The Future Of Pain Management With Arun Nijhawan

Forward Obsessed

Arun Nijhawan is the co-founder and CEO of Menda Health, a startup using therapy to provide drug and surgery-free treatment for chronic pain. He was previously co-founder of FillMyFork, a startup focused on healthy eating that was acquired by FoodSmart. Nijhawan studied astrophysics in college before moving to Silicon Valley to participate in the prestigious Alchemist accelerator program run by billionaire VC Tim Draper. He overcame significant health challenges starting from a young age, including lifelong kidney disease that required a transplant at age 18 and years of debilitating chronic back pain.

In this wide-ranging interview, Nijhawan shares his origin story as the son of immigrant entrepreneurs and discusses the difficulties facing children of immigrants navigating between cultures. Nijhawan also talks about developing chronic back pain while working at FoodSmart, which led him on a journey of research and discovery into new ways of treating chronic pain focused on the brain and nervous system rather than just the physical structure.

The interview provides an inside look at Nijhawan's latest venture Menda Health, which takes a similar approach to treating chronic pain by training therapists and using technology to increase access. He explains how they pivoted to a tech-enabled services model and now accept insurance to remove barriers for patients. Nijhawan argues passionately that the current healthcare system is failing people with chronic pain, costing $650 billion annually, and needs to change its focus from surgeries and medications to nervous system-based treatments. For young entrepreneurs, he shares lessons on bootstrapping and patience in startup journeys.

OUTLINE:
(00:02:00) Growing up as son of immigrant entrepreneurs
(00:05:00) Navigating Indian and American cultures
(00:07:15) Overcoming health challenges from a young age
(00:10:00) Developing chronic back pain while working at startup
(00:12:30) Embarking on research into new chronic pain treatments
(00:17:00) Having a pivotal moment realizing pain pathways changing
(00:20:00) Founding chronic pain treatment startup Menda Health
(00:25:00) Pivoting from app to tech-enabled services model
(00:30:00) Raising first funding round for Menda Health
(00:35:00) Being acquired by FoodSmart with first startup
(00:40:00) Moving from hustle culture to slower, patient approach
(00:45:00) Explaining how chronic pain is often brain-created
(00:50:00) Detailing the high cost of ineffective chronic pain treatment
(00:55:00) Achieving pain freedom with nervous system-based care
(01:00:00) Providing Chronic Pain treatment through virtual therapy
(01:05:00) Building infrastructure to scale impact
(01:10:00) Fostering human connection to address root of pain
(01:15:00) Envisioning paradigm shift in how pain is addressed

EPISODE LINKS:

• Arun’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arunnijhawan/
• Arun’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nijhawhat
• Menda Health: https://www.menda.health/

PODCAST INFO:

• Podcast website: https://forwardobsessed.com/
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/forward-obsessed/id1615760781
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2TrkOZ7xL7WSlzc2mrwXuC?si=aa5e7790aca64e05
• YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5b9WPqVXz_qlfXgK3hHPs4z
• YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-ldUUGxQZ5Yt0LiPml0y6pNUSrqHzWql

SUPPORT & CONNECT:

• Digital Surgeons Website: https://digitalsurgeons.com
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalsurgeons
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digitalsurgeons
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/210497/