Ali El Idrissi

Founder @upchoose. Building a new consumption model that works better for our children and our planet. Previously VP Impact Investing @jpmorgan

[UpChoose @upchoose]

We talk a lot about how much waste is created by the fashion industry, but there's one part that is often overlooked: baby clothing!

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

Next Thursday October 17th, 2024 — we’ll go live at 10am PST

Register here 👇

https://t.co/uzoSSgKe27

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

Join @kathrynjc7 and I for a live workshop next Thursday. Link below 👇

We’ll discuss how freezing stem cells from umbilical cord can help treat serious health conditions, among other things!

[Kathryn Cross @kathrynjc7]

I’ve raised millions to revolutionize an industry most people have never even heard of—yet.

At least not until they’re pregnant.

I’m the founder of @anjahealth, which could transform how parents treat some of the most devastating conditions.

It all began when I was 3 and my younger brother was 1. He walked into a lake when no one was looking, he was airlifted to a nearby hospital, and he was declared a ‘vegetable’ - a term that, to this day, I don’t think should be used.

He was diagnosed with low-functioning cerebral palsy. My family was determined to find treatment options, and discovered a clinical trial at Duke University, intravenously putting stem cells from a child’s own umbilical cord back into their own body. These children had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy due to any number of reasons and were generally seeing motor and social skill improvements.

However, we quickly realized how difficult it is to find someone else’s stem cells if you do not have your own. In fact, it is especially difficult if you are a person of color or mixed race. And, unfortunately, my family did not save stem cells from neither mine or my brother’s umbilical cord or placenta.

That’s why I founded Anja Health.

Anja Health enables new parents to preserve their baby’s stem-cell-rich umbilical cord and placenta immediately after birth - through a process that is very similar to freezing eggs, although much less invasive and completely painless.

We provide a kit for parents to 1) Bring to birth 2) Give to their provider so they can collect the umbilical cord and placenta immediately after birth 3) Place a pickup after birth with our courier team! We will bring your kit to our lab where your stem cells will be frozen.

Cord blood stem cells have been used to treat cancers i.e. leukemia, lymphoma, and sickle cell disease, with thousands of successful transplants performed worldwide . Cord tissue stem cells show promise in repairing orthopedic injuries like osteoarthritis, treating heart disease post-myocardial infarction, and improving wound healing. Placenta stem cells are being researched for their potential in treating liver cirrhosis, cardiovascular diseases, and neurological disorders such as stroke.

However, the real challenge with Anja Health is educating people on why this matters. We’ve so far been able to with an audience of 22k on Instagram, 7k on YouTube, 165k on TikTok, a podcast with OBGYNs, doulas, and midwives (underrated birth providers btw!).

In countries like Singapore and China, up to 30% of parents actually do cord blood banking at birth, and if we can do the same in the US for even 5% of births, stem cell research would have greater opportunities to advance and families wouldn’t have to face what mine did.

If you or someone you know is pregnant, get an Anja Health kit at https://t.co/uxJNpQxU8J

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

@ankurnagpal Would love a copy thank you

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

@natiakourdadze Making baby clothing sustainable, accessible, and stress-free

https://t.co/VzKgLLJQAe

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

@neilpatel leak

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

@obviceo Return

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

@obviceo Cash

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

@ashvinmelwani Cart

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

@Aazarshad Creative testing

[UpChoose @upchoose]

What are your thoughts on SNL’s recent take on fast fashion? Share with us below! 👇

Last week, Saturday Night Live featured Jake Gyllenhaal in a segment calling out fast fashion companies like SHEIN and Temu.

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

@heyblake Organic baby clothing subscription service for every stage of growth

https://t.co/Lg3OUpdG0o

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

@drewmarc @dtcpages @iamshackelford @Intelligems thanks, check your DMs!

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

@drewmarc @dtcpages @iamshackelford @Intelligems Thank you! Is it only for Shopify stores or does it work with custom websites?

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

@dtcpages @drewmarc @iamshackelford Nice! What do you use to run these a/b tests?

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

Exciting to @GoPositional launch publicly. They’re doing solid work to support teams build their SEO and content strategy. We’ve been a Positinal customer for a few months at @upchoose and have seen very encouraging results. Check them out!

[Nate Matherson @NateMatherson]

We made it! Today is @GoPositional's public launch day! Go sign-up! 📈

But in all seriousness, getting here has been a long road. We did a very hard pivot into Positional 13 months ago. We had spent two years building something that people didn’t want, and we decided to return to our roots… content, SEO, and inbound marketing.

Since at least 2019, Matt and I have wanted to build our own toolset. We were tired of using seven separate tools to do our jobs.

We wanted to connect the workflow from end to end, from keyword research to analytics, and the actions that users take that ultimately drive revenue for a business. With Positional, you can start, grow, and scale your inbound marketing and SEO strategy with a toolset optimized for results — not vanity metrics.

Today, Positional has 11 core features. Of course, we have tools for keyword research and tracking. But we also have a number of really unique experiences and workflows for internal linking, content optimization, content analytics, and mapping buyer journeys.

We have a lot of work left to do, but I’m proud of what we’ve shipped today.

There are lots of thank yous. Thank you to my wife, Emma, who has been so supportive. I call Emma my mini-management-consultant (MMC). Emma has been here for a few startups. Being a startup-founder-significant-other is really hard. Lately, Matt and I have been working some insane hours.

Thank you to Matt for being the best co-founder a guy could have. Thank you to my dog, Jasper, who, despite going on much shorter walks lately, has still been incredibly supportive.

Our team, you guys rock. Post-pivot, things were a little crazy. But we stuck together.

Our private beta customers, thank you for trying us and for signing up early. Many of you signed up way too early, but we’ve really appreciated your feedback, suggestions, bug catches, and patience as we’ve built Positional.

We’ve got some wonderful investors, too. Shout out to @snowmaker, @bradflora, @ycombinator, @lachygroom, @briannekimmel, @pioneer_fund, @grinich, and so many others for giving us the opportunity to build Positional.

Again, we’ve got a lot of work left to do. There are bugs still to catch and new products to ship, but we had to launch. If you sign up today, I’d love to hear your feedback. Plus, if you become a customer this week, you’ll get an awesome 3-pack of SEO-inspired hot sauces (“Link Juice”).

Over the long term, we are working to build the toolset for inbound marketing and GTM. Onward!

Get Started with Positional: https://t.co/HpdSA6IzZL

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

Thank you, Mitra, for pushing a smarter and more sustainable model forward. I’m grateful to have you onboard @upchoose. I hope you keep enjoying the experience! @ramannoodlez

[Mitra Raman @ramannoodlez]

@thesamparr Especially for kids stuff! I love using:
- UpChoose (rent baby clothes)
- Poshmark (2nd hand clothes)
- BuyNothing / mom groups (2nd hand toys/gear)
- BabyQuip (rent baby gear on the go)

Haven't tried Loop yet but thinking about it for big ticket items.

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

@ramannoodlez @thesamparr Thank you, Mitra, for pushing a smarter and more sustainable model forward. I’m grateful to have you onboard @upchoose. I hope you keep enjoying the experience!

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

Looking to chat with a healthcare billing/coding specialist. Any tips please? @chrissyfarr @nikillinit

[Ali El Idrissi @alielidr]

@RyeMcKenzie Would love your take on https://t.co/Lg3OUpdG0o