Valerie Seid’s entrepreneurial journey is intertwined with her personal commitment to health and wellness. Faced with ongoing struggles with obesity and acute stress/anxiety, she made a profound decision to prioritize her well-being. This pivotal moment ignited a passion within her to not only transform her own life but also empower others to embark on their own wellness journeys.
Harnessing her entrepreneurial spirit, Valerie founded Volofit, a revolutionary HIIT fitness concept designed to redefine the way people approach their workouts. Through Volofit, she sought to create a unique and engaging fitness experience that merged high-intensity interval training with cutting-edge technology and personalized coaching. By providing individuals with an immersive and effective fitness solution, Valerie aimed to inspire a generation to embrace a healthier lifestyle.
Building upon her passion for health and wellness, Valerie’s entrepreneurial pursuits extended to the biotech industry. Recognizing the potential for transformative change in at-home diagnostic testing, she co-founded Pardigm Inc., a biotech and wellness brand that will revolutionize the landscape of home testing.
Establishing Pardigm
In 2021, the seed for Pardigm was sown with a specific mission in mind – to quantify stress and shed light on a crucial, yet often overlooked factor: Cortisol. Recognizing the rising trend of stress management and its incorporation into various products such as fitness trackers, the team behind Pardigm set out to address a critical gap in scientific evidence.
While the market is flooded with devices and methods claiming to measure stress through indicators like heart rate variability (HRV) and sweat analysis, there is no scientific validation behind these measures as there is no proxy for cortisol, which is intricately linked not only to stress, but almost every biological process in your body.
The Culprit
Sadly, cortisol imbalance among adults is a staggering reality, making it one of the most significant global health issues of our time. However, the good news is that with proper care and management, the effects of these imbalances are completely reversible.
The scientific consensus regarding cortisol’s impact is crystal clear: it ranks as the number one or two cause of a wide array of health issues. From cardiovascular disease, aging, and obesity to diabetes, brain health, mental health, infertility, menopausal symptoms, autoimmune diseases, athletic recovery, and even in the lingering effects of Long Covid, cortisol plays a significant role.
However, the quest for establishing a reliable five test cortisol baseline posed a significant challenge for medical professionals over the years. The intricacies involved in cortisol testing require highly specialized expertise for accurate implementation and interpretation, which often falls outside the scope of standard medical insurance coverage. Moreover, the need for laboratory processing and interpretation introduces a time lag, hindering accuracy and the ability to take immediate remedial action based on real-time results.
Maintaining a Healthy Work Environment
Valerie believes that building a thriving and innovative team requires more than just assembling talented individuals. It necessitates fostering a culture of trust and collaboration, where employees feel safe to take risks and share their ideas without fear of judgment. She also feels setting clear expectations is crucial. Clear communication of expectations ensures that everyone is aligned and working towards a common objective.
It is also equally important to provide the team with access to necessary resources and support including training programs, mentorship opportunities, and the latest technology.
However, she feels it is vital not to overlook the human aspect in the pursuit of productivity and innovation. Each team member is a person with a life beyond their job. So, encouraging a healthy work-life balance is equally important to fostering creativity and innovation.
A Major Disruption on the Cards
The diagnostic industry is undoubtedly poised for disruption, driven by a pressing need to address the inefficiencies that currently plague the system. From the over-prescription of unnecessary tests to patient non-compliance, lack of accessibility, logistical challenges, and limitations on testing frequency, there are numerous areas that require innovation.
Pardigm’s groundbreaking approach will eliminate the need for doctors, test facilities, sample shipments, delayed results, and additional hardware or devices. By leveraging the power of technology, the company has developed innovative solutions that place a fully functional lab in the palm of your hand. This disruptive paradigm shift empowers individuals to conduct diagnostic testing with ease, convenience, and efficiency, directly from their smartphones.
The Future
In 2023, Pardigm is poised to make a significant impact on the market by introducing cortisol testing and regimens, marking the beginning of a groundbreaking era in personalized health management. However, the ambitions of Pardigm extend far beyond cortisol alone. The company envisions a future where a wide range of biomarkers, including vitamin D, thyroid, testosterone, HbA1c, triglycerides and many more, can be quantified and managed with precision.
By expanding its repertoire to encompass hundreds of analytes, Pardigm aims to empower individuals and healthcare professionals with both a comprehensive understanding of cortisol health and bring real-time testing and management to an array of health conditions – neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, psychiatric conditions, and beyond, shaping the future of medical research and pharmaceutical advancements.