Monday Motivation: Vadim Fedotov, Co-Founder of bioniq LIFEBy Francesca Brooking

For this week’s Monday Motivation, we caught up with Vadim Fedotov, co-founder of the health tech vitamin supplement brand bioniq LIFE (you can learn more about it here).  He started his career as a professional basketball player before turning his attention to physical health and wellbeing. We sat down with him to find out how he got into health tech solutions and if he had any advice for those wanting to find a nutritional balance:

1. How did you get into the health tech industry?

As a former professional athlete (I played for the U20 German basketball national team and in NCAA Division -1 in the USA), I have always been conscious of my health and wellbeing, as I’m aware of the impact it can have on my performance. 

During my career, I suffered 4 serious injuries so I was exposed to numerous medical and rehabilitative procedures. Following my recovery, I transitioned into the corporate world and worked as a Country Manager for Groupon. I worked in the corporate industry for 10 years before pushing myself to pursue a career in my own personal interests – health and wellbeing. 

2. What inspired you to start bioniq? 

During my time in the corporate sector, I did a lot of research into different approaches to health, nutrition and cognitive performance. I then started to incorporate what I had learnt into my daily routine. I even started following the keto diet and did up to 12 workouts per week – including meditation and yoga – but I noticed very little results or improvement.

Unsatisfied with these results, I looked into various programmes which identified the correlation between your activity levels and how this impacts your body. I soon discovered that there were people who are keen to understand their health through innovation, data and high-quality products. This was when I realised that a research-based health system such as bioniq needed to exist.

There is a huge demand for a personalised system that is simple to use but also provides accurate and effective recommendations to improve your health. 

3. Who inspires you?

My father because of his rationale and calmness.

4. How do you measure success? 

I measure success by the impact bioniq has on people’s lives. If we can have a truly long-lasting and positive effect, the more our brand will be successful. 

5. How do you cope with failure? 

I cope with failure by going to the gym for a boxing session or high-intensity interval training class. I find that it helps me put things into perspective. You might not be able to prevent a failure, but you can certainly control the outcome of a workout, and that in itself is already a success.

6. Where do you see bioniq in 5 years? 

I hope to establish bioniq as a universal health platform that allows us to seamlessly collect and connect information while providing adequate solutions.

7. What motivates you?

The happiness of my family and friends.

8. What book inspired you recently? 

I have 4 books to recommend:

1. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

2. Zero to One by Blake Masters and Peter Thiel

3. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

4. Tools of Titans by Tim Ferris

Another book which had a huge impact on my life and the lives of my friends and family once I shared it with them is ‘Why We Sleep’ by Matthew Walker. Fair warning, if you don’t want to realise you’ve been voluntarily limiting your potential in the past, you probably won’t want to read it!

9. Do you have any words of wisdom for anyone wanting to start their own health tech business?

Don’t dive in headfirst; always test out your idea step-by-step. If you’re in full-time employment, work on your business idea after work, or on the weekend. If you are fresh out of college, I would recommend gaining some experience first.

I would also advise learning first-hand from your own experience and the experiences of others. Once you’ve identified which direction you wish to take and you’ve received positive feedback from the market, then go for it!

10. Do you have any advice for people who want to find a nutritional balance in their life? 

I think the keyword is balance. People tend to go from one extreme to the other. Women, in particular, tend to limit their daily calorie intake, which can impact their protein consumption. This can cause a negative long-term impact on their muscles and skin tissue, which is the exact opposite of what they were hoping to achieve.