Insider Insight: Eran Eshed, co-founder and CEO of Fairtility

Eran Eshed is the CEO and co-founder of Fairtility, the Israeli AI innovator on a mission to reimagine IVF and help embryologists identify the most viable embryos to improve success rates.

What is your morning routine?

I typically wake up at 6:30 am, have my first espresso of the day, workout, and then e-scooter my way to Fairtility’s headquarters in downtown Tel Aviv. Being a several time zones ahead of Europe and the US gives me a few good hours of solid work before customer or investor calls start for the day.

Which technology could you not live without?

Actually, I think I could live better without some technology. Too much always connected and “always on” tends to distract me from the here and now. I’m old enough to remember what it’s like to not be suspected of “ghosting” if I don’t respond to a message within 15 minutes.

If I had to name one technology I couldn’t live without though, life wouldn’t be the same without my Spotify connection.

How do you relax?

I like to listen to music, mountain bike, binge a good TV series or cook.

Which quote resonates with you?

“We try never to forget that medicine is for the people. It is not for the profits. The profits follow, and if we have remembered that, they have never failed to appear.” – George W. Merck

What is the best thing about your job?

Is there anything more novel than helping to create life? Helping people become parents? This is the best privilege I have had in a long technology career.

What keeps you motivated?

Challenge. I like to build things from scratch. I love seeing my ideas come to life. If something is too easy, I tend to get bored.

What is the most important lesson you have learned on your start-up journey?

Start with the need, the pain point and only then seek for solution. Too often, as technologists, we tend to do it the other way around. Technology is the HOW, it isn’t the WHY or the WHAT.

Anytime I started with the solution, I ended up missing the real need. This is what I tell my team day in and out. The fact that you can build something, doesn’t mean that you should.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Think big. Imagine what you’d like to leave behind when you’re no longer here. Don’t be afraid to fail. Be humble and honest even when it seems to have a price. It pays off in the long run.

What is something you wish you could experience again for the first time? 

Becoming a father.

What is your greatest achievement since establishing your company?

We’ve been able to create a sense of change in our conservative industry. We’ve built trust with our partners and customers through transparency in our technology, and by investing in research and education.

This has allowed us to demonstrate the integrity of our solution and the viability of implementing AI-based solutions in the fertility space. We’ve laid the foundation to create the transformative change that will improve care, efficiency and access to IVF for the millions who need it.