Episode Description
In this episode of Liz on Biz, Olivia Lew, CEO of Casana, joins the show to discuss the groundbreaking innovation of Casana’s smart toilet seat, which collects vital signs effortlessly to promote health and wellness at home. Olivia shares the journey from venture capital to health tech entrepreneurship, explains the science and story behind the product, and offers insights into the challenges and opportunities in health tech innovation. Listeners will get a behind-the-scenes look at building a mission-driven company, the importance of effortless health monitoring, and tips for aspiring entrepreneurs and investors.
Meet Olivia
Olivia is the CEO at Casana, a company transforming home health monitoring with a toilet seat that measures blood pressure insights, spO2, stand-up power, and heart rate. Prior to Casana, Olivia was an investor at General Catalyst. Her investment focus was on early‐stage founders building companies at the intersection of software and healthcare.
Olivia was born and raised on Martha’s Vineyard. She currently lives in Massachusetts with her husband, three kids, a dog and a cat.
Key Topics Covered
- Meet Olivia Lew: Background in venture capital and transition to CEO of Casana 00:00:27
- What is Casana? Introduction to the health tech company and its unique toilet seat vital signs monitor 00:01:05
- The Origin Story: How the idea evolved, addressing digital literacy, and why a toilet seat was chosen 00:01:46
- How it Works: Data collection, user identification, and privacy considerations 00:07:07
- Design and Power: Shapes, installation, and powering the seat (battery vs. plug) 00:08:01
- Company Name: Meaning behind “Casana” – health at home 00:09:55
- Bringing to Market: FDA regulation changes and going direct-to-consumer in July 00:15:35
- Use Cases: Benefits for caregivers, older adults, athletes, and wellness enthusiasts 00:15:48
- Caregiver Support: How senior living homes and families can benefit 00:20:10
- Health Insights: Monitoring stability and detecting subtle health changes 00:16:21
- Unexpected Customer Feedback: The seat helping users find a moment of calm 00:26:18
- Entrepreneur & VC Pathways: Olivia’s route into venture capital and tips for others 00:27:17
Links & Resources
Notable Quotes
- “The idea is that you can just set it and forget it. The toilet seat sends signals to the cloud every time you sit down…” – Olivia Lew 00:01:17
- “Our goal is to help people age in place and help anyone out there listen to their bodies and know in advance, as early as possible, that something needs attention…” – Olivia Lew 00:04:01
- “It’s about action. I have a bias to action… but the CEO side is like, okay, hold on, let’s think about this first.” – Olivia Lew 00:25:38
