Robin Farmanfarmaian

Hometown: Amherst, NH

Current Location: Palo Alto, CA

Why did you choose SHA? 
SHA was a top school for the degree I wanted. I’m originally from NH, and wanted to go to school in Boston, so BU was the natural choice. At the time – this was before 24HourFitness and Whole Foods blanketed the country – my goal was to open a chain of fitness centers that focused on prevention with healthy food, workshops, trainers, and were both accommodating and inviting for women. At the time, I was both a patient and an athlete (including playing ice hockey at BU!), and this concept didn’t exist–Gold’s Gym was the norm. I did not end up pursuing this, as by the time I had graduated, that problem had been solved, so I went into entrepreneurship in medicine, as well as events.

What is your favorite BU memory? 
The massive difference between my classmates at SHA and the students who studied under other schools. Walking around campus, attending classes outside of SHA, or just experiencing life – SHA students were by far the most polite and well mannered. It was awesome to be in that environment, as it is made up of people who want to make other people’s lives better, or happier by providing a service.

What was your first full-time job, and how did you end up in your current position? 
I’m a crazy entrepreneur, and have done a significant amount in the volunteer space. My first “full time” salary job was about 8 years ago, for a startup called HealthTap. But previous to that, I had worked on a few other companies, including the world’s first genetic testing company (CyGene), and I was also a President and Gala Chair for the San Francisco Ballet. 

I then combined my event experience with my medical experience, and became a founder of the Exponential Medicine conference at Singularity University. That led to my becoming a professional speaker on healthcare and technology, which is a combination of events and medicine. 

I also work with early stage companies on pharma, medical device and health IT. As a professional speaker (and expert in events), I can more easily drive business development for these companies.

Please describe your current role, and how your SHA education has impacted your career. 
I’m now working as VP of business development for Actavalon. This is an early stage pharma company, working on curing cancer and a small molecule for autoimmune disease. I also advise a company called MindMaze, using virtual reality for stroke and brain injury. I have some angel investments in sleep apnea, oncology, infectious disease and inhaled insulin. 

As a professional speaker, I’ve had over 125 speaking engagements in 12 countries. My first book is called “The Patient as CEO: How Technology Empowers The Healthcare Consumer”. My second book launches this spring, 2019, called The Thought Leader Formula: Strategically Leverage Your Expertise to Drive Business & Career Goals”.

SHA taught me the basics of business – and while they didn’t call it “entrepreneurship” back then, as a management degree, I was able to join companies as a founder or early employee due to understanding accounting, finance, operations, customer service, queuing analysis, marketing, law and more.

Any advice for current and prospective students? 
Dream big! A degree from SHA is foundational to any company or industry where you want to work. It’s applicable to everything, not just what is typically considered part of the hospitality management world. I learned all the basics needed to run ANY business, but the with added bonus of understanding customer care on a level that is not taught in standard management degrees. That concept is applicable in every industry and company.