's here with Julie Yu and Daisy Wolf of A16Z Bio and Health. Allie will chat about her background, how she thinks about health and fitness now that she's no longer competing, and some of her passion projects, including financial literacy. She'll also discuss her latest forays into investing and how she appreciates and empathizes with founders' tunnel vision and work ethic.

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Olivia: Allie Raisman needs no introduction. You're a total star and one of the most decorated American Olympic gymnasts of all time. Gymnastics is just the extreme elite of all professional sports. Congratulations on an amazing career and for inspiring so many folks, including ourselves. Thanks for being here today.

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Allie Raisman: Thank you so much. That's so sweet. I'm excited to be here with both of you and grateful for your support in my new investing journey.

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Olivia: You've been a strong advocate for many things, including mental health, physical health, body positivity, improving healthcare, and financial health for all consumers. Let's start with physical health. How has your approach to wellness changed since your gymnastics career?

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Allie Raisman: I've learned a lot about my mental and physical health in recent years. Mental health is more discussed now than when I was competing, but there's still a stigma. I wish I had the tools I have now back then. When I was training, if I had an ankle injury, I'd do everything to heal it, but there was no emphasis on mental health, which was a huge problem. Competing at that level made me nervous and stressed, but I didn't have tools to calm down.

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Now, I see a therapist weekly, which has been super helpful. I also focus on nutrition, and I've found that when I eat well, my mental health improves. I wish I had this focus when I was competing.

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Olivia: What kind of exercise do you do now?

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Allie Raisman: People are shocked, but I don't work out much. I spent most of my life in a gym, starting at two and intensifying at eight. I trained six days a week, four to seven hours a day. It was exhausting, and I'm still recovering. Now, I mostly walk a lot. I walk on a treadmill on an incline, which people find funny, but it's what feels right for my body.

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Olivia: That's relatable. You could have done anything after gymnastics, yet you're making an impact in multiple ways. What inspired you to invest?

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Allie Raisman: I'm passionate about financial literacy. I believe it's correlated with mental health because stress about money is common. Our system makes it confusing, and there's shame around talking about it. I want to normalize these conversations. I've been fortunate to work with companies since I was 17, which sparked my interest in investing. I respect founders for their hard work and problem-solving. I can relate to their tunnel vision from my gymnastics days.

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Olivia: What areas in healthcare inspire you to invest?

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Allie Raisman: I'm interested in women's health, especially fertility. Many women don't realize they might have trouble getting pregnant until they're ready. I think there should be more early testing to catch and fix issues. Miscarriages and infertility are common, and there's a lack of good solutions. Women also suffer monthly with periods, yet there's little research. It's unacceptable that postpartum support is lacking.

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Olivia: You bring a unique perspective as a patient and survivor. What value do you offer as an investor?

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Allie Raisman: My experiences as a survivor and athlete give me a unique voice. I ensure any partnership aligns with my values and is authentic. I've been part of successful campaigns where I contributed to marketing conversations. People want to support companies that do good, and honesty helps others relate to my experiences.

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Olivia: Thank you for sharing your insights. You're an inspiration, and we're grateful you're bringing your energy to healthcare.

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Allie Raisman: Thank you for having me. It's been a pleasure.

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Olivia: Thanks for listening to Raising Health. The show is hosted and produced by me, Olivia Webb, and Chris Tatiosian, with help from the A16Z Bio and Health team. Edited by Phil Hegseth. Suggest topics at [email protected]. Please rate and subscribe. This content is for informational purposes only and not investment advice. A16Z may maintain investments in discussed companies. For more, visit A16Z.com/disclosures.