I have always believed that building a business is an opportunity to take what one believes about the world and put it into action. Here are the bedrock Axioms that are built into Arena Labs.

1. Micro > Macro. The bigger the industry, the more the individual unit matters. This is counter-intuitive but Moore’s Law and technological advancement are allowing teams and organizations to create personalized solutions, with affordable scale. This is paramount to understand in “performance” solutions that generate unique biometric, physiological and psychological insights at the individual level.
2. Bureaucratic tension cannot be eased. Circumvent it, Through the Currency of Trust. At Arena we talk about being a “Trusted Teammate”. Large industrial age bureaucracies (healthcare, government, military, law enforcement, education) have an inherent tension between “leadership” and “the frontlines”: frontline doctor and hospital administrator, frontline teacher and superintendent, etc. Deescalating this tension internally is IMPOSSIBLE. It requires a trusted third party that can be an arbiter of trust, relationships, data, and insights between the frontline and the top of the hierarchy. If this is done well, it creates a new economy of action and change.
3. Double-down on the human system. At Arena Labs, we believe that the human MUST stay in the loop. Automation and advanced technology can create efficiencies and generate new insights but without a human, technology solution cannot be stand alone solutions for human change. Biometric data and health insights are overwhelming to 99% of the population. Thus, context, accessibility and tools for change MUST be delivered in synchrony with data. At Arena, we believe the greatest teams, organizations and business of the next decade will DOUBLE DOWN on the human narrative.
4. Iconic aesthetic is a strategy. In healthcare, the precedent for tools, “wellness solutions” and enterprise approaches to change carry a very low expectation around User Experience and aesthetic. At Arena, we believe that iconic, aspirational and inspirational imagery + aesthetic is a strategic imperative in feeling fundamentally different than prior “top down solutions”. We aim to create experiences consistent with the tools and platforms clinicians use at home: Instagram, TikTok, etc.
5. Data without context is noise. Healthcare is generating more data than any industry…and still has very little understanding of where to focus or how to change the landscape. To Axiom #1, we believe that macro-level data is confusing because it lacks insight of the micro terrain that is the individual doctor or nurse. Our belief is that coaching and focusing radically on providing data with context, tools and direction lends itself to practical insights that, in the aggregate, provide clear maps of change and innovation.
6. Accelerating technology is the least understood aspect of the modern world. Moore’s Law is at the core of most organizational strive. The idea that processing power of computer chips is doubling every two years has profound implications for our world. Put simply, leaders are being asked to make decisions faster, with more information, and a more dynamic world. The solution is counterintuitive but it starts with providing leaders and teams with a toolkit to feel grounded and to manage growing anxiety in society. The ability to manage fear + anxiety is a superpower in the 21st century and has to be at the core of understanding all technology solutions: Is what we’re building accelerating human angst or providing simplicity + elegance?
7. “The Inspired Soul” is a powerful concept that, when ignited, has the capacity to change human direction. We focus on The Service Archetype at Arena Labs. The Service Archetype are men + women who want to do hard things, impact the world, and save lives. “Service” is defined as public goods that — in Adam Smith’s definition — are non-excludable. These public goods are essential for a thriving society. The men + women attracted to a mission that “serves” have a propensity to give of themselves and give of themselves — against the better angels of their nature — until there’s nothing left to give. Thus, service industries require a higher standard of tools, leaders and data to teach frontline healthcare teams/military/educators how to serve a mission without burning themselves out. With the right tools, the “Inspired Soul” that draws someone into service is a powerful concept at the core of building thriving societal architecture and developing, healing and protecting the general population.
8. Patient Care + Quality is an insidious narrative that has crippled healthcare. Part of modern healthcare’s “crisis” in burnout, retention and turnover comes from an obsessive focus on patient quality + care, at the EXPENSE of the person providing care. At Arena we often say that “the least important part of patient safety is the patient.” And, we believe this. So, we’ve built a platform that focuses on tools, coaching and data to provide caregivers with an understanding of how they can be at the best mentally and physically in order to then serve their patients in the way they aspire to.