“In a world where finance drives innovation and global interaction, why settle for mundane discussions?” Disrupt Radio talks with Anni
Disrupt Radio - Omar de Silva - Host of Moolah
"We believe it's to do with the immediacy of the service. It is there 24/7. So wherever you are, and whatever's going on, you can actually pick up and speak to a professional."
Disrupt Radio show Moolah redefines the conversation about money, merging insight with intrigue. We delve into the evolving landscapes of cryptocurrency, sustainability, market dynamics, and beyond. Moolah program brings you the forefront of financial trends - how to save wisely, invest smartly, and build wealth sustainably.
Join Omar de Silva as he talks to Anna Lee-Renwick, Anni Founder + Chief Product Officer and Diranne Lee-Renwick, Anni Founder + CEO, about all things Anni and technology.
This was recorded live on May 20th, 2024 and can be listened to here.
Omar de Silva - “As we're talking tech, and how that influences business and leadership and the way that we go about life. And so joining me now, Anna and Diranne Lee-Renwick, the cofounders of Anni, and Anni, is an App which connects people with health and wellness experts to get them the advice that they're looking for. Anna and Diranne, I'm gonna go with and go with Anna for this one. I think, as the Chief Product Officer and the Co-Founder, if I've got that around the right order, give us the give us the elevator pitch for Anni.”
Anna Lee-Renwick – Anni Founder + Chief Product Officer - “So Anni exists to connect you when you're in a moment of crisis, and you need some some help and support. It's there to connect you with experts at your fingertips. So you're done with scrolling through Tik Tok and Google and asking Dr. Google what's going on your life, you can pick up the phone and speak to a professional straightaway.”
Omar de Silva - “Super interesting. We were just talking with someone about some big changes that are coming to Google search. And we've all fallen into that trap of self diagnosing through Google and of course, gone through all of the ranges of emotions with that. What's the underlying trend that Anni has responded to in terms of consumer behavior? And what people are really looking for in today's? Well, why is it that Anni is suddenly struck a chord for so many people?”
Anna Lee-Renwick - “We believe it's to do with the immediacy of the service. It is there 24/7. So wherever you are, and whatever's going on, you can actually pick up and speak to a professional. So definitely the immediacy, I think we're seeing definitely in Australia and other parts of the world. You know, people languishing on waiting lists or trying to find specialists and taking up to you know, channel 12 weeks, all living in really remote areas where those specialists aren't available. And so now you know, you can live in Perth as we do, and you can connect with an amazing nutritionist over in Sydney, and you can be on the line with someone getting help and support within 15 minutes.”
Omar de Silva - “And so that we know that AI is going to create, I'll say, digital experts that feel real, you know that we're going to have video technology and speech technology that's going to make us feel like we're speaking to somebody that's a real person. But of course that they're not. We know that that's that's taking place in the education sector as well, where your tutors are indeed, deep fakes and not real people. Do you think that creating that human experience and holding on to that human experience is going to be something that people increasingly desire is for the if you like, the older generations, like like us, and it's not going to be so much for the digital natives? How are you thinking about that?”
Diranne Lee-Renwick - Anni Founder + CEO - “So I guess if we rewind and go back to Dr. Google. As you said, I think in the beginning, everyone trusted Dr. Google, and in the beginning, everyone will start to trust AI as a means to get the information. But, ultimately, talking to a human is the is the best path forward. And I guess when the human knowledge is available at your fingertips, why wouldn't you connect with a real expert that's available right now?”
Omar de Silva - “Yeah. And again, as these search changes come in with Google, and these businesses, and individuals are looking for new ways to reach more people, places or platforms, like Anni are going to be so important. So Diranne good to chat with you as well. I'm curious with your background, again, if I've got things correct over here, you've been involved in chemical technologies, before then getting into some other technologies, including software, how's that transition been for you over those decades in terms of starting off in one space and ending up in a slightly different one? Or is it actually from your perspective, it actually makes a lot of sense and is relatively linear?”
Diranne Lee-Renwick - “Yeah, I guess the chemical one is a bit of a sideline, but I guess I've always specialised in solution design. I’ve been working with software engineers since 1996, which is a long, long time. I have a lot of experience in the Energy Sector, always been technology focused, and always software focused. So yes, Anni is different, but the infrastructure behind the platform is, of course, very, very similar.”
Omar de Silva - “I'm not sure whose best place to take this one, given what you've just described there and introduce on solution design, but I'll let you guys decide the importance of solution design and experience design in making your product successful. How critical is that part of the equation if you compare it to the quality of your experts that your customers can access?”
Anna Lee-Renwick - “You probably touched on all three areas that are really important. The quality of the experts is highly important to us. And we're grooming that all the time and connecting with those experts to make sure we're getting the highest quality. But look in relation to the solution and experience design, second to none, you know. Like some of the most amazing feedback we've had on any so far is around that experience design and the simplicity and ease of use. And we rate that very, very highly over here, given our backgrounds, and that the third founder Tim [Anni Founder + CTO] as well. The solution design equally, we had to think from the very early days how will this product and platform scale globally, like that's our aspiration to be in the North American market and over in Europe, in the United Kingdom and such. And so how can we run that out of out of Australia? So that's very much top of mind at all times, to make sure that we're making intelligent decisions to support that. So really, it's solution and experience first for us, always. And then how do we underpin that with great technology to help us get there.”
Omar de Silva - “One of the other trends that I'll go on with or call is, what have you called to it, micro consults. And I'm not sure if that's your word?”
Anna Lee-Renwick - “I like to think it is!”
Omar de Silva - “I like it! Right, I'm gonna go with that, that Anni, the crew at Anni, they coined the phrase micro consults, I love it, it makes a heck of a lot of sense. That is our reality these days, isn't it? I see there, you've got things like parenting. And last weekend, my son, he's seven, he came off the court midway through a half for the first time in tears and telling me how much he hated basketball. And then he never wanted to play again. And in that moment, I didn't know what to do, I was sort of torn between sympathy and trying to give him you know, that sense of “Hang on, this is about the team and you can't just sort of walk off”. And in that moment, if I had somebody that I could have had some micro advice come through for them in a micro moment, it would have been so helpful and technology can enable that. So I imagine this sort of on demand, just in time world that we live in these days is playing beautifully into the product or your product is taking advantage of this culture.”
Anna Lee-Renwick - “Yeah, absolutely. Both of those. And look, we really wanted to coin the term micro consult, and we’re not going to say with a hand on our heart that it’s 100% ours!”
Omar de Silva - “No, we'll go with it. It's on the radio now!”
Anna Lee-Renwick - “So we're yet to see it anywhere else. So put it that way! It was really important to us that people could get that advice and that you could book something for 15 minutes or 30 minutes, you know, the reality for us is people think that going to see the doctor is an hour and it's not it's it's a five to 10-minute experience, it's all of the other activities that sit around that that take the hours. So they're getting in the car, they're putting the kids in the car, they're getting to the waiting room, sitting in the waiting room, seeing the doctor driving home. And so that idea of just being able to get the advice you need in the, in those micro slots. And that's what busy people need in their life. They just, you know, you would have been, I imagine felt really comforted if someone could have just said, I totally have empathy for your situation right now, in my experience, these are the two things you should do. And you know, you've done a great job by doing that and and on your way and you feel great, because it feels great. And life continues on and and it's a small fee for that peace of mind.”
Omar de Silva - “Yeah! 100%!”
Diranne Lee-Renwick - “Interestingly, in your example, of your son there's two immediate potentials. It could have been some sort of good old fashioned parenting advice, or there's some amazing fitness professionals out there who actually would have approached the solution in a different way. We've got one fitness professional who does a lot of work with kids and training in the offseason and encouraging them, and giving them the support they need to really embrace sports. So really, really interesting the different areas that solution could come from.”
Omar de Silva - “Yeah, totally. The other thing that comes to mind from my experience, I've battled with mental health challenges for decades. And I remember the first time I finally worked up the whatever it was to speak to the doctor I said, right, I'm ready to talk about it's going to get in the car and I've got a bulk billing clinic that I don't need to book an appointment for. I get in I wait my 30 minutes and I'm sort of like working myself up to stay there. Wait, the time goes back to the doctor, I go in. I say to the doctor, “Doc, I'm struggling. I want to talk about my mental health”. And they say sorry, I can't talk to you about that you need to book a time and come back later. And it was just the biggest whack in the face after all of this sort of months and months of really struggling saying “Right and ready to go”. And then the existing system was like no, we're not ready for you, I imagine on you know, with this digital platform, suddenly that barrier and that extra hurdle for people to get the help that they're looking for and really need. This was one massive hurdle taken away, they can do it from the comfort of their own home when they're ready, as they're ready.”
Anna Lee-Renwick - “Yeah, absolutely, I mean, hearing that over and over again, even, you know, the phobia of joining a gym, you know, the saying that the hardest part of joining the gym is opening the door to the gym to actually walk through that door and actually actually participate because of the self consciousness and connected to mental health issues that happen for some people in that sort of physical space. So having this more private environment for people to be able to address whatever topic it is in their well being that they want to talk to someone about. And they can do it in their own way. I think the other beauty of Anni is we've really promoted and profiled all the professionals that we have on the platform. And so you can actually browse and read bios, watch a video, have a look and go, Well, who do I think will suit me to have that chat with so you don't, as your example, you don't get that experience in the traditional practices, you turn up, you're meeting a total stranger, you're discussing a completely vulnerable topic around mental health or other topics. And you haven't had that chance to go, am I going to connect with this person? Do I think this person is going to help me? Can I open up to them? And so that's the other part of Anni that we think it's really nice is that you can actually shop for your professional, which is great.”
Omar de Silva - “So powerful. Joining me is Anna Lee-Renwick and Diranne Lee-Renwick. They're the Co-Founders of Anni dot App or Platform that's helping get you a micro consult on a variety of topics. So stick around, we're going to pick up the conversation with them. And I want to understand the journey on building an app these days and how is it you need to go about it to make sure that you're setting yourself up for success the best way possible. So stick around disrupt.” - INTERMISSION - “I'm speaking with Anna and Diranne Lee-Renwick. They're the cofounders of Anni dot App. And both Anna and Diranne, you've got experience, extensive experience in digital products from what I can see. How are things evolved in terms of best practice when it comes to building a digital product these days?”
Anna Lee-Renwick - “Oh,gosh. Hold on with your teeth and see what happens!”
Omar de Silva - “It does feel that way, doesn't it from time to time? Yeah, for sure.”
Anna Lee-Renwick - “I would say best practices really start thinking about what it is you're trying to achieve. The age old “Go and get something out into the wild” and test it and see what happens and evolve from there. And make sure you understand who it is that you need around you. In a in a professional sense to help you get there, like what skills and capabilities do you need to give it your best shot? And don't cut corners! I'd say in the first instance as best you can make it smaller and make it good, rather than make it big and average.”
Omar de Silva - “And sorry. And just to confirm, were you suggesting that it's good to get versions out there testing to rate or it's better to get as far along as you can before the release?”
Anna Lee-Renwick - “I would say get versions out there and tested right. For sure.”
Omar de Silva - “Yeah. And Diranne, from your perspective, is there anything that you've sort of seen, that you feel has been a real important thing to latch on to?”
Diranne Lee-Renwick - “The biggest learning is really you've got to think, to what the what the goal is here and calling an app, an app can actually lead to some issues as you try and expand. So with Anni, we understand that this is a service. And we're building out the web environment at the moment. So having a sort of dot app as a domain is causing some issues. But we're working through that at the moment.”
Omar de Silva - “Yeah, it's so interesting, isn't it? Because people can really get caught up in this whole idea of being a tech business and get focused on the tech and forget about actually, the tech is there to do something for people. So from a team perspective and building in this environment, what have you found to be most important, as you've gone about this, particularly as tech is so much more, I'll say enabling these days, right? There are no code platforms that you can leverage. And there are people from all over the world you can you can get as a freelancer, but ultimately, you know, you to have decided to work together. What is it that you're really looking for, with those that you're bringing into the team when it comes to strengths and working relationships and that sort of things?”
Anna Lee-Renwick - “Yeah, I mean, look, we've been really lucky, like, obviously, Diranne and I have different skills and different personalities. And so we're very complementary. And our third founder, Tim, his background is very large scale Fintech. So he's a very intelligent programmer, and has run a lot of large scale FinTech projects around the world. So his technology capability and being able to translate that into software code, and getting things out the door has been obviously immensely helpful. But we really did look at the three of us and say, well, what don't we have, you know, we definitely don't have design skills amongst us. So picking a partner to really help with that experience design, as we spoke about earlier on was very important to us. From day one, alongside picking someone who understood brand really well and can help us actually start to bring the Anni any personality to life, to make it a relatable surface, as you say, because it's about who it touches at the end of the day, not just the technology that sits underneath it. They've been very important decisions for us as we've gone along. And then, as we've gone further down the path, it's really starting to consider who else do we need to lean on to get the word out about Anni and, you know, we've got partners that are helping us even with, you know, social media and, and marketing and things like that to just bolster our team and bolster our capabilities. So we've kept our core team very small on purpose, so we can pick the specialists we need, when we need them. And that way, is it starting at any new business, as everyone would know, you're not carrying this really bloated overhead of full time staff that aren't needed all the time, in those particular times whilst you're growing a business. So that's been a considered point to this year.”
Omar de Silva - “I think that there are so many exciting things in that. And suddenly, if you're not a techie, you're not shut out of the tech industry anymore. And actually, your diverse creative non tech background suddenly becomes valuable as tech becomes easier for so many people. And the fact that entrepreneurs can now go so fast so quickly with low cost basis is, is again, a massive enabler. What about what about growth? And how you think about your market? Are you really focused on just Australia? Are you thinking more broadly, quite quickly, and unfortunately, we're quickly running out of time, so you're gonna have to give me the headlines.”
Diranne Lee-Renwick - “So look, we are of course thinking globally, we are currently running a, I guess, a Australian pilot study to understand how the model works. We’re focusing on the wellness; health, wellness, wellbeing sector. The biggest growth at the moment, interestingly, is nutrition and naturopathy, which makes up about 38 to 40% of the available experts. So that's, the area we're focusing on. And then towards, I guess, the end of the year, we'll start exploring, which will be the first international countries that we expanded in to.”
Omar de Silva - “Yeah, it's a fascinating one. And again, what you're just touching on there sort of speaks to these other trends of humans really leaning into being whole human. So there you go. That's Anna Lee-Renwick and Diranne Lee-Renwick. They're the Co-Founders of Anni Co you can check out their platform at anni.app. Thanks for joining me, guys.”
Anna Lee-Renwick - “Thanks so much. See you later, have a great day!”
This was recorded live on Disrupt Radio with Omar de Silva on May 20th, 2024 and can be listened to here.
Source: Disrupt Radio
About Disrupt Radio
Launched in 2023, Disrupt Radio steps up as the fresh platform for progressive discourse and exchange of groundbreaking ideas in business, entrepreneurship and innovation.
About Omar de Silva
Omar is a distinguished founder, entrepreneur and global business coach with over 15 years of extensive experience. His business acumen has led to building enterprises across multiple industries with combined valuations exceeding $75M and attracting substantial global investment. His ventures and leadership have garnered numerous local and international accolades.
A skilled strategist, Omar has not only advised billion-dollar startups and senior leaders from ASX 20 corporations but has also provided key insights in the rapidly evolving world of fintech, money and markets. His expertise extends to delivering groundbreaking advice in strategy and innovation.
Omar is also a celebrated keynote speaker, often discussing leadership, growth, and his personal passion – mental health and well-being. He founded FourthRev, an education-technology start-up and since 2019, he has chaired Little Big Steps, a charity that integrates exercise medicine to help children battling cancer.
About Anni
Anni is a revolutionary new advice platform connecting people with experts worldwide. Whether you are looking for advice on wellness, beauty, nutrition, fitness, parenting, or any other topic, Anni has you covered. Providing Advice as a Service, Anni makes it easy for people to find the advice they need, and for Experts to make money by offering their expertise. To find out more, please visit www.anni.app.
For Media enquires please contact: media@anni.app
For all other enquires please contact: hello@anni.app
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