"I don't want anyone to go through what I went through" - with I-Ally Founder Lucinda Koza

HackerNoon Reporter

Please tell us briefly about your background.

Mrs. Koza

I worked as an actor since I was a child and premiered a film at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015. My experience and passion for telling stories has informed my work as a Founder.

What's your company called? And in a sentence or two, what does it do?

My company is I-Ally. I-Ally is a community-driven app that saves millennial family caregivers time, reduces stress, and enables informed decision-making by providing services and support they sorely need.

What is the origin story?

I became my father’s primary caregiver at a very young age. I experienced a lack of support from my family, community, and any government or healthcare system. I knew I could help others like me and decided to build I-Ally to unite and provide support for millennial family caregivers. I didn’t want anyone to go through what I went through.

What do you love about your team?

They are talented in the areas that I am not, which is the whole reason to have a team! My CMO, Matthew Yaroch, is a social media butterfly rockstar, and my Chief of Staff Sabrina Johnson brings in a whole world of experience with patient advocacy. We all have an undying dedication to the same mission.

If you weren’t working at your company, what would you be doing?

I would be working in mental health.

At the moment, how do you measure success? What are your core metrics?

Our company measures success by combining a qualitative and quantitative metric - did we change someone’s life for the better and did that action also make someone money? Was that something only we could uniquely do? Then it’s quite valuable.

What’s most exciting about your company traction to date?

We are able to see our roadmap laid out in front of us and know how we will get to the next several steps.

What technologies are you currently most excited about, and most worried about? And why?

Technology that helps a family caregiver provide care remotely, like Hero Health which tracks medicine adherence, is most exciting. Technology that provides a false sense of connection to one’s doctors or care team is dangerous. It seems to solve all of the potential problems, but when it is needed, no one is on the other end.

What drew you to get published on HackerNoon? What do you like most about our platform?

I love the passion, energy, honesty, and raw talent that is celebrated on HackerNoon. The power belongs in the hands of the people.

What advice would you give to the 21-year-old version of yourself?

Don’t be afraid of making changes or trying new things. You aren’t tied down.

What is something surprising you've learned this year that your contemporaries would benefit from knowing?

If we trust ourselves and band together with confidence, telling our stories and shouting from the rooftops, we will be heard. We have the power to build our future. Advocating for each other and supporting each other will work. We have to trust it.