Vicki Powell

founder @lumehealth, health-tech hardware engineer

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

@m_goes_distance 🚀🚀

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

@michelleefang @theboardtalks @austinxwalker @ArthurMacwaters @forwarddeploy @LegionHealth @rauchg @benln @inngest @the_danny_g @vercel @cursor_ai see you there! 🏃‍♀️ ☀️

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

I think one of the reasons why @ouraring and @WHOOP work well at improving health is that they don’t tell you directly "stop drinking alcohol”.

Instead, they let you figure it out for yourself. That kind of self learning lasts longer.

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

recent breakthrough’s in chemistry and electronics have made this possible, and we’re really excited to share it with you soon.

want to be the first to try it? you can signup to our waitlist here: https://t.co/YIHGCWlCIa

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

when I tell people I left Apple to build a continuous hormone monitor I often get one of 2 reactions:

1. “that sounds impossible”
or
2. “wait.. doesn’t Oura already do that?”

let me explain - a thread.

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

and the other people think it already exists.

probably because it so obviously needs to exist, but also because wearables like Oura summarize things into proxy metrics that make you THINK it’s measuring your hormones, but really it’s not.

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

people often think it sounds impossible because the current way we measure hormones is SO far behind.

blood tests in a lab and waiting weeks for results.
but it is possible!

computers used to be the size of the rooms, and soon, you’ll be able to have a lab on your wrist

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

We're hosting our next happy hour event at Equinox on June 11th in San Francisco. We'll have free drinks and a lightning talk about the future of wearable hormone tracking. Would love to see you there! https://t.co/ICHro87ybb

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

One of the ways I get the most out of each day is to always be running just on time or a few mins late.

If I am going to be 5 min early, I challenge myself to find the best thing I can do with 5 mins instead.

I realize it's a bit frustrating for others, but I love it.

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

Building hardware is humbling.

In software, you ship a bug fix in hours. In hardware, a 0.02mm tolerance issue means waiting 6 weeks and spending thousands of dollars.

There's less room for error with atoms 😅

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

The thing I noticed about health tracking today: we have continuous data on heart rate, steps, sleep, blood oxygen. 24/7, real-time.

But hormones gets one blood draw a year. if that.

That gap is a big part of why I left Apple and started building @lumehealth.

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

Always good to remember, nobody knows anything for sure.

We're all just bundles of cells with pretty small brains.

Some people know a few things, but when presented with new information, opinions change quickly.

Back yourself, follow your gut, and enjoy the ride :)

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

trying to use twitter more to document the journey of building Lume.

one thing I've been noticing recently: people aren't saying "hardware is hard" to me as much anymore.

I guess they're realizing that hard things hold alpha.

software being 'easy' used to be an asset...😅

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

@bryan_johnson 💪🏼💪🏼

[lumehealth @lumehealth]

We’re hiring a Biosensor Engineer in San Francisco.

Help build the world’s first continuous, needle-free hormone monitor.

Hard interdisciplinary problems. Real impact.

Apply here ↓
https://t.co/ySjSm3KAaF

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

still remember the feeling of getting my first Mac!
little did I know I'd end up working at Apple one day, and my first project would be the MacBook.

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

Apple is the way of the future #macbook #earlybirthdaypresents #sogood

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

@lumehealth morning sunlight ☀️

[lumehealth @lumehealth]

2025 data (83k people, 11 yrs follow-up): 2h/day outdoors (vs 30 min) was linked to ↓ mortality (all-cause −10%, cardiovascular −11%).

Many confounders accounted for, including activity.

Prioritise safe sun exposure.

https://t.co/97HJVqCDTr

[lumehealth @lumehealth]

Humans are essentially biological algorithms,
trained over billions of years of evolution. Light is a heavily weighted input.

[Vicki Powell @vickipowell]

the longer I live the more I realize; so much of life’s rewards come on the other side of dogged persistence through hard moments.