Aflevering How A Female Founder Restores Dignity For Brain Injury Patients With Faviola Dadis | Ep. 146

What people lose first after a brain injury isn't intelligence. It's confidence, autonomy, and dignity. In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, I talk with Faviola Dadis, CEO and co-founder of BrainBoostXR, about how she's building AI-powered virtual reality rehabilitation that restores dignity for people recovering from acquired brain injuries. Faviola explains why traditional cognitive rehab often fails — not because the exercises don't work, but because 50% of patients don't complete their protocols. Her solution combines gamified VR experiences with AI-driven personalization to solve the adherence problem while addressing the emotional and social aspects of recovery that traditional rehab ignores. We also explore the concept of digital twins in healthcare, how AI can personalize rehabilitation without reinforcing bias, and why loneliness erodes dignity faster than cognitive decline ever will. This episode is for female founders, women in tech, health tech entrepreneurs, and anyone building products that need to balance clinical effectiveness with human dignity. What you'll learn in this episode - Why cognitive rehabilitation alone isn't enough — and what's missing - How gamified VR improves patient adherence in brain injury recovery - What digital twins are and how they personalize rehabilitation protocols - Why loneliness is a bigger threat to dignity than cognitive decline - How to build AI systems that avoid reinforcing existing biases in healthcare - What female founders should know about the investor relationship and funding expectations Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 02:55 Journey to BrainBoostXR 08:36 Understanding Acquired Brain Injury 14:39 The Role of Gamification in Rehabilitation 20:32 The Importance of Dignity in Recovery 26:21 Innovations in AI and Digital Twins 32:44 The Power of AI in Personalization 36:08 Ethics and Bias in AI Development 45:12 Commercializing BrainBoostXR 57:39 Defining Success in Cognitive Care 1:03:30 The Gender Funding Gap 1:05:11 Investor Expectations and Early-Stage Challenges 1:09:25 The Founder-Investor Relationship 1:14:55 Personal Health and Entrepreneurship 1:21:31 Building an AI Funding Coach Connect with Faviola Dadis and BrainBoost XR Faviola Dadis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/favioladadis/ BrainBoostXR Website: https://www.brainboostxr.com/ BrainBoostXR on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brainboostxr/ BrainBoostXR on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brainboostxr/ Connect with Dirkjan Hupkes Dirkjan Hupkes on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirkjan-hupkes/ Women Disrupting Tech Website: https://womendisruptingtech.blog/ Women Disrupting Tech Substack: https://womendisruptingtech.substack.com/ ?? Listen to Women Disrupting Tech on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube. ?? Subscribe for more conversations with women building the future of tech.