Cristina Randall, Somos: Empowering Mexicans to take back control of their health, Ep 200

Mexico’s metabolic health is alarming, with only one out of ten individuals falling in the “healthy” range and nearly 20% of Mexicans have diabetes. Lifestyles have drastically changed over the years, poor eating habits, little physical activity and rest have had a negative impact on people’s health, causing an increase in chronic, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases.

After successfully starting multiple businesses, including one of Mexico’s largest fintechs, Cristina had a health scare and after getting better, decided to dedicate her life to helping other people improve their own health. Cristina Randall is the cofounder of Somos, a company that empowers Mexicans to take control of their health. Somos allows people to track how their habits affect their bodies to find the most efficient path to achieve their health goals. Their first product is a continuous glucose monitor that helps people see how what they eat and the exercise they do directly affects their health.

I sat down with Cristina to discuss her entrepreneurial background, the future of wearables in the health industry, and how having access to these devices allows people to make informed decisions about their health.

Transitioning from engineering to entrepreneurship 

Cristina studied engineering at the University of Waterloo in Canada and then joined a student program where she got to work in IT consulting in India, investment banking in Japan, and international development in Southern Africa.

While working in Africa supporting local businesses for a program called Engineers Without Borders, Cristina saw the value of building businesses and decided to delve into the startup world once she returned to Canada.

Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to learn more about Cristina’s entrepreneurial journey. 

Building a tool to understand the body

Cristina’s entrepreneurial journey in Mexico began a decade ago when she co-founded Conekta, a platform for online payments. Years later, after being diagnosed with Lyme disease, she experienced first-hand the limitations of the healthcare system, spurring her to start Somos to give people the power to control and prevent chronic diseases.

Somos became the assistant that Cristina wished she had when she got sick. Somos empowers people to understand the collective influence of their health markers, habits, and environment on their overall health.

Check out this episode of Crossing Borders to hear the story behind Somos.

Outline of this episode:

• [01:26] – About Somos
• [02:03] – Healthcare in Mexico
• [05:25] – From engineering to building a fintech company
• [08:31] – Funding a fintech company in Mexico
• [09:14] – Biggest lessons learned building Conekta
• [11:42] – Cristina’s jump into healthtech
• [14:50] – Somos: A tool to understand your body
• [18:07] – What’s next for Somos?
• [21:44] – Advice to Cristina’s younger self
• [24:32] – Cristina’s books and podcasts recommendations

Resources & people mentioned:

• Cristina Randall
• Somos
• Conekta
• Glucose Revolution
• Hacking Lyme Disease: A Practical Guide for Reclaiming Your Health
• Como Somos