Purpose Under Pressure: Immigrant Grit, Wearable Science, and the Startup Balancing Act

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Immigrants Building Companies

Asim Amin

42 episodes

1 week ago

Welcome to Immigrants Building Companies, where we uncover the extraordinary journeys of entrepreneurs who crossed borders, overcame challenges, and redefined success. Hosted by Asim Amin, Founder and CEO of Plumm, this podcast isn’t just about business, it’s about resilience, determination, and purpose. Each episode dives into the struggles, failures, and victories that shaped these founders, offering lessons on turning adversity into opportunity. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or curious about the human side of success, tune in and be inspired to break barriers

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Purpose Under Pressure: Immigrant Grit, Wearable Science, and the Startup Balancing Act

Immigrants Building Companies

1 hour 14 minutes 31 seconds

6 months ago

Purpose Under Pressure: Immigrant Grit, Wearable Science, and the Startup Balancing Act

Raj grew up as one of the only Sri-Lankan Tamil kids in a small English town—caught between curry at home and fish-and-chips at school, always questioning where he fit. That outsider lens never left; it simply sharpened into a founder’s advantage.

Fast-forward: he’s the co-founder of Hytro, the first wearable blood-flow-restriction (BFR) technology trusted by England Rugby, NFL franchises, and (yes) SpaceX astronauts. In this episode of Immigrant Founders, Raj shares how swapping a safe 16-year career in Big Four consulting for a moon-shot hardware startup rewired his sense of purpose and why he wouldn’t have leapt without first feeling like an economic “nomad” himself.

We dive into:

The immigrant calculus: balancing filial duty, cultural expectations, and the hunger to build something your parents never dreamed existed.

Funding hardware when VCs hate hardware: turning 200 elite athletes into angel investors—and using pro-sports credibility as a beachhead before tackling direct-to-consumer.

Stress management for founders with families: payroll panic, twin toddlers, and the self-talk that reframes anxiety as privilege.

BFR beyond the locker room: from staving off sarcopenia in grandparents to keeping muscle mass in zero-G.

If you’re an immigrant builder wondering when to trade stability for significance, Raj’s story is a roadmap and a reality check.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Therapy

02:59 Immigrant Journey and Cultural Identity

06:09 Parenting and Cultural Perspectives

08:55 Entrepreneurial Journey and Risk Management

12:08 Finding Purpose in Entrepreneurship

14:56 Coping with Stress and Legacy

38:22 The Weight of Leadership: Embracing Stress as a CEO

41:32 Transformative Experiences: Finding Perspective in Adversity

43:30 The Birth of Pay Plum: Addressing Mental Health Challenges

45:47 Hydro: Innovating Recovery for Athletes and Beyond

49:15 From Earth to Space: The Journey of Hydro's Technology

54:52 Building a Billion-Dollar Brand: The Strategy Behind Hydro

01:01:16 Future Vision: Scaling Hydro and Expanding Horizons