Who is she?
Maryann Seto is the Co-Founder of Lexly, a health-tech startup for users to find and book wellness practitioners via a ![]()
platform. They are also rolling out an app by Q2 to help employers create a healthier workforce by managing their employees’ musculoskeletal pains using Computer Vision technology.
She leads Partnerships, Growth and Marketing at Lexly and identifies strategic partners that would help to increase the adoption rates of their products, & strategise content to establish credibility as a thought-leader within the industry. She is looking to fundraise by Q3 and is now also picking up fundraising!
During her free time, she loves to read self-development books and is deemed a good challenge when it comes to badminton.
What made you decide to start Lexly?
“At the age of 24 years old, my Co-Founder was told he had a body of a 40-year old. As a tech consultant, he was working long working hours and that resulted in back pain and even numbing fingers. During circuit breaker when I was working from home everyday, I had also just bought myself a laptop stand because I was also facing soreness in my lower back.”
Both of us realised that there is an information AI gap in the market because users are not sure which practitioner to go to when they are in pain, simply because there are so many practitioners out there. With our platform, users can seamlessly book practitioners based on the “Conditions” filter all in under 5 minutes. We are in a unique situation now because we will be rolling out a new app which is completely different from our platform even though it is still within the health industry.“
“Our new app follows a B2B2C business model and we reach out to employers who are keen to adopt this solution for their employees. A user who is offered our app as a form of employee benefit would be able to embark on their pain-relief journey in 3 simple steps. Both our app and platform complement each other nicely as a whole eco-system as those who are not suited to go through our app (users with implants, surgeries etc) will be directed to our platform to seek professional help.”
What is a typical morning at work?
“It differs from day to day! But typically, I take about 5-10 minutes at the start of the day looking at my to-do list and write down out ![]()
1 major highlight I must complete by the end of the day. This is a tip I learnt from Ali Abdaal, the productivity guru on Youtube. At times, I find myself being overwhelmed by the number of things I have to complete on my to-do list.
When I am forced to think about only 1 major highlight, my mind automatically prioritises what it important. That being said, I usually find myself moving to the next major highlight once I am done with the first.
I like to leave mornings for deep work such as tweaking our pitch decks, financial projections, or background research. I turn off all Slack notifications and plug in instrumental music to help me concentrate.”
What are some of the challenges of the job?
“One major challenge for an early-stage startup is finding the right team because at this stage, team is the greatest asset of the company. Bad early hires can lead to a bad culture, which spreads and affects morale and team dynamics. Another major challenge is time-management, there is always tons of things to be done but what really worked for me is identifying one major highlight at the start of the day and giving myself internal artificial deadlines.“
What were some of the life lessons which you have learned along the way in your career?
“Be humble, and don’t be afraid to ask for advice. At the start, I was always afraid to ask for advice because I’d thought I would be able to figure things out as long as I put hard work into it. But along the way, I have learnt so much just by speaking to mentors or fellow startup founders about my challenges. It is essentially tapping on their years of experience and hearing first-hand experience on what worked and what didn’t.“
Best advice someone has given you in life?
“You can spend a long time figuring out where the holes are in the pipe OR you can just turn on the pipe. I love this advice from YC partner Michael Seibel because it is the epitome of being in a startup. It is almost difficult to get things right on the first try but founders who take a long time trying to plan the execution perfectly to the core is already late to the game. As Justin Kan from Twitch says, “If you’re not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you launched too late”.
As the Co-Founder of Lexly, what motivates you personally?
“Making an impact in the world through health-tech solutions. Being in my 20s, health is often not a top priority because we are so occupied with hustling and figuring our career path in our peak years. But increasingly, I have peers around me having more health issues which takes a toll on their mental and physical health as well as their loved ones around them. Looking at my grandmother who is still strong and healthy even at 89 years old, she is my motivation to continue empowering people with health-tech solutions.”
Do you ever face biasness in your work and position because of your gender?
“None.”
If I were not an Entrepreneur, I would be a _________?
“Consultant.”
Any inspirational quote for all the women in business & leadership out there?
“Being in a startup, my mantra has always been “Fail fast, learn faster”.
Check out Lexly here.