Meet Elmira Safarova from Rarus Health

Two years ago, Elmira Safarova packed her bags and moved her family from Moscow, Russia to the other side of the world to Santiago, Chile. As she told us on a rainy afternoon at Start-Up Chile’s Co-Work, the goal of this adventure was to take Rarus Health to new markets.

The challenge wasn’t easy, not just because of the language and cultural barriers that arose, but also because with her PhD in biology and pharmacology, and a second degree in economics and management, Elmira’s pre-entrepreneur life was quite different.

But with the ambition of accelerating the startup that presents itself as a digital ecosystem for patients and health practitioners in the area of rare genetic diseases, she ended up in our BIG 4 generation and now is one of our most well known in-house Alumni.

What has been your biggest challenge as the founder of a startup?

(Sighs) I’m a solo founder and it’s definitely more difficult; I’m also a female founder which is much more difficult. The biggest challenge for me isn’t making decisions or handling responsibilities, I’ve gotten used to it. It’s being the captain of something that demands you to plan for the day after tomorrow. You have to play in this uncertainty and believe in this uncertainty, and be like a surfer waiting for the perfect wave.

Sometimes it feels like you’re moving slowly, making bad decisions, or doing nothing, but in reality, it’s not the truth. It’s an internal understanding and guidance that helps you to go and keep going.

What is something you wish you had known before starting this journey?

I completely changed my social role. I used to work in a very big corporation at a very top-level position with all these top-level position things. But when you change your high heels to sneakers, it initially feels cool, but soon after, you understand that in the middle of your life all your achievements, your social level, resets to zero because you changed your life completely and you are just a solo founder with a pre-product market fit with zero founding, etc.

For me it was quite painful and I didn’t expect that it would be so painful. Would I change my decision? I don’t know, but I think the right answer is I would do this again.

What do you think are the main challenges that women face in the current startup ecosystem?

I see two sides. The first one is quite obvious and a popular topic in all social media about startups: If you are a female founder it will be harder for you to find investments. Based on my experience, this is true. (Male investors argued) that we are not in the same language and on the same page. Women take decisions differently, their logic is different. So since this is a business relation, between investor and startup, it’s not obvious for the investors. And it’s hard.

The second part is about the social side of being a female entrepreneur. I have two kids, my husband, my responsibilities in regards to taking care of my kids and being responsible for their classes, schools, everything. And you are like an elephant in a very small space trying to do everything but crashing everything.

I feel like society tells me “you have to be a good entrepreneur”, “you have to be a good mom”, “you have to be a good wife”, “you have to be a good cook”. You have to be everything and be the best at the same time. But guys, it is impossible and you have the power to tell yourself “I’m not perfect, enjoy”. But I feel this pressure.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a startup?

Forget about the startup being a sexy thing. It’s not sexy at all, it’s really hard work. Everyday, even sometimes every night. This is about being persistent and insistent so you have to keep going because it’s not only about your idea, it’s also –and mainly– about your ability to work hard and to make as many mistakes as possible.

For me, really hard work is the best explanation of successful startups. Of course the idea and a team are important, but I think it comes down to hard work and good luck.

What was it like for you to come to Chile for the program?

Changing everything. Two years ago, I didn’t speak Spanish at all. I would say that now it’s not much better than two years ago, pero poco a poco.

Coming to Chile was a big opportunity and a big change at the same time. It was an opportunity because I realized we needed to find a new market for our startup, and Latin America seemed like a really good opportunity and Start-Up Chile, specifically, offers a great soft landing program –if I’m being honest, the only one in Latin America for international startups.

When I told my family that we were moving to Santiago in two months, I’m lucky that they supported me and thought, “Okay”. However, entering a new country and market meant we had to adjust everything: all interfaces, all ideas, all strategies. So, as always, there were wins and losses.

Was Chile like you imagined?

Well, sitting in Russia, what did I expect of Chile? I’m really keen on wine and my expectations were that you had many types of wine and lovely meat, and people who ate this meat and wine. That was all I knew about Chile. The reality is not far from this (laughs).

But I was impressed with how people here support you and try to help you. They are interested in you, which is something to consider when thinking about Chile. But also, Chileans are very conservative, which I didn’t expect. Also I would mention that not all chileans like to answer “no”, they prefer to answer “yes” but it’s a “no” in reality. It’s all these specific things that you never read anywhere. You have to be here physically, communicate with people and absorb this new culture.

What was your favorite part of the Start-Up Chile program?

The first thing is the team of Start-Up Chile. I worked in different ecosystems of innovation, in different parts of the world and I should say that I didn’t see so much efficiency, so small, and so effective. So the cost efficiency of your team is really impressive and you have a very big competitive advantage because many people inside the team of Start-Up Chile are ex-entrepreneurs. And it’s an advantage for an acceleration program, I have to say for sure.

Secondly, Start-Up Chile provides great networking opportunities. I’m able to work from home, theoretically, because I have two kids; but I try to be here (at Start-Up Chile’s Co-Work) as much as possible. It’s a hub of ideas, networking, and exchanging of energy. This motivation, this environment where the entrepreneurs are willing to help, to know about your project, it’s a very productive ecosystem for startups.

Elmira’s special things

“Sometime ago I danced Tango almost everyday and traveled around the world for different Tango marathons”, she told us.

And then, laughing, Elmira added: “I love education, I love learning things and my willingness to read is a nightmare for my husband. I want to discuss what I just read with him and since it’s a lot, he doesn’t manage this flow”.