What if accessing your own health data was as easy as logging into Spotify?
And what if that data could help you find better treatment options, faster?
In episode 98 of Women Disrupting Tech, Sara Okhuijsen and Nima Salami share how they’re building OASYS NOW, a platform that makes personalized medicine more inclusive, secure, and accessible.
Key Takeaways from episode 98
Here’s what you’ll learn by listening:
🌱 Health data is the last frontier of personal data
Our health data is often the least accessible to the people it matters most to: patients themselves.
🤖 DNA data is biased — and that’s a systemic health risk
Over 95% of existing DNA data is from Western populations, making personalized medicine dangerously one-sided.
🤝 Scaling the solution starts with values, not just markets
Their plan to expand globally includes underserved regions like Iran and Africa, not just Western markets.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or Amazon. Or hit the play button below👇.
Making Health Data Work for Everyone with Sara Okhuijsen and Nima Salami | Ep 98 – Women Disrupting Tech
Events for Women Disrupting Tech
The event season has started, so allow me to highlight some inclusive events that are worth visiting.
Female Venture’s Founders Table: Empowering Women in Business – 4 June 2024 at VOCO Hotel The Hague
Start 15:00 – Finish: 18:30
The Women Founders Table aims to empower and connect women entrepreneurs by providing a platform for meaningful conversations, mentorship, and shared experiences.
At this event, organized by Female Ventures Delft / The Hague in cooperation with #WiTNL- Women in Tech NL and yours truly, you’ll hear from three accomplished female founders how to start and scale a business, while balancing priorities at home and at work.
Did I mention that you can stay for dinner? voco® The Hague offers participants the possibility to network and connect over a delicious 3-course dinner following the event at €35 per person.
You can buy your tickets to the event on Eventbrite.
Diverse Leaders in Tech Events
If you like being in the know about what is happening in the DEI space, Diverse Leaders in Tech is the place to be.
Every last Thursday of the month, they have monthly in-person meetups for tech people, HR leaders, and supporters of diversity to exchange insights, tackle challenges, and take action. It’s a vibrant, safe space where diversity is celebrated.
You can find their events on the website. Joining your first event is free.
- Key Takeaways from episode 98
- Events for Women Disrupting Tech
- Join the Women Disrupting Tech Community
- The Magic In Episode 98 🪄
- Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
- Four Practical Takeaways
- About Sara Okhuijsen
- About Nima Salami
- About OASYS NOW
- Share what’s on your mind!
- Next week on Women Disrupting Tech
Join the Women Disrupting Tech Community
One of the important things about changing the funding landscape is access to the right communities. That’s why I’m building The Women Disrupting Tech Community.
Join to receive updates, including:
🚀 Early access to new episodes, including a weekly email with moments that inspired me and key takeaways.
🚀 Exclusive Research about what it takes to get a more inclusive tech ecosystem.
🚀 Access to exclusive events that we sponsor or co-organize.
The Magic In Episode 98 🪄
In this episode, I spoke with Sara Okhuijsen and Nima Salami, co-founders of OASYS NOW. Their mission is to make personalized medicine more accessible to everyone. What stood out to me is how they combine deep tech with deep purpose. Here are three pieces of magic from our conversation:
A gala dress and a conversation that sparked something big
They first met at a student board gala. Nima saw Sara in a glittery dress and walked over. They ended up talking all night about how to improve education. No pitch. No agenda. Just connection. Two years later, Nima spotted a post from Sara on LinkedIn and reached out. That moment led to OASYS NOW.
The platform that empowers people with chronic illness
OASYS NOW is designed with patients in mind, especially those living with chronic or rare conditions. These are people who often feel left behind by traditional healthcare systems. Many of them are women. The platform helps them access their health data, match to clinical trials, and connect with others in similar situations. This kind of inclusion is baked into the design, not added later.
The technology that caught the eye of Google and NVIDIA
Their platform is built on encrypted computing. It offers strong privacy without requiring trust. The tech is so forward-looking that both Google and NVIDIA reached out to learn more. That kind of validation shows what happens when mission and technical excellence go hand in hand.
🎧 Want to hear how a gala night turned into a global mission for healthcare equity?
Listen to episode 98 of Women Disrupting Tech on Spotify.
Zero-Cost Ways to Support Women Disrupting Tech
Want to help make inclusion in tech the norm by 2032? Here’s how:
- Follow the podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Better yet, leave a rating or review from one up to five stars on Spotify or Apple. You’ll help other people discover the podcast and help me improve.
- Share the podcast with friends, family, and co-workers. This way, you give the women disrupting tech the platform they need to make it happen. Use the buttons below to share.
Four Practical Takeaways
In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, Sara Okhuijsen and Nima Salami show what it looks like when technology meets real-life problems. These are not just startup lessons. They are principles for building with purpose.
Here are a few takeaways that stayed with me:
Start with value before privacy
They learned not to lead with the technology. First show how the product helps people. Then explain how privacy is protected. That shift made all the difference in how their message landed.
Data bias is not just unfair. It’s bad product design
Ninety-five percent of DNA data comes from Western populations. That means medicine based on that data might not work for most of the world. Their insight is clear. Diversity is not a bonus. It is a requirement.
Fundraising is emotional work
Nima pitched their story over 200 times before winning Slush. He also admitted to crying after some tough rejections. Behind every “no” was another learning. Behind their “yes” was years of practice and clarity.
Belief creates leadership
Sara did not start out as CTO. She doubted she was technical enough. But her team encouraged her to step up. They believed in her before she did. That kind of culture is how you build not just products, but people.
🎧 Hear the full story on Apple Podcasts.
Or click the image with the quote to watch the episode on YouTube. And don’t forget to share your thoughts about making health data accessible in the comments.
“We need each other’s perspective to build a future that is inclusive and approachable to everyone.”
Sara Okhuijsen and Nima Salami, co-founders of OASYS NOW
About Sara Okhuijsen
Sara Okhuijsen is the co-founder and CTO of OASYS NOW and listed in the 2025 Forbes 30 under 30. With a background in DNA data and nanobiology, she’s passionate about building ethical infrastructure that makes personalized medicine more inclusive. Sara brings deep technical knowledge and a strong mission focus to her work, leading a team that puts patients first and privacy at the core. She believes that when technology is shaped by diverse teams, the outcomes are better for everyone. You can connect with Sara on LinkedIn.
About Nima Salami
Nima Salami is the co-founder and CEO of OASYS NOW. After seeing his mother struggle to access medical care across borders, he set out to fix what he saw as a fundamental data problem. With a background in AI and cybersecurity, Nima combines technical expertise with a global perspective. As a refugee founder, he brings both resilience and vision to the company’s mission of making personalized medicine accessible to people everywhere. You can connect with Nima on LinkedIn.
About OASYS NOW
OASYS NOW is a health tech company on a mission to make personalized medicine accessible to everyone. Founded by Sara Okhuijsen and Nima Salami, the platform empowers patients to securely access, manage, and share their health data to discover treatment options, including clinical trials.
Built on cutting-edge encrypted computing, OASYS NOW prioritizes privacy and patient control. By addressing the lack of diversity in DNA data and solving the clinical trial recruitment gap, the company is redesigning healthcare from the ground up with equity, data security, and user agency at its core.
You can support OASYS NOW by following the journey on LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube, and learn more on the website. You can find Nima’s winning pitch at Slush 100 2024 in Helsinki on YouTube.
Share what’s on your mind!
What does fair access to healthcare look like in the age of data?
a) Patients own their data
b) Trials include more people
c) Data reflects everyone
d) Privacy is built in
Let me know what you think in the comments.
And if you would like to suggest a guest or a theme for the podcast, please let me know via email or send a DM on LinkedIn.
Next week on Women Disrupting Tech
In episode 99, Laurie Lancee will be my guest to share how The Angel Initiative is helping female founders to close the gender funding gap. You can listen to a short clip of the episode below.
After that, it is time for episode 100. Subscribe to my Substack to discover who my guest (or perhaps guests) will be.
Until we meet again in the next episode, keep being awesome!
Women Disrupting Tech | The Podcast 