Why This Founder Refused VC Money & Built a Thriving Business | Susanne Mitschke
Off Script
Episode Description
In this episode of Be Anomalous, Susanne Mitschke joins me for a conversation about entrepreneurship, clinical research, women’s health, and what it really takes to build a company that lasts.
Susanne is the co-founder and CEO of Citruslabs, a company helping consumer brands validate their products through decentralized clinical studies. Before building Citruslabs, she studied biostatistics and epidemiology, conducted research at Harvard, and founded a digital health startup focused on cognitive health.
But this conversation goes far beyond clinical trials.
We talk about:
Why Susanne chose to build Citruslabs without venture capital
The lessons she learned from her first startup and why revenue matters from day one
What founders misunderstand about fundraising and investor incentives
How Citruslabs grew organically through customer demand
Hiring, leadership, and building a low-hierarchy culture
Why women’s health has historically been underrepresented in research
The role social media has played in pushing women’s health conversations forward
Founder health, sleep, exercise, and sustainable performance
Failure, resilience, and why unconventional paths require unconventional thinking
Susanne’s story is a reminder that success doesn’t always look like headlines, funding rounds, or hypergrowth. Sometimes it’s building something valuable, profitable, and resilient enough to still be here decades from now.
🎧 Listen to the episode
Favorite Quote
“If you want to do something unconventional, you have to be unconventional and you shouldn’t follow conventional advice.”
Favorite Books
A fascinating exploration of ʻOumuamua and the possibility of extraterrestrial life through the lens of one of Harvard’s leading astrophysicists.
A humorous novel about an ordinary man who unexpectedly inherits a fortune—and a lot of cats.
In This Episode
(00:00) Meet Susanne Mitschke and the mission behind Citruslabs
(03:00) Growing up in Germany and choosing a career path at 17
(06:00) The first startup: MindMate and lessons from failure
(10:00) Why Citruslabs never raised venture capital
(16:00) Clinical research, transparency, and consumer health brands
(20:00) Why women’s health research has historically lagged behind
(23:00) The role of advocacy and social media in changing healthcare
(24:00) Founder health, sleep, and sustainable performance
(27:00) Building a team and hiring for culture fit
(30:00) What does success mean after building multiple companies
(33:00) Leadership, delegation, and letting people fail
(36:00) Why failure is necessary for growth
(37:00) Unconventional advice for unconventional founders
(38:00) Books, curiosity, and the search for bigger questions
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