In this powerful episode of the Advancing Healthcare Innovation Show, host Michael Stamatinos sits down with Layo George, the visionary founder and CEO of Wolomi, a groundbreaking maternal health startup dedicated to improving care for women of color and mothers in rural areas.
Layo’s journey from labor and delivery nurse to health tech entrepreneur is nothing short of inspiring. Drawing from her firsthand experience in maternal care, she recognized the deep systemic issues affecting women of color during their perinatal journey—issues ranging from lack of quality mental health screenings to the financial incentives driving unnecessary C-sections. Instead of standing by, she took action, creating Wolomi, a tech-enabled, human-first platform that empowers women by providing community-driven support and guidance during pregnancy and postpartum.
The Hard Truth About Maternal Health Disparities
Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. Mental health screenings are disproportionately overlooked for women of color. Layo sheds light on these harsh realities and explains how Wolomi is working to bridge the gap in equitable maternal healthcare through innovative mama companion programs, value-based care models, and community-driven support.
From Nurse to Founder: A Journey of Innovation
Layo shares her bold transition from bedside nursing to health tech leadership, detailing the challenges of navigating entrepreneurship as a woman of color. From breaking into the startup world to securing funding through TechStars and the Google Black Founders Fund, she provides a raw, unfiltered look at the struggles and triumphs of leading a mission-driven company in healthcare innovation.
Tech Meets Human Compassion: The Future of Maternal Care
What does true companionship in maternal healthcare look like? Layo reveals how Wolomi blends cutting-edge technology with deeply personal support, ensuring that mothers—especially those in underserved communities—never feel alone on their journey.
The Emotional Weight of Entrepreneurship
Balancing motherhood, leadership, and innovation is not easy. Layo opens up about the emotional toll of building a company while raising a family, the power of resilience, and how founder-focused therapy through Google for Startups helped her navigate the immense pressures of entrepreneurship.
Key Takeaways:
・The economic and systemic barriers preventing better maternal health outcomes
・How Wolomi is transforming maternal care with an innovative community-first approach
・Why value-based care models are critical for the future of healthcare
・The mental and emotional challenges of female entrepreneurship in tech
・Practical advice for nurses and healthcare professionals looking to transition into entrepreneurship
Connect with Layo George & Wolomi:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/layo-george/
Website: www.wolomi.com
Instagram: @wolomiapp
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The Advancing Healthcare Innovation Show started with the idea of wanting to highlight stories of what healthcare innovation truly looks like in action. Our mission, highlight real people who are really innovating within healthcare. Guests include healthcare entrepreneurs, providers, payers, and professionals from the investment community. We showcase little wins as well as valuable lessons learned from setbacks through these interviews. The real innovators in healthcare are often the ones in the trenches doing the work with razor-sharp focus. We find these innovators and bring their stories to light.
Find out more about how we are building bridges within healthcare. Join our group, Advancing Healthcare Innovation Forum on LinkedIn.
