Humans of Coworking: Te Riu Warren

Meet the team doing amazing things with their modern cloud-based emergency department software, including raising $5.2 USD Seed Round of funding for their startup!

In this new edition of Humans of Coworking, we catch up with Te who is currently based at Thinkspace to chat everything coworking, how it all started for them and a look into what the new healthcare software is all about. 

The Vital team

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Sure thing! My name is Te, and I’m the Director of Engineering at Vital. We’re a healthcare software startup, with our Product and Engineering base in Auckland, and Sales & Support in the US. Since the company was founded 2 years ago, we’ve been located in different shared spaces within Auckland, and right now we’re based in Thinkspace in Eden Terrace.

What is Vital all about?

Great question. Vital is modern cloud-based emergency department software. We use artificial intelligence to predict admits hours in advance, reduce length-of-stay, and save millions with an improved flow. Our products are used by both patients and healthcare providers, both are being trialled in test facilities in the USA.

Vital Software

How did you learn about coworking and what encouraged the move?

Way back in 2012, I had a friend working out of the BizDojo space on K Rd. After catching up for a coffee, he gave me a tour of the space, and I was hooked. Towards the end of the year, I started a digital product agency with a friend, and within the first month we’d moved into the Dojo. What sold us most on coworking was being able to closely collaborate with other creatives in the space, as well as having access to a much wider business social network.

What are your favourite things about coworking?

The serendipity of collaboration! Some of my major career opportunities have been born out of the collaboration that coworking offers. Just in the last few months, we’ve been able to fill a crucial position at Vital with a freelancer we met over coffee in the Thinkspace kitchen.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about joining a coworking space?

Be friendly and socialise! The best way to discover what other people in the space are working on is to simply ask them. The espresso machine is great at fostering this, make the effort to speak to anyone that looks like they’re new.

Thinkspace Coworking Space

What would we find you doing outside of work?

During the summer, I’m at the beach enjoying the sun. As often as I can, I’ll try to get out into the countryside for a hike, it’s a great way to clear the mind and focus on what’s important. Other than that, I spend a lot of time training Krav Maga, which is a self-defence/fighting system developed in Israel for the defence force. Super practical and great fun!

If you could share an office space with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

I’d say Ryan Holiday and Tim Ferriss, both hugely inspiring authors and productivity evangelists. I’d recommend subscribing to their weekly newsletters if you haven’t already done so!

What does the future look like for Vital? Any upcoming plans?

Bright! We’ve just raised a $5.2m USD Seed Round of funding, and we’re growing the team in Auckland and the US. If you’re a Software Engineer or a Product Designer, check out our Careers page, as we’re hiring for both right now. 

Check out Vital here. 

For more information on workspace available at Thinkspace, check out their listing here.