Munich Startup: What motivated you to start the company?
Nora Sommer, Raya Diagnostics: The most important reason for its founding was a misguided development in the industry: There are an increasing number of radiological examinations, but fewer and fewer specialists and professionals who can handle them. With Raya, we are launching a company to ensure excellent patient care across the board, both today and in the future.
To achieve this, we are bringing new working models and innovative technology to radiology, enabling us to provide flexible, location-independent support through telediagnostics. At the same time, we are retaining knowledge within the industry by offering attractive and family-friendly working models.
Munich Startup: What would you have liked to have known before starting your first business?
Nora Sommer: A lot of things were new to me. The hospital ecosystem functions very differently than a growing, young company. The most important thing is to constantly clarify what the right course of action is in the current situation to take the company to the next step. It's important to focus precisely on this and pool all your energy to move forward in a structured and rapid manner. It's always important not to get caught up in too many ideas and projects at once.
Munich Startup: How has your company been financed so far?
Nora Sommer: We received start-up support from private individuals and funding programs.
Raya: Good dynamics thanks to a diverse team
Munich Startup: When and where do you get the best ideas?
Nora Sommer: Ideas often come to me when my mind is free to wander. As a founder and mom, I have few truly quiet moments; one of them is when I'm gardening. However, I must say that many ideas arise from discussions with my co-founders and the team. The combination of doctor, developer, and businessperson creates a dynamic in which ideas not only emerge but can also be quickly thought through and implemented. At Raya, we follow the approach: The best idea wins. These usually come from the diverse teams—from working students to management.
Munich Startup: What are your 3 favorite work tools?
Nora Sommer: As a doctor, many tools and possibilities were completely new to me. I'm fascinated by all tools that make work easier. Whether it's Planerio for automated, digital scheduling for our growing team of radiologists, Personio for personnel management—we use both tools at Raya—or cool tools that facilitate remote collaboration, like miro.
As a radiologist, I Smart Reporting A medical documentation technology for efficiently capturing, structuring, and processing clinical data is essential. This accelerates the daily radiological reporting work of me and my colleagues at Raya and simultaneously enhances the quality of the reports.
“Authenticity is the be-all and end-all”
Munich Startup: Your top tip on pitching?
Nora Sommer: The elevator pitch has to be spot on. Often, you have limited time (and a short attention span on the part of the other person) to present your story. The USPs must be clear, understandable, and convincing. Authenticity is also key: As a doctor, I enjoy and passionately explain how our service makes everyday clinical work easier for my colleagues on-site and why telediagnostics and telemedicine will play such a central role in the future of healthcare. When it comes to numbers and technology, I give way to my co-founders Christoph and Tobias.
Munich Startup: Does this seem like a good time to start a business? Why?
Nora Sommer: Yes! Because even if the situation on the capital market is becoming increasingly tense, I'm sure that good ideas, products, and services will always find advocates and support.
Healthtech has a lot of potential
Munich Startup: Which technology or industry would you focus on for your next startup?
Nora Sommer: Given my background, the healthcare sector remains a natural fit for me, and we currently have a few ideas that we will develop with Raya Diagnostics. Especially in the healthtech sector, I see enormous potential in digital solutions and the digital transformation of processes. Artificial intelligence is also on the rise in medicine and will revolutionize the industry. But in my opinion, disease prevention is also receiving far too little attention in Germany and still has a lot of room for improvement.
Munich Startup: In your opinion, what could be improved at the Munich startup location?
Nora Sommer: I think intensive communication within a team is crucial, especially in the founding and initial phases of a startup. Even though many things are done remotely these days, brainstorming, drafting, and collaborative work sessions on-site are still important. But where? Expensive rents and the availability of office space with the individually required and appropriate infrastructure are certainly a particular challenge for founders in Munich.
Munich Startup: Which founder would you like to meet in person? And what would you ask them?
Nora Sommer: Raya gave me access to software development, and I'm thrilled every day when we can easily implement our radiologists' requests directly into technology. Ideally, we develop mutual understanding and a better understanding. I would love to talk to Reshma Saujani about this. She originally came from a different field, namely law, and has become very familiar with it. And, of course, she encourages girls and women to code themselves. I would ask her about a good developer who would like to code for Raya.
