Both Elena Rueda and Dr Paulina Cecula are guests on today's episode and are the co-founders of Dama Health: An early-stage startup in London that empowers women and clinicians to make equitable, safe, personalised and person-centered decisions regarding contraception, based on genetic testing and an AI-led matching system for various contraceptive options. Their platform is the first of its kind, integrating data from a patient’s preference as well as their personal medical history. Dama’s fundamental aim is to revolutionise reproductive health decisions by providing women and clinicians with health insights that incorporate medical, genetic, and personal data into evidence-based clinical recommendations. Elena has a background in medical sciences, design thinking and and entrepreneurship, whereas Paulina is a physician by training. In this episode, they both share their insights as female founders in the healthcare startup space; the challenges and highlights of fundraising; and their mission to democratise contraceptive choices and access. You can find out more about Dama Health in the following ways: https://damahealth.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dama-health/ Instagram: @damahealth_ Find us on: www.founders-keepers.com Instagram: @founderskeepers.pod Twitter: @founders_pod LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/founders-keepers-podcast Get in touch: hi@founders-keepers.com

Dr Abdullah Albeyatti is a serial entrepreneur as well as a practising physician: The co-founder and CEO of two companies (Medicalchain and MyClinic), he runs both businesses alongside his regular surgeries as a general practitioner.   Established in 2017, Medicalchain leverages blockchain technology to digitize and securely store and share electronic health records across a distributed ledger, and has raised over $24 million US dollars through an initial coin offering. In turn, MyClinic is a free, compliant and easy-to-use telemedicine platform that allows patients to connect directly with healthcare professionals via video link. In this episode, we cover how Abdullah balances his passions for entrepreneurship and clinical work; the crucial importance of support networks for business leaders; and the advice he would pass on if he were to build again from scratch. You can find out more about Medicalchain in the following ways:  https://medicalchain.com/en/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/medical_chain  Medium: https://medium.com/medicalchain LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/medicalchain-io You can find out more about MyClinic in the following ways:  https://myclinic.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myclinicofficial/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/myclinic_com?lang=en LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/myclinic-com/  Find us on:  www.founders-keepers.com  Instagram: @founderskeepers.pod  Twitter: @founders_pod  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/founders-keepers-podcast Get in touch: hi@founders-keepers.com

Appropriately for Diabetes Week, the guest on this episode of Founders Keepers is Ashley Hanger: The founder of the diabetes drug and device subscription service, Stripped Supply (tagline: “Diabetes is a prick”). A journalism and public relations graduate by background, Ashley embarked on her journey with Stripped Supply in early 2020 to address an unmet need she saw among young diabetic patients in Australia struggling to order and receive their medication and device supplies on time. Leveraging a large social media following of predominantly Gen Z people living with diabetes, and with an initial waitlist of over 500 subscribers before launching in late 2021, Stripped Supply is now Australia’s first dedicated diabetes patient management subscription service: Automating and delivering custom supplies to its members across the country. The startup boasts that it utilises existing medical infrastructure to bring diabetes medication to people that need them most, and an easy-to-sign up subscription model that makes drug and device refills as easy as possible. Ashley speaks in this episode about her non-traditional route into healthcare business ownership; her love for storytelling as a founder and experience of pitching her story to investors; and how she is effectively harnessing the power of social media in tackling holistic diabetes care. You can find out more about Stripped Supply in the following ways: https://stripped.supply/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stripped.supply/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stripped.supply  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stripped.supply?lang=en Find us on: Website: www.founders-keepers.com Instagram: @founderskeepers.pod Twitter: @founders_pod Get in touch: hi@founders-keepers.com

Barry Smith is a former military nurse-turned-farmer, and the “accidental” founder of Symprove: A water-based liquid probiotic formula marketed as a food supplement, containing four strains of live and active bacteria designed to be delivered directly to the gut. Initially developed as a cattle feed under the name Multigerm, but underpinned by the belief that it could help to support healthy gut function in humans, the company pivoted and the product was rebranded for human consumption in 2010. Since then, Symprove has grown into a multi-million pound business, and has been featured in numerous scientific research studies linked with promoting a range of human health benefits, from alleviating the symptoms of IBS as well as those of Parkinson’s disease. Today, Barry shares his unusual journey from establishing his own health and wellness company and shipping products from his literal backyard, to the importance of building an evidence base for Symprove, and where he sees the future of the probiotic industry heading. You can find out more about Symprove in the following ways: https://www.symprove.com/ https://symproveforprofessionals.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Symprove Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/symproveyourlife/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/symprove Find us on: Website: www.founders-keepers.com Instagram: @founderskeepers.pod Twitter: @founders_pod Get in touch: hi@founders-keepers.com

At just 24 years old, Livia Ng has built an active community of biotechnology companies focused on providing opportunities for business leaders. A neuroscientist by training, she is the founder and CEO of Neucruit: A seed-stage organisation that connects patients and researchers through data and seeks to optimise clinical trial management. Neucruit’s platform supports clinical trial site selection; optimises recruitment materials; and enables clients to reach patient groups not easily accessed through otherwise traditional methods – in this way helping to address fundamental inequalities in patient representation that still exist in clinical trial conduct and processes. She joins me on this week’s episode to share her insights in shifting from a traditional academic role to building her own company dream team; where she sees the future of clinical trials heading; and the importance of persevering in the face of adversity when building your own empire. You can find out more about Livia and Neucruit’s work at: https://neucruit.com/ Find us on: Website: www.founders-keepers.com Twitter: @founders_pod Instagram: @founderskeepers.pod Get in touch: hi@founders-keepers.com

Nicole Cacal is the Founder and CEO of Forbes Ignite; an independent social enterprise and license partner of Forbes Media. Forbes Ignite broadly functions as a consultancy advising leading companies on sustainable transformation, underpinned by a leadership network that unites global changemakers at the centre of technology, sustainability and social impact, including healthcare and unmet needs in the healthcare industry.  Nicole is also a Professor at the Parsons School of Design, and has previously worked in venture capital and product development at a global start-up incubator with a focus on emerging technologies. More recently she is the co-author of the forthcoming human-centred design and AI book, “What’s Your AI Strategy?” from Wiley Press.  In this episode, we talk about her journey in design, technology and teaching, what it’s like to sit at the intersection of these fields, and Nicole shares her honest experience of what it is to be a female founder and how she has dealt with the challenges she has faced along the way.  You can find out more about Nicole’s work and follow her next venture at:  www.nicolecacal.com  Find out more about Forbes Ignite at: www.forbesignite.com  Twitter: @forbesignite  Instagram: @forbesignite Find us on:  Website: www.founders-keepers.com  Twitter: @founders_pod  Instagram: @founderskeepers.pod  Get in touch: hi@founders-keepers.com