Dr. Li Wu
Dr. Li Wu was born and raised in China. She earned a Master’s degree in chemical engineering at Nanjing University, then went to the USA. At Columbia University in New York she was awarded a Master’s degree in Science and a Master of Arts, followed by her PhD in engineering.
After these years of academic studies Dr. Li Wu obtained multiple global patents and started her career as an entrepreneur, helping to build dozens of the world’s greatest infrastructure projects.
As a private equity investor she has engaged with multiple startups and helped them thrive.
Dr. Li Wu is the founder of Virtusan, the world first AI and science powered app to improve mind and body health, which was launched at the end of March 2022.
Why do you think are you so successful?
I want to create values.
Every day, I want to create values. No matter how small they are. When I was young, I was always asking what the meaning of life is? I always had and have a lot of questions. And I try hard to find the right answers and share them. You can then start to create something new. That’s the meaning of life; using creativity to solve problems and find solutions for yourself but also for others.
When you grow older, you become more humble, really, you see a lot of impressive creations done by others. Do not worry. just continue doing whatever you can, add value every day. A small value every day, down the road, and never give up. I think that’s it. But also, you have to remember: you cannot always create something completely new as many, many things have already been created. But you can try to improve and enhance them with what we know and have now.
Churchill said
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal it is the courage to continue that counts”.
What he meant is victory is transient, failure is momentary, what counts is the ongoing courage to continue.
I think that’s a good strategy for living your life courageously and tenaciously. If you win, you will be celebrated. That’s okay, but that’s not the end. Failure lurks everywhere. So, what really counts is the courage to continue and keep going. I think that’s the main point.
Happy and courageous, I think that’s what I am. In all modesty my special features as a human being are my courage and my curiosity. I am always curious. I always say the basis of research and science is the strong will to find out and to learn. I believe in science and figures.
I want to be a giver. When I look back, I always want to see myself in whatever situation, giving more than taking. I always make sure of that. From that I get huge strength and satisfaction.
Life is short, we should not waste it. I believe deeply in a meaningful life.
The covid situation actually made me feel that my mission is more and more urgent, because health is so important. What COVID showed me is that our future depends on technology, because artificial intelligence gives us so many needed possibilities. Because COVID didn’t change the mission but made the essential mission more urgent, and the need for quick progress made me focus on artificial intelligence. The pandemic showed us how fragile human beings are, AI will help to improve human health a lot. So I’m focusing more on user apps and modernizing the company, modernizing in order to accelerate the attainment of my goal to move the mission forward. The mission of helping people to improve their physical and mental health using our apps.
It is important how we use data analysis to answer the questions, “What is best for sleep? What is best for performance but also for handling stress?” All this has to be in balance. A lot of people just say, “Oh, we shouldn’t be stressed”
When you perform in life, you have to get prepared. You have to build and strengthen your immune system; you need tools to de-stress and you need support to learn to do that. So, it is very important. For example, you can use new tools to learn how to improve and use your breathing. We are working on apps to help improve your physical and mental health and we want people to be alert to their own mental health to prevent damage.
Do you have a role model or an ancestor or a contemporary personality who impressed you, or have you experienced a special life-changing event?
There was a special event, when I read the biography of Spartacus, I was impressed by this life story, his courage and his leadership, his fight for justice ending up in a revolution.
I also have friends who influence me. Uli Sigg is a very important person in my life. He is a loyal friend and a visionary personality. He is kind to all the people around him and has a great deal of integrity, which is what makes him so special. He is also a well-meaning friend in this tricky world of business, we protect each other.
Loyalty and integrity have always influenced my life, these traits remain and are not attracted and carried away by material things.
I like people who are confident and humble. I think insecurity and arrogance often come together, like the opposite’s courage and humbleness, which seems a paradox. But humbleness is as much a sign of greatness as courage. It is a good combination. Because that means you know life is challenging and short, but you still have your chin up.
What is the impact of nature, art or beauty on your life?
A broader picture needs a broader stroke. I’d say artists have their big ideas and their power of imagination; this is their source of strength. And therefore, they have the ability to make broader strokes. I appreciate art as an expression of the artists thinking and feelings.
You know, you live and love your sciences, your engineering, your businesses. You’re strong and successful, but art opens up such a bigger world. There are people so capable and so talented. I appreciate those talents. I see it like another wider world. Art has an impact in the way it makes me feel more humble. You live with and love your sciences, engineering, business. You are strong, but art expresses so much more and these talented and capable people open up such a wider world. I appreciate those talents. To be creative, I think is really a gift. This person has something nobody else has and I admire that. When you see artwork, you also want to create things, but their creation makes you feel humble and you can only admire and appreciate the talent, that classic talent. I wish I could really understand more about this. There are so many people who collect art. I do very little. I wish I did more or collected more.
The knowledge has found its way into science and engineering that when you have well-balanced surroundings which open your mind and bring beauty to your life, you feel better, you heal better and create better.
And also a lot of research in neuroscience has found clues for human behavior and explanations for human patterns. So, science is discovering more and more how and why people are sick, bipolar, violent or whatever. I think it is neuroscience that will help us the most to understand human behavior.
