Eric Kinariwala With Grace
Welcome to With Grace. This week, we feature Eric Kinariwala, Founder & CEO of Capsule. Eric started Capsule with a blank sheet of paper and the conviction that pharmacy should work for everyone. Nearly a decade later, Capsule has raised over $500M from the best healthcare and technology investors in the world and operates nationwide, offering millions a radically simpler way to get and manage medications. Eric leads with precision, curiosity, and care. He approaches building through first principles, recruits thoughtfully, and aligns people to their zone of genius—encouraging the team to focus, execute, and win together. His approach to potential: “I am really energized by putting people into roles they've never formally held, but have an incredibly high capacity to learn. It’s mostly worked out pretty well for us.”
What’s an unexpected tool you love?
The native notes app on the iPhone is my go to place to collect my thoughts, draft documents, keep track of to-dos, bookmark interesting people to meet, or articles to read. While Apple's added a bunch of features like sharing, formatting, tagging, etc - I find the simplicity of it always being available to me on my laptop or phone, zero friction in opening it, and that it stays synced across my devices to be perfect.
What’s a breakthrough idea you’re excited about?
I'm fascinated and really excited about the potential for synthetic biology - where all of the advances that have been made in computation can be applied to biological systems to better understand them and ultimately help us live better, healthier lives.
What’s a habit or routine that’s been crucial for your success?
Every Sunday evening, I identify the absolute #1 thing I have to get done that week. If I'm successful it means I'll get 50 high impact things done over the course of the year.
What’s an unconventional approach that’s worked for you?
I am really energized by putting people into roles they've never formally held, but have an incredibly high capacity to learn. It's mostly worked out pretty well for us.
What motivates you to keep pushing forward in your work?
The #1 thing that motivates me every day is seeing the positive impact our product has on our customer's lives. Almost ten years in, positive reviews from our customer still light me up!
How do you approach decision-making in high-stakes scenarios?
At a high level, I think we all know the answer instinctively in our gut. The analyses and scenarios are to let our brains catch up.
What’s an inspiring book, podcast, or resource?
My favorite book is On Wings of Eagles by Ken Follett. We give it to everyone that starts at Capsule. I won't give away the story line, but it's inspirational in terms of what true courage, leadership, and team work can look like in a business setting.
What are you reading right now?
I alternate between spy novels and non-fiction. I just finished The Ultimate Coach. I'm fascinated by the idea that we are all a compilation of the stories we tell ourselves and those stories are the lens with which we view the world and other people. Like all stories, the ones we often tell ourselves aren't entirely factual and understanding that I believe is important.
What’s the best advice you’ve received, personally and professionally?
Only do things when you are a whole body yes.
What do you want to see more of?
I want to see more simplicity in healthcare. It's the most important thing in our lives and our families' lives and despite all of the advances in technology it's maddeningly complex, opaque, and frustrating.
