Priya Abani left behind a senior role at Amazon to lead AliveCor, a health tech company developing AI-enabled cardiac devices. The decision meant trading a corporate giant of 1.5 million employees for a startup with under 200 staff—and a mission where the stakes are measured in lives saved. “Building and running an organization designed to literally save lives brings a host of new challenges and opportunities,” she reflected.
At AliveCor, Abani leans on what she calls an “engineering mindset,” viewing the company as an interconnected machine where setbacks in one area can ripple across the rest. That perspective helps her navigate regulatory approvals, ongoing litigation, and the rapid pace of AI innovation in medicine. She also embraces digital tools such as Perplexity AI, Gemini, and ChatGPT to analyze business models, automate repetitive tasks, and surface insights for decision-making. These resources, she says, sharpen focus and free her team to concentrate on breakthroughs that matter.
AliveCor’s work centers on fighting heart disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. Its flagship product, the FDA-cleared Kardia 12L, delivers hospital-grade ECG readings through a device smaller than a smartphone. Abani’s connection to this mission is personal: her father’s health struggles were part of what drew her into the role. “Eighty percent of heart disease is preventable,” she notes, emphasizing that every line of code or product improvement could directly change patient outcomes.
