Daniela Seixas

How did your experience at IE prepare you for your professional career? In what ways do you think the program has changed your life professionally and personally?

I think what I’ve learned at IE was especially useful to avoid many mistakes. During the first years of the start-up it was incredible the knowledge I had around technology, innovation, even legal, team management and marketing. So, it really helped a lot. Also, on a more personal level, I actually had a rough time beginning at IE, because I am a medical doctor by training, and the kind of training we have is very different than that of a business school. It is much more focused in getting knowledge. As a medical doctor, you stop being creative, you are much less analytical than before. At IE I had to summon all my creativity back, and my analytical side, too. And I had to learn something else. For me, doing the MBA was “I am going to the books, I study and then I get good grades”, but that’s not the way it is. In business school it’s like, you should study of course, actually it’s essential because you are already in a different degree than when you start. You study, but then you think for yourself, and then you execute. A lot of what happens in business is that you really have to think for yourself, regardless of what the standards are. This was super useful, because working with medical doctors is like working with a niche audience, so most things don’t apply.

What is one thing you wished you knew, when you were a student?

Taking what I’ve learned in entrepreneurship, technology and innovation at IE, and fast tracking it into the present and seeing what I learned with other students who were amazing to kickstart the company, what I would have liked to know back then is how it would end.

There are some misconceptions in that you think that start-up life is short. And most start-ups have a short life, they die. But when it is not the case it becomes much more long term, five to ten years. We are already on the sixth, and I am starting to deal with other things like the exit, what will be of Tonic App, will we keep on growing, what will we acquire. That’s what I would like to know, how it ends.

It’s hard to come up with professions that are more time demanding than being a medical doctor or an entrepreneur. How hard is it for you to find the work-life balance and stay healthy working in the healthcare technology sector? What is the secret to having a successful career without sacrificing your personal life?

First, the overlap was kind of short because it was impossible. I practiced medicine for 16 years, then I came here, and the project started. Of course, in the first couple of years, we overlapped, it iss how it should be done. Then I became CEO full time. I was gradually leaving my other duties because I was also an academic. In one way, everyone has this idea of medical doctors as workaholics, or at least doing nightshifts very frequently, and it’s hard. But I wouldn’t say it’s hard because of the number of hours worked, but more because in many cases in the healthcare sector the work environment is toxic. I was happy to have practiced for 16 years, but I’m also very happy about being able to use all the knowledge I’ve had into another different type of career, in technology. And I also feel I’m doing medicine in a certain way, I’m helping professionals. Now, and especially in the beginning, I saw that this is my happy job for the first time. But, in terms of work hours, I work much more now and in an unpredictable way. To give an example, we were fundraising, the round almost closed, but now that we’re entering an economic crisis, another opportunity starts to come up. Then, what you think is “no, I am not going to stop fundraising, if I have more interests then I’ll keep on raising” because you don’t know what’s coming. Before this current crisis, you had “this is where you fundraise” and then you could shift to execution, but now it seems that we just got into fundraising and executing mode in the same time frame, and you can’t control this, so you really need to find tactics to have a work-life balance.

So, I would say that the first thing is to have your other pillars in life very solid. Having a stable family, friends, keep on socializing, it is the most important thing. The other thing is that you need to make yourself very scalable. You need to start delegating, creating your teams, your leaders, and you need to find all tactics you can to disconnect. For example, I have a personal assistant. I can stop at 10pm, let’s say, but then I say stop and I don’t do it anymore, and I don’t use any digital device for the rest of the night. I’m here with you, and not with my phone in between. You always need to be working your work-life balance because it changes so fast, you have new challenges, and if you’re not mindful it will get to your health for sure.

What traits were important for you to find in your business partners?

So, for my business partners, the characteristic I pursued the most was finding people who think differently than I do. Because it’s very easy to build a team around you with people who are the same as you are. For me that was what I pursued. Then, I value critical thinking a lot, independence, resilience, flexibility, and creativity.

Are entrepreneurs born or made?

Being a medical doctor, I struggle with nature or nurture questions. I think everyone can be an entrepreneur, it’s more about if you are happy doing it or not. In my case it was a fun story, because I did a lot of things already in my life. But it got to a certain point specially being from a southern European country—where people are more traditional—that I was thinking “why do I need to achieve so much or do so many different things?” And I thought it was because I was not satisfied with life, or because I had a problem. And I had to go through a period where I worked with a coach, and he helped me discover that I need the change to be happy. So, for me I really need every five years to do something very different from what I was doing.

I don’t know this if this answers your question, but it shows a little bit that at least with me there is definitely something about nature in being an entrepreneur. But also, I nurture it, especially at IE.

What’s the most difficult part of being a CEO?

Overall, it’s the loneliness. You are the person in your organization that has the most information and you need to manage it. It’s impossible to run a fully transparent company because it doesn’t work, especially when it starts growing. When the company is very small, you can be transparent, but then you can’t. So, it is a lonely job. What I do is that I have a network of CEO friends, and we just talk to each other, we go for dinner, we help each other in difficult times because there are many things we can’t share with the team.

What’s the most satisfying part of being a CEO?

Developing people, for sure. Especially the people who started the company with you, and seeing them grow and being now in leadership roles is the most beautiful thing.

How much of yourself can you see reflected in Tonic App’s company culture?

A lot, because of what I explained. I came from mostly toxic work environments; it was very important for me to make sure we wouldn’t be at that place at any time. I was a very strong advocate of our culture from day one. If I can describe Tonic App’s culture, it is very collaborative, a place where people help each other, even if it is in the personal field.

How is the Daniela of today different from the Daniela who graduated from IE?

Much stronger, much more resilient, I can take anything now whatever it is. I think that is the difference.

If you had a billboard that you could display to the world, what would you write on it?

Take more risks.

Going to the office or remote work?

Office

Medical School or Business School?

Business School

Going deeper into the box or connecting boxes?

Connecting boxes

IE Tower or María de Molina Campus?

I had all the fun at Maria de Molina, so allow me to choose Maria de Molina.

Managing or Leading?

Leading

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