Podcast episode (MoneyWise Doctor Podcast) featuring Ndubuisi 'Andy' Egwim interviewing Dr. Vanessa Awongaya. Discussion covers Dr. Awongaya’s career shift from investment banking (roles at BNP Paribas, UBS, Sumitomo Mitsui) and early entrepreneurship to studying medicine and founding a femtech health‑tech startup (Eve). The conversation touches on motivations for the pivot, past ventures (an early online reading/editing platform c.2008), balancing motherhood with career, and financial/portfolio considerations for doctors.
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So a lot of doctors talk about leaving medicine and some people talk about going to do something else, something more exciting, maybe financial rewarding or even a bit more flexible. So why would an investment banker working at a highly reputable global bank leave her job as an investment banker to become a doctor in the nhs? In this episode of Money Wife Doctor Podcast, I had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Vanessa Awongaya, who is an investor, ex investment banker and currently a doctor in the nhs and also the founder of health tech company that is looking to address a very important problem in the fem tech space. So she shares her interest on how she decided to become an investment banker and how she decided to pivot from investment banking to becoming a doctor, as well as whether she had any regrets and her exciting new project, what she's talking on now. So if you're interested in finding out, is there any more beyond medicine and is there more I can do as a doctor? If you're thinking about the best way to even take charge of your financial future, this, this episode is for you. Enjoy. All right, all right. Welcome Back to moneywise doctor.com platform today. Today we are on, on an interesting episode where we're going to be interviewing someone really fascinating. As you know, every now and then it's me just droning on, on and on about how to make better financial decisions for doctors and healthcare professionals. But every now and then I find someone who's doing something really interesting, something, I think, to you. And today I've got an interesting lady here today, Dr. Vanessa Awangaya. So Dr. Vanessa has gone from being an investment banker to becoming a doctor and she didn't just stop by becoming a doctor. She's got some interesting project on the way which we're going to talk about at some point during the podcast. So if you're in for the ride, join me as welcome, Dr. Vanessa Wong. Aya.
Hello. Thanks for having me.
You're welcome. You're welcome, Dr. Vanessa. Right, so a bit about her background. So before she decided to become a doctor, I mean, a lot of people go from being doctors to being consultants and management consultancy or investment bankers. If you followed a bit of my own journey. I was a doctor, went off for four years, did quite a few things, started businesses, worked with NGOs, came back to work as a doctor and now sort of I'm in a portfolio role now. I think the last time I was in a GP surgery was about four weeks ago. So every now and then I've got to keep my license. I do 40 sessions a year minimum. Right. So. But Dr. Vanessa has actually worked at the TPTP top. So she's worked as a corporate analyst as BMP Paribas corporate and Institutional Banking. She's worked as an associate director at ubs. So quite a heavy hitters if you know anything about banking. These are sort of like the big investment banks. She's worked as a leverage financial analyst at Sumi Thermo Mitsu Banking Corporation. And of course she's been an entrepreneur Antler. Yeah. But things changed From I think 2019 she became a medical doctor. So she definitely went to medical school in between her banking career and currently she's the co founder and CEO of Eve. And there's also in her personal life something quite big which is massive respect being able to juggle being a mother of a newborn and doing all of this. So. Welcome back, Dr. Vanessa. So can you tell, tell me what I've missed? I'm sure I've missed a lot there in your, your profile.
I don't think you missed anything, to be honest, but I think it's probably because I didn't put it on LinkedIn. I had the first venture in TW in 2008. In between. Yeah, in between my banking. So definitely like entrepreneurship and setting up his business. It's always been at the back of my mind. Yes. And I've tried a bunch of times even in between the 2008 and this one.
What was the first venture? What was it about?
So it was an online editing space where you could read your book on a website and it was just before the Kindle.
Wow.
Yeah. Initially when I pitched the idea, people were thinking, why would I, why would I read on the screen? I like my books, I like the physical paper.
Let's just say you were early. You were early.
Yeah, I was early, yeah.
2008, I was still in med school and I had the idea that launched my first business, which was just a blog at first before I ventured into other things like web, SMS software and clothing. So you were thinking quite far ahead as far back then because Facebook was only started 2005.
Yeah.
Yes. I'm not sure YouTube existed in 2008.
YouTube existed at the time. The iPhone had just come out.
Yes. Okay.
So it was, it was still like big on Blackberries and the iPhone had just come out and the Kindle hadn't, hadn't come out at that time when I, when I launched it.
Amazing. Amazing.
Yes. I think I was ahead, but in a sense, when you're a pioneer, well, you're first. That's great. But at the same time, you have to educate. And educating people requires a lot of investment.
Requires a lot of investment of time and sometimes money. I mean, we do financial education, so you can.
