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20VC: 23andMe's Anne Wojcicki on How To Approach Trust in Business and Personal Relationships, Leadership Lessons from Sheryl Sandberg and Reflections on How The Best Founders Manage Their Boards

Jan 24, 2022

Anne Wojcicki, Founder and CEO of 23andMe, shares her journey from Wall Street healthcare investing to revolutionizing personalized health insights. She emphasizes the importance of trust in both business and personal relationships, advocating for transparency and genuine connections. The conversation delves into leadership lessons influenced by Sheryl Sandberg and the dynamics of effective board management. Wojcicki also reflects on fostering a safe environment for team feedback and the role of technology in transforming healthcare through community engagement.

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ANECDOTE

Profit-Driven Healthcare

Anne Wojcicki's grandmother received poor treatment in a nursing home she invested in.
This experience exposed the healthcare system's focus on profit over patient well-being, inspiring her to found 23andMe.

INSIGHT

Empowering Individuals

Anne Wojcicki realized the healthcare system wasn't focused on preventative care.
She saw an opportunity to empower individuals with genetic information and build a different kind of healthcare system.

ADVICE

Balancing Strengths and Weaknesses

Surround yourself with people who excel at process and execution.
Encourage a culture of open feedback where team members can challenge your ideas.

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Anne Wojcicki is the Founder & CEO @ 23andme, offering DNA testing with the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown, personalized health insights, and more. To date, Anne has raised over $1BN for the company from the likes of Sequoia, GV, NEA and many more incredible names. Prior to founding 23andMe, Anne spent a decade on Wall Street investing in healthcare and felt frustrated by a system built around monetizing illness instead of incentivizing prevention. If that was not enough, Anne is also on the board of Cazoo and The Anne Wojcicki Foundation and is an active angel investor with investments in the likes of Embark and Maven Clinic.

In Today’s Episode with Anne Wojcicki You Will Learn:

1.) How Anne made her way from Wall St healthcare investing to founding one of the leading healthcare companies of the last decade in 23andme?

2.) Trust and Friendship:

How does Anne determine whether someone is genuine or is being transactional? What are the signs?
How does Anne approach trust in relationships? Start from a base of full trust and it is to be lost or start with none and it is to be gained?
What does Anne believe are the core of the best and most healthy relationships she has?

3.) Leadership:

How does Anne reflect on her own decision-making processes today?
How does Anne create a safe space where her team feel they can pushback on her and tell her how they feel?
How does Anne approach internal role migration? What does Anne do to get the very best out of her team?
How has Anne's leadership style changed over the years?
How has being on the board of Cazoo changed how Anne reflects on her own board leadership? What have been some of her biggest lessons from Alex Chesterman?

4.) AMA:

What is the hardest element of Anne's role with 23andme?
What is Anne's morning routine?
What 3 traits would Anne most want her children to have?
Anne can have a billboard anywhere, what do it say on it and why?
What would Anne most like to change in the world of healthcare over the next decade?