Data and data privacy issues have been rocking the world ever since data was dubbed as the new oil. No wonder, the usage and more so the misuse of data can have drastic and dramatic results. In August of 2022, the regulatory environment had assessed Meta over $1B in fines in the UK alone for data privacy concerns. 9 states in the US developed stringent consumer data privacy laws, with 9 more states processing similar laws and the end consumer, needless to say, is fed up with the constant violation of use of their personal data.
However, with every challenge comes an opportunity, and this one set the stage for the relaunch of 360ofme. It is not often that you get the chance for a “do-over” in the tech start-up world, but Cindy L Warner and her team knew they were significantly early in 2016, with a solid concept, just without the burning platform at the time. Today the swirling regulatory environment that is not very focused on the enforcement of some very rigorous laws, with more to come, and the lack of trust consumers have in any company requesting to store or use their data without their consent, has led to the perfect storm of opportunity for 360ofme 2.0.
Tracing the Foundation
Originally launched in 2016, team 360ofme 1.0 had several challenges staring at them. The GDPR had just passed in EMEA, and the US was not even contemplating regulating the misuse of consumer data by companies. Organizations still believed that consumer data could be used without consent and monetized as an asset on behalf of the company. In addition, the most valuable dataset, healthcare, was a completely non-standard data format, with every EHR/EMR storing data in unique formats that were not interoperable. Lastly, in 2016, the consumer was not yet incensed by the ramifications associated with their data being used without their consent. As a result of the above challenges, Cindy decided to discontinue any further developments on 360ofme 1.0 at the end of 2018.
Today, 360ofme 2.0 affords greater data standards within the healthcare industry, making it much easier to use off-the-shelf API for ingestion. In addition, microservices and open innovation now provide the ability for them to assemble a platform using the best technologies, with the least amount of code, and in many cases, no code assembly of services to create the processes they desire to curate, protect, analyze, monetize and exchange a consumer’s data on their terms.
Building on Technology
Innovation and technology, and staying on top of what is next and what can enhance both the enterprise and consumer experience on their platform is job #1 at 360ofme. Every week Cindy and the core team do a significant amount of research to see what potential competitors are sprouting, what their value proposition happens to be, and how they can differentiate themselves from them. “I would also say that we do not embrace innovation and technology for the sake of either, but they must create significant market differentiation, add notable value to our customers and consumers, and have an ROI that is commensurate with what are sound investment practices. So, while we are very good at staying on top of both, we are also very good at ensuring we do not embrace either for sake of a shiny new object,” says Cindy.
Extending her Expertise
Other than 360ofme, Cindy is also a part of WelTel and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
WelTel has a member on its leadership team that Cindy worked with in a previous corporate role. He knew her ability to define and execute a strategy for growth for global companies. As such, when he joined their leadership team, he suggested that they reach out to Cindy since they were desirous of taking WelTel to the next level of growth. As the founders are two of the most heartfelt socially conscious entrepreneurs she has ever met, Cindy quickly said yes. They have contributed significantly to slowing or stopping the spread of AIDS around the world and have done so in many cases with no revenue or recognition for their work. They are driven by doing God’s work, not by profit and wealth and Cindy loves to be a part of the cause.
When she founded 360ofme, Cindy put 1% of the stock in a Foundation and committed to 1% of the product and 1% of the people’s time to help make a difference in this world. “In truth, the primary reason today for my continued passion for 360ofme 2.0 is certainly to change the paradigm on consumers owning and sharing their data for their better well-being, but in the process, be able to fund our Foundation to materially help those less fortunate. That legacy matters to me, not simply that we built a profitable company. As a result, WelTel is perfectly aligned with my aspirations as an entrepreneur,” says Cindy.
As for MEDC, and her appointment to the Michigan Strategic Fund board, it has helped Cindy further shape her leadership style in two distinct ways. Firstly, her ability to build consensus in a politically charged arena has improved dramatically. In any governmental body in the US, there are certainly polarizing sides to any debate, typically along party affiliation lines. It is the job of the MSF to overcome any divisiveness driven by political party affiliation and help the constituents align their thinking to the overarching goals of the state as they relate to economic development. Secondly, we have far more needs/wants in the area of economic development than we have money or resources. This has helped Cindy’s ability to focus on the priority areas of development, versus simply “nice to haves”. “I chair the planning subcommittee and we take deep dives into many of our programs to further understand the alignment to our key priorities for the state. I have become far more adept at leading a team to a decision when endless programs are competing for our time and resources. This is clearly the same issue that most companies find challenging, as there is never enough time or money to satisfy all of the needs,” shares Cindy.
Balancing her roles
In the order of priority today, 360ofme truly needs the most care and feeding at the moment from Cindy’s end. They are in a period of rebuilding and relaunching this amazing platform, and the interest has been relatively overwhelming. It is her job as the CEO to help the team see the art of what is possible while focusing on what needs to get done in the near term to meet their commitments and objectives. There would be a tendency today for the team at 360ofme to feel overwhelmed with the gift they have been blessed with of being at the right place at the right time, with significant interest, so they need her stable hand to ensure they focus and remain calm.
MSF is Cindy’s second priority at the moment, as they do have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to leverage federal funds that can remove the infrastructure challenges that have plagued the state for decades, all while promoting new development that previously we did not have any line of sight for funding to approve. This is a Seminole moment for the state to diversify the state, shore up the infrastructure, and inspire new growth, all of the likes that have not been seen before. “I feel a very keen sense of obligation to support our efforts as a sense of pride to watch the state I love, become a far more stable economic force in the world landscape, “says Cindy.
WelTel is executing a strategy that several advisors, Cindy included, have helped them craft. They are in good hands right now and therefore require little of her time presently. “The greatest contribution I believe I have made as an advisor to WelTel is to suggest different go-to-market motions and targeted revenue sources that can help them not only grow the top line of the company but fuel added social contributions as they desire. I have helped them rethink partnerships that could rapidly add users to their platform. The formation of many of these partnerships is underway today,” she says.
The potential of mHealth reform
The greatest potential for mHealth reform, per Cindy, is certainly dependent on its ability to install or upgrade WiFi accessibility. That said, there are major developments in global satellite constellations that will be launched at a very low cost in the near term, to reach outlying areas of the globe that previously were completely disconnected. Assuming that barrier to mHealth is mitigated Cindy believes 4 areas mHealth with change materially:
1/Access to care – this is the basic need for advice and counsel in areas that were without any WiFi connection and have suffered excessive mortality rates, lesser life expectancy, and overall poor well-being.
2/Access to global specialists – this is truly one of the most exciting advancements in Cindy’s opinion. Across the globe, some specialists may have witnessed symptoms akin to those presented by a patient that their local physician cannot seem to diagnose. This “crowdsourcing” of specialists that could help diagnose and treat a patient that is not anywhere close geographically will truly have a huge impact on healthcare. It could be possible that symptomology diagnosed in a first-world country, when erupting in a third-world country, could be immediately understood and a pandemic-type spread avoided.
3/Medicine to you, instead of you to medicine – the fact that a “one to many” relationship can exist with mHealth is brilliant. If you reside in a location where there is a shortage of doctors or a lack of specialization, it truly will not matter. In fact, with mHealth, a “next in line” type of healthcare could exist on a national level, where you would not have to wait for care, you would simply be next in the queue. Of course, the big dependency here would be that a consumer would own their healthcare data, and have a full historical, longitudinal health record, that at the push of a button, they could share with the physician that was “seeing” them when they were next in the queue. 360ofme can and will facilitate this transformation.
4/Removes the barrier of mobility as the cause of poor care – for shut-ins, those that lack transportation, do not have geographically convenient transportation…..this is a game changer.
Lessons in Leadership
Through her experiences, regarding leadership, Cindy learned very early in her career during her decade of service at Federal Express, the power of people. They had a philosophy called P-S-P. It stands for People, Service, and Profit. “Essentially, that philosophy is grounded in a focus on your People, as a means to drive exceptional Service, which will then naturally lead to exceptional Profits. I have kept this as my foundation throughout my decades as a leader. It has never failed me. I do believe that People that are treated well, appreciated, respected, and revered, will jump over the moon to ensure that the company does well. If they do that, the rest of the equation follows. It is simple but powerful, and as I said, it has never failed me in my role as a leader,” explains Cindy.
Regarding entrepreneurialism, plain and simple, Cindy feels that it isn’t for everyone. While that may sound harsh, she does believe people tend to want to become an entrepreneur for many of the wrong reasons. She constantly hears entrepreneurs say they became one to have more flexibility in their schedules, when in fact, likely the opposite is true. For an entrepreneur, when things need to get done and you are the last person standing, you need to do it. Period. For any problem that may arise, if it has to end/land somewhere, it lands with you. You can be regarded as the “fix it” person for nearly anything that breaks. When you think you will be able to have a better life balance, you tend to find out how all-consuming this environment can be. “When I mentor budding entrepreneurs, I do tend to try to align their aspirations with reality so they are not disappointed by what comes next. I have witnessed some of the brightest minds become entrepreneurs only to head back to corporate America for structure, balance, risk mitigation, share responsibility and the life balance they so desired,” shares Cindy.
Persistent Challenges
Challenges like raising funds for a women-owned and led technology company persists for Cindy. Even with all the successes and networks she has had, it has been tough for her to raise the required funds.
The second persistent challenge is that of talent. Cindy’s perception is that today’s talent pool is less interested in the risk associated with a start-up, including the greater percentage of equity offered versus cash compensation. “I believe that the pandemic left us with a lesser risk profile and more talent that wants to get paid what they are worth when they do the task. I believe that is why the gig economy is flourishing and the open positions in corporate roles that have higher wages at risk based on company outcomes, are less attractive. So, yes, talent is and likely will continue to be a challenge in our environment,” she says.
As a female business leader, there are additional challenges in particular in the industry of technology that Cndy draws our attention to:
1/There are too few of us at the top. While there are still around 25% of those in technology who are female, that number is decreasing annually, which is not a good thing. That said, once you get into senior leadership roles, those numbers decrease even more, to around 10% of all leaders being female. The higher you excel in your career, the lonelier it gets. This must change. The impact is that young women do not “see” enough women at the top so they do not aspire to be in this profession.
2/We are still our own worst enemies. Cindy still references Madeleine Albright who said “there is a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women”. Cindy has been subjected to it and has watched it, over and over again. “If we are only 25% at the most in this profession, therefore have to swim upstream against 75% of the other gender, why in the world would we also want to have to swim against our own gender tide? This must change,” she insists.
3/When we lose our voices, it takes a long, long time to find them again. Once a woman tends to lose her way, for whatever reason, be it self-inflicted, or through gaslighting or other toxic means, we tend to take much longer to regain our footing and find our voice again. In the process, the backslide we do in our careers, the damage to our brand, and the mental torment we inflict on ourselves are significant. “Somehow, we need to help women learn to “shake it off” sooner and regain their voices. It is estimated that it takes us 2-3 times longer than our male counterparts to recover from a tough situation at work. We have to build great resilience and if we do take a nosedive, learn how to get back on the diving board much sooner,” feels Cindy.
Goals Ahead
The near-term goals of 360ofme are to relaunch their first two “vaults” for mobility and healthcare in Q2’23. In doing so, they endeavor to work with 4 large-scale enterprises to onboard at least 260,000 consumers in 2023. They are also focused on working with insight/analytics providers that can add significant value to the data that its consumers put into their vaults which will lead to better well-being and resilience. In 2024, they are focusing on launching two more “vaults”, potentially for pets and finances. “In 2024, we will add another 1 million consumers to the platform to conclude 2024 by having 1,260,000 consumers enjoy the value and insightfulness that can come from being a 360ofme customer. In 2024, we will also launch 4 new programs with enterprises that desire us to be the personal data exchange between them and their customers,” shares Cindy.
