HerStory Participant Announcement
Out of 200+ applications, we’re extremely thrilled to introduce you to the 30 women selected to participate in the first-ever HerStory Competition!
On November 18th, 2021 these women will tell a panel of champions from various industries who they are, how they came to their idea and why investing in them will bring innovation, value and impact: both to their industry and to the future of more equitable access to Canadian capital.
And a few might just walk away with an investment to fund their business!
The participants of the first-ever HerStory competition, in alphabetical order by last name, are:
Lisa Bechamp, CPA, CGA, Director of Finance
Coalese Health
Coalese Health is a Calgary-based software company providing primary care physicians and their patients the ability to view their electronic medical records (EMR) in a comprehensive and quick-to-understand format. Improved viewing of health data, combined with analytics that makes the information truly actionable, provides unique insights to both physicians and patients. This provides a more in-depth understanding of chronic conditions, empowers patients and thus leads to improved health outcomes.
Coalese Health’s Complex Care Plan (CCP) software draws its data from major Canadian EMR systems. Coalese Health’s software automatically scans the records of all the patients in a clinic, identifying those patients with specified chronic health problems and provides detailed on-demand reports. These reports enable physicians to more effectively prioritize proactive care utilizing nationally accepted best practices and guidelines.
Coalese Health’s software has been fully developed and successfully utilized over the past several years. Most recently the software has been deployed in a 36-month pilot with twelve physicians to provide best-practice care plans for at-risk patients.
Assel Beglinova, Co-founder & CEO
Paperstack
Paperstack is a platform that helps e-commerce sellers aggregate all their financial data in one place, automate monthly bookkeeping, and provide financial insights—a fractional CFO for your online store.
Starting a business or working for yourself requires quite a few legal and tax considerations. Paperstack allows busy freelancers and e-commerce sellers to put those decisions completely on autopilot. They track all the expenses, find valuable tax deductions, prepare tax returns, and even assist with GST/HST filing - so clients never have to lift a finger.
While doing a lot of tech consulting during the pandemic, they were shocked by how much effort goes into doing the basics of bookkeeping. The accounting industry hasn’t quite caught up to millions of freelancers going DIY, as tools like Quickbooks and Xero are built specifically for accountants. Paperstack provides a solution that millions of self-employed people can use, without cringing at ledgers or losing sleep over debits and credits.
Leanne Brownoff, Co-founder and Danielle Bragge, Co-founder
VR Pathways Inc.
VR Pathways Inc. is an Alberta business co-created and co-owned by Danielle Bragge and Leanne Brownoff—two entrepreneurs with a proven track record of success. VR Pathways Inc has created the VRBrain™, a unique, clinically endorsed, on-demand, mental health and wellness support app for individuals experiencing stress, anxiety, and burnout. The app also helps build mental resiliency when experiencing demanding situations.
By combining the impact of virtual reality, cognitive behavioural strategies, and neurolinguistics, the VRBrain™ provides sensory-immersive experiences that take users into a directed and focused brain state, promoting the development of new neurological pathways, supporting positive thoughts and resulting in increased performance, cognitive reasoning and emotional balance.
With regular use, experiences are designed for maximum effectiveness, engaging the executive thinking pathways in the brain where behaviours change and long-term learning occurs. In short, VRBrain™ trains the brain for success.
Juliana Pontón Caputo, Founder
ICannRx,
ICannRx is a technology platform in web app format that guides the clinical decision-making of healthcare practitioners (HCP) with respect to alternative medicines (including cannabis, psilocybin, over the counter medications [OTC]).
Regulatory challenges have made research into alternative medicines difficult. ICannRX aims to capture real-world evidence through user-derived data to help bridge that gap, with the goal of eventually leveraging that same user feedback data to update the algorithm through adaptive support-vector machine learning. The platform aims to empower HCPs, by translating available scientific evidence into concrete dosing recommendations through the interface of a user-friendly web app.
As more HCPs come on board, the algorithm adapts based on incoming information to become more accurate over time, also storing anonymized data that may be interrogated to better understand how alternative medicines are impacting patient health in the real world. Such data could form a basis to justify further clinical trials or inform product development.
Julia Clauser, Founder and CEO
gldn hour
gldn hour is a Canadian beverage brand that has developed the first marine collagen-infused sparkling waters in North America. Founders Julia Clauser and Jessica Dumont Nadeau leveraged their 20+ years of food retail industry experience to develop and bring to market a true product innovation focused on ingestible beauty. When people are in their 20s, their production of collagen starts to decline, causing signs of aging like wrinkles and saggy skin.
The most notable supplement rich in type 1 collagen that supports beauty from within is hydrolyzed marine collagen. Readily available in the market as a powder, hydrolyzed collagen is often added to water, coffee, or smoothies. Not only are these consumption methods time-consuming, non-habitual and typically not enjoyable, but they are difficult to turn into a daily regime. gldn hour has created a way to make daily collagen consumption convenient and enjoyable.
“We all make time for the beauty we can see, but often forget how valuable it is to build beauty from within.” – gldn hour
Lana Cuthbertson, Co-founder and CEO
Areto Labs
Areto Labs is a B2B SaaS tech startup building apps to help organizations attract and retain talent based on today’s challenges of remote working, by building inclusive, productive cultures in the digital workplace. The future of work demands that we build engagement digitally, which is why Areto’s apps are deployed inside private and public digital workspaces, like Slack and Twitter, and combine machine learning and automation with behavioural science into scalable software that uses the latest corporate culture-building research to automate DEI practices, while saving leaders time and effort, and improving the employee experience.
Areto’s apps post inclusive, culture-shaping conversation prompts while collecting engagement and sentiment data, and then share that data and insights on a customized private dashboard, so companies can understand their workforce sentiment, troubleshoot any hotspots, measure improvement in their culture and business outcomes, and leverage built-in recommendations to build inclusion and productivity.
The way we work has changed for good. Areto is changing it for the better.
Kayli Dale, CEO
A Friendlier Company (AFC)
Women-founded A Friendlier Company (AFC) is Canada’s fastest growing reusable packaging company, growing to support over 55 independent businesses in five regions across SW Ontario since launching 10 months ago. Their partnership with SkiptheDishes has allowed them to increase their reach and leverage Canada’s leading third-party food delivery platform to promote reuse.
AFC’s centralized, tech-enabled reverse logistics system offers food service businesses a turnkey reusable packaging option that allows them to elevate their takeout experience, engage with customers, and reach their sustainability goals. Their packaging is sold with a deposit, which consumers pay upon purchase of food items. Each package contains a unique QR code, which consumers can scan with AFC’s mobile app to claim their deposit once they’ve returned the package to a return bin. AFC then collects, washes and sanitizes, and redistributes the packages to create a closed loop system.
Since launch, AFC has reused over 36,000 reusable containers, which is equivalent to 4,600 lbs of waste and 13,300 lbs of carbon emissions diverted. AFC’s products are reusable over 100 times, and are manufactured and processed locally in Canada.
Dr. Bethany Deshpande, Co-founder and CEO
SomaDetect
SomaDetect’s mission is to provide farmers with the information they need to make the best possible milk. The company's core technology is an in-line sensor capable of monitoring critical indicators of reproductive status, health and milk quality from individual cows.
SomaDetect’s sensor uses no consumables, is extremely fast, and fits into existing milking equipment. SomaDetect represents a major innovation in dairy technology, providing milk quality and health data to farmers when they need it most.
Dr. Iana Dogel, Co-Founder and VP of Business Development
TeleMag Health Solutions
TeleMag Health Solutions is a start-up company focused on developing an improved rTMS device. The company was founded in January 2020 by three Canadian entrepreneurs: George Hathaway, P.E., Joe Palermo, and Iana Dogel, PhD, MBA, and is currently located in Canada (Ontario).
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a well-known technique to treat major depressive disorder (MDD). Typically, it would be suggested for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), which affects between 30% and 60% of about 300 million people worldwide suffering from MDD. However, many patients are not able to access rTMS clinics due to either the lack of rTMS clinics nearby or the severity of their depression episodes (inability to leave the house and seek treatment).
As a result of patented innovation, TeleMag’s rTMS device—TeleMag Akeso—can now be used to deliver the magnetic field pulse equivalent to clinical rTMS devices in patients’ homes. Compared to similar clinical devices, TeleMag’s revolutionary device outperforms the competition on technical characteristics and price, making it more suitable for wide health care system adoption. In 2020, TeleMag Health Solutions won a $50,000 award from the Ontario Brain Institute and are raising seed funding to make this innovation widely available.
Dr. Hilal Gul, Founder, President and CEO
MySteMBiotech,
MySteMBiotech is a biotech company committed to providing novel livestock colostrum stem cells-based products for enhancing animal health as an alternative to antibiotics. The livestock industry is experiencing pressure to curb antibiotic use in farm animals to stop the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. MySteMBiotech offers a novel approach to optimize health and production of livestock using colostrum-derived mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-like cells, known to possess both antimicrobial activity and anti-inflammatory properties in addition to their regenerative potential.
MySteM’s oral and intravenous colostrum stem cell supplements for newborn and adult animals combine the power of stem cells to prevent disease or infection in livestock by boosting an animal’s own immunity and health. MySteM has isolated established MSC-like cells from livestock colostrum and shown that the MSC-like cells possess significant antimicrobial activity. They’ve also successfully cryopreserved their stem cells in a form that can be readily and safely given to farm animals.
MySteM is currently testing their prototype for oral feed grade supplement in an animal model for its safety and efficacy. MySteM’s stem cell products for research are ready to launch, and they are currently seeking guidance in partnership development and funding.
Kelsey Hahn, CEO and Co-Founder
Monark
Monark is on-demand leadership training in one seamless platform, driving measurable and lasting growth through psychology and the science of leadership. By utilizing 360 assessment, micro-learning, on-the-job practice, behavioural nudges, and real peer feedback, Monark acts as a digital coach without relying on a human, making development more personalized, accessible, and effective.
Much like hockey can't be learned anywhere other than the rink, Monark knows that the most important leadership skills can’t be taught, they must be learned and practiced. While many solutions pull leaders out of their jobs, Monark integrates into their busy lives and digitally delivers a full suite of professional services traditionally offered by multiple providers to select leaders, by syncing up to popular software and putting development in your pocket with a mobile app.
Monark evidences leader growth as rated by others by relying on a model of behaviour change, and by removing friction in one’s engagement of development (with smart nudges, reminders and micro-content). Over time, better leaders help to drive organizational outcomes across the board, from higher productivity and innovation, to customer satisfaction and revenue growth. This isn’t a one-day, check the box experience promising to deliver “transformational growth” after a weekend seminar; this is real long-term behaviour change, building better leaders one behaviour at a time.
Janna Hattingh, Owner/Founder
Booby Food
Booby Food is on a mission to help mamas never waste a drop of breastmilk. Booby Food freeze dries YOUR frozen breastmilk into a shelf stable, travel friendly powder that lasts for years. They then package your powdered breastmilk into convenient, resealable bags, perfect for on the go. Now mamas can have the convenience of powdered infant formula with the powerhouse nutrition of their own breastmilk.
With their Booby Food, mamas (and caregivers) can easily make a bottle on the go, fortify a bottle, and when babe stops taking a bottle, simply add it to different foods as they grow. No more crying over spilled (breast)milk! Freeze dried breastmilk has a long history of research dating back to the 1950s and is used in milk banks around the world to preserve donor breastmilk.
Booby Food was the first to offer this service direct to mamas and is currently the one and only federally and provincially health approved service for freeze drying breastmilk in the world.
Cassandra Hui, Founder/CEO
Heal Mary
Heal Mary is a platform that connects patients and caregivers to clinical trials globally within seconds. They use machine learning to make it easier for a patient to understand and self apply into clinical trials, and help empower patients and their doctors to make decisions for the best possible health care outcome.
Heal Mary is currently working on their recommendation engine that allows patients to match with multiple trials. The more criteria a patient fills out, the more accurate and customized the matches to their own healthcare needs.
Angela Kouris, CEO & Founder
Synergia Biotech
Synergia Biotech is a clean technology company that has created the world’s only “green” natural blue. Our climate friendly blue pigment (phycocyanin) can safely replace artificial colours in the food and beverage, health and wellness, and personal care industries.
Synergia Biotech’s venture values the environment and our planet’s future. By capturing carbon from the air, their process efficiently mitigates CO2 emissions while producing a food-safe, healthy alternative to artificial blue. Colour greatly affects the market value of food products and consumers are increasingly aware of the potential health risks associated with synthetic colours (allergenicity, toxicity, carcinogenicity, links to hyperactivity in children). Colours sourced from nature are thus highly sought-after in industry. Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and removal of CO2 from the atmosphere is of critical importance to the environment.
Synergia Biotech sits at the juncture of these two global necessities to create highly marketable pure phycocyanin that can be used as a natural, vibrant blue dye in industry.
Jennifer Kruidbos, MA, Founder
Blawesome
Blawesome is the AI and science-backed wellness technology platform that belongs to the emerging generation of people seeking wellness as a lifestyle. Blawesome is built to enhance the accessibility to health and wellness services from vetted coaches, healers and teachers.
The inspiration to build Blawesome came from Founder and CEO, Jennifer Kruidbos’s experience working with teens with eating disorders at the Montreal Children's Hospital. The teens cited body comparison on traditional social media platforms as negatively affecting their mental health. The teens and their families also said that they didn’t know where to find reliable health and wellness content easily.
Blawesome puts data back in the hands of our members. Blawesome’s AI assistant uses diverse lifestyle data that helps target the right health and wellness resources, content and actions in front of the right people at the right times. Blawesome’s mission is to create the most trusted and widely used personal growth network in the world.
Megan Leslie, CEO and Co-founder
NanoTess
NanoTess is a values-based company with a vision to prevent unnecessary suffering through nanotechnology innovation.
With a patient-centered design approach and a team with extensive experience in materials science, NanoTess aims to develop nanotechnology-enabled solutions for complex health challenges. NanoTess’s initial product, NanoSALV, aims to treat chronic wounds like pressure ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers through the deployment of proprietary nanomaterials that provide the means for chronic wounds to naturally heal again and offers antimicrobial protection without harming the wound.
To date the technology has supported more than 1000 individuals suffering from chronic wounds in their wound care journeys by healing stagnant wounds and preventing amputations.
Valentyna Maslieieva, CEO, MSc
Cytinnov Biotechnologies
Cell-based therapies are poised to revolutionize healthcare. Promising to cure chronic diseases and fully repair damaged tissues and organs, demand for these treatments will be tremendous—as will the costs. While the first few cell-based treatments have entered the Canadian health care market, their massive price tag is a bottleneck for the uptake of treatments by doctors, patients and the government. In some cases, the cost-of-goods alone for cell manufacturing is estimated to be in the tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars per dose per patient. The cost of cell manufacturing must come down to make cell therapies accessible.
Cytinnov Biotechnologies fills this need by providing cell manufacturing process optimization services on a contract basis. Over the past several years, they have engineered a biomedical platform integrating scalable cell culture, advanced statistical methods, machine learning, and robotic systems to systematically optimize cell manufacturing processes, making them cheaper, faster, and more robust. To their knowledge, Cytinnov Biotechnologies is the first company in the world to offer this service. As a team of innovators, scientists and entrepreneurs, they are excited to take on the first mover advantage and have preliminary arrangements to provide optimization services to their first customers this fall.
Cytinnov Biotechnologies is looking for industry connections, partnerships, investments and mentorship. Let’s make cell therapies accessible and revolutionize the future of healthcare!
Liz O’Connell, President and Co-Founder
Arolytics
Formed in 2018, Arolytics is an emissions analytics and software-based company with operations in Calgary and Halifax, Canada. With proprietary algorithms and emissions modelling, Arolytics’ products and services optimize energy sector emissions management and disclosure, saving companies on their associated measurement costs via the design and tracking of intelligent emissions management programs.
Arolytics’ software platform seamlessly tracks, manages, and forecasts greenhouse gas emissions for compliance and ESG purposes, equipping everyone from the field to the board with readily available emissions information. Arolytics is uniquely positioned to support oil and gas companies to manage data originating from any sensor type and third-party company within a centralized platform.
The founding team originated out of one of Canada’s largest emissions research labs, there they spent years collaborating closely with industry to measure and analyze emissions at thousands of facilities across Canada.
Morẹ́nikẹ́ Ẹniọlá Ọláòṣebìkan, CEO & Founder
Kemet Group of Companies,
Kemet solves drug shortages by predicting and producing essential medications in prefabricated onsite facilities with adaptive digital technology.
Drug shortages continue to be a serious and growing concern within global healthcare systems, especially in Africa: 1.6M preventable African deaths/year from Malaria, HIV/AIDS and TB, only 40-60% of population have access to essential meds, prices inflate up to 30X due to mismatched supply and demand, substitute or counterfeit medications may cause adverse health outcomes, and the COVID-19 pandemic has increased global shortages.
Kemet’s multi-faceted adaptive solution uses: a) KemNet digital AI/IIoT/Analytics technologies to predict local drug shortages, and b) decentralized prefabricated “factory in a box” KemBox facilities to produce essential medications in low-resource settings.
KemNet as an early warning drug shortage predictive system, and KemBoxes as nimble and hyperlocal drug manufacturing capacity, can help communities prepare for, detect, and respond to emerging pandemics and health security threats. Kemet is transforming drug manufacturing by developing modular prefabricated drug manufacturing facilities – KemBoxes – that can be transported directly to parts of the world that do not have access to essential medications.
Establishing local medication manufacturing reduces global supply-chain dependence and allows for local small-batch and personalized production of essential drugs at the point of consumption, resulting in improved health outcomes, health system strengthening, job creation, and reduced greenhouse gases from shipping.
Kemet’s global team working in partnership with the NRC-IRAP, supported by Alberta Innovates, comprises on the ground liaisons in 15 African countries, and a transdisciplinary team with over 40 years combined relevant experience.
Heather Pauls, CEO
SpikeFli
SpikeFli is 95% woman owned and led, and is generating REAL revenue, from REAL Enterprise and Government clients without any previous outside investment to date.
SpikeFli is a SaaS platform that supports Enterprise and Government in managing large data sets for multiple vendors in one platform, and presenting data that supports reducing costs and driving efficiency on Telecom & IT. Large corporations are managing 1000's of telecom & IT assets; requiring reviews of hundreds of monthly invoices from various vendors; in unique billing platforms/formats. This overwhelming amount of data makes it impossible to get clear and actionable insights on telecom & IT assets across locations, service categories, business units and vendors.
SpikeFli has created a robust software and process automation solution that enables its customers to aggregate their disparate telecom/IT assets and invoices across business units; geographical locations, vendors, and asset types to provide a holistic view. The platform is built to consolidate and convert vendor PDF and data files into charts, graphs, and alerts to manage/reduce costs.
Talwinder Punni, Chief Strategy Officer
Naiad Lab
Naiad Lab is a spinoff from the University of Alberta’s Advanced Human-Computer Interfaces (AHCI) (formerly the Advanced Man Machine Interface) under Dr. Pierre Boulanger. Naiad Lab connects healthcare providers with remote patients using health measurements, artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), advanced data analytics, and video conferencing to rapidly satisfy patients’ healthcare concerns. MedROAD is Naiad Lab’s cost-efficient platform that uses data-analytics to remotely screen and monitor patients. It empowers clinicians to continue providing quality healthcare while keeping all parties safe and mitigating the spread of illnesses.
MedROAD moves beyond the traditional telehealth applications that focus only on two-way communication between doctors and patients. It utilizes medical devices to enable a telemetry driven, meaningful consultation. MedROAD also incorporates AI and advanced data analytics to detect anomalies in data, visualize patient condition, and provide instant alerts. Naiad Lab is building an end-to-end solution, enhancing the flow of virtual consults, and optimizing health outcomes.
Cressida Raffin, CEO and Co-Founder
Birdie Break
Birdie Break is a mobile app that supports parents by helping them find, book and pay for 5-star, trusted childcare, conveniently, when they need it. Parents get peace of mind as all Birdie sitters are experienced childcare professionals who have been interviewed, have a clean criminal background check and are CPR trained. In as little as 2 hours, our parents can be on their way to a Birdie Break. Their vision is to encourage and support happy families first in Canada, then globally.
Birdie Break is also helping childcare professionals build their own childcare small businesses, whether it be an avenue to extra income in addition to their full-time jobs or their schooling, or a way to secure a full-time nanny position. They are filling the supply side of the childcare pipeline and providing an opportunity for people who love teaching and spending time with children a way to be in the ecosystem that allows flexibility. Birdie is built on a genuine desire to help and to bring more positivity, opportunity and balance to our communities. Childcare challenges remain a big problem and have an impact on so many aspects of our society; at Birdie, they are doing their part to help solve this longstanding issue.
Revathi Reddy
Algae Appétit
By 2050, global food production will need to increase by 70% to feed an extra 2.5 billion people, and current food systems will not be able to sustainably feed the world’s ever-growing population.
Algae Appétit was founded in April 2021 with a mission to offer consumers a high-quality meat alternative that is all-natural, cruelty-free, organic, sustainable, and above all nutritious. There are several food-tech companies that currently offer consumers alternative meat products. However, most of these products are based on plant proteins such as soy and their production requires large amounts of fresh water and arable land. Algae Appétit’s product is unique and superior due to their key ingredient: microalgae. Their micro-algae can be sustainably grown in vertical tanks and contains 59 essential nutrients contributing to a balanced diet. At Algae Appétit, they offer products with a much lower environmental footprint, minimal post-processing and a higher nutritional value.
Algae Appétit is an early stage biotech startup that is working towards developing sustainable meat alternatives using algae. They participated in their first demo-day as a part of the iGEM EPIC accelerator program and won the first place. They are currently in the ideation stage and looking to connect with people in the alternative protein space.
Jessica Renney, Co-Founder
Mindful Athletics
Mindful Athletics is a woman-founded organization that commenced operations in 2014. For the first few years, Mindful Athletics was primarily involved in providing mental health, psychological support, and guidance to several athletes, coaches, and parents in a multitude of sports. It is during this initial time-period, that the idea of creating a truly effective and impactful mental health tool was born.
This turned into HONE Athletics, a powerful software tool and application that has been very successful since its launch in June 2020. HONE Athletics has already proven concept as a powerful tool that equips sports organizations and their coaches with meaningful mental-health data on their athletes, along with professional tailored feedback based on the data, giving them a roadmap and a vehicle to create a healthier organizational culture that results in improved mental health for everyone. The knowledge and expertise gained from bringing HONE Athletics to market will be leveraged and built off for HONE Work+Life.
Julia Slanina, Founder & CEO
Treehouse
Treehouse’s mission is to tackle some of the world’s most meaningful issues in healthcare, starting with building Canada’s leading care management solution for the maternal health community.
Treehouse’s all-in-one toolkit allows allied maternal healthcare providers to communicate, engage, and educate clients from across the country. Their B2B technology is built to connect maternal professionals with new and existing clients, as well as present them with a platform where they are able to manage their entire practice. From secure two-way messaging, digitized client profiles, and online courses, they give providers all of the tools they need to enhance and grow their businesses.
Treehouse’s digital care network and focus on women as healthcare consumers will create a paradigm shift that will fundamentally change the way that women's healthcare is delivered. More than just software, Treehouse is laying the foundation for a community committed to nurturing the future, together.
Connie Stacey, Founder and President
Growing Greener Innovations, Inc.
Growing Greener Innovations, Inc., is an award-winning clean energy solutions company based in Edmonton and operating since 2014. GGI designs smart batteries and battery energy storage solutions for individual, commercial and industrial customers looking to increase resiliency and reduce overall energy use and GHG emissions.
Replacing outdated technology with innovative technologies that greatly improve how we generate, store and distribute energy across has immediate and lasting benefits that work to combat climate change and improve quality of life. Smart batteries and smart energy management systems result in huge cost savings for energy users, lower overall energy use at every scale and lower GHG emissions. GGI is working to make innovative energy technology accessible to everyone, everywhere.
GGI is led by Founder and President Connie Stacey and a strong, all-female executive team that is committed to EDI principles and actions, ESG policies and the mission to reduce GHG emissions and end energy poverty. For good. Connie is on the steering committee of NAIT’s Centre for Grid Innovation, has received the Global Woman of Vision and World Changing Women awards, and was named to this year’s Top 50 Change-makers list by the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business and is one of SME Magazine’s Top 10 Canadian Women Entrepreneurs to watch.
GGI has recently been awarded a U.S. Defense Innovation Award, CGLCC Business of the Year award, and a CANIEs National Product Innovation Award.
Samantha Woods, Founder and Director
Kaizen Education Services
Since its inception in 2013, Kaizen has become a recognized and well-respected authority on executive functioning skills, the brain-based skills that enable you to set goals, plan, and accomplish tasks. When people struggle with executive function, it significantly impacts them at home, school, and life. Kaizen has validated a significant need to educate students that are currently underserved by the traditional system by successfully creating a niche approach that has helped thousands of families.
Thirteen years ago, Samantha Woods, the founder of Kaizen, had an “ah-ha” moment while working with students who supposedly “couldn’t learn”. Through her research in neuroscience, she discovered that people are not inherently born with these skills, but have the capacity to learn them. Samantha soon realized that her students’ struggles were due to nothing more than the underdevelopment of executive skills, which could be taught.
Samantha's unique and customizable approach decisively showcases how each brain learns best. Her process ensures each student understands their own individualized roadmap of how to learn, not what to learn. Since 2013, Kaizen has continued to grow and evolve while empowering others with practical research, expertise, and an individualized approach to brain-based coaching. Kaizen students not only excel in academics but more importantly, the skills they need for life. Kaizen is currently working with a technology venture builder to scale and grow their method with the goal of removing traditional barriers to learning, one novel brain at a time.
Dr. Valerie Taylor, Founder and CEO
Taylored Biotherapeutics Inc.
Established in 2020 by Valerie Taylor, MD/PhD, Taylored Biotherapeutics Inc. (“TBI”) is a biotherapeutics company taking a new approach to the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Dr. Taylor has over 20 years of research experience and is focused on using the compelling links between the brain and the gastrointestinal system, the “gut-brain axis”, to develop precision therapeutics. This approach leverages completed human clinical trials and focuses on the use of rationally-selected microbial consortia taken from a proprietary biobank and utilizes a sophisticated artificial intelligence approach to create a new type of antidepressant.
Lauren Wright, AGNP-BC, Founder & CEO
The Natural Nipple
The Natural Nipple provides parents the confidence & freedom to keep their baby healthy with seamless, stress-free breast and bottle feeding, as the only infant feeding system that is researched and designed to mimic a mother’s shape, feel, and flow. They are a dedicated team of clinicians, scientists and mamas pioneering advancements to empower breastfeeding, promote bonding and optimize wellness worldwide.
Founder and CEO, Lauren Wright, is passionate about optimizing wellness in the global underserved community by integrating preventative primary health care and research. She became fascinated by breastmilk as the most preventative, dynamic, biological substance to give babies the healthiest start in life. Her research identified how prolonging breastfeeding and skin to skin contact enables breastmilk to continually act in establishing immunity, enabling protective neurological development and genetic optimization through microbiome establishment, thus preventing the long-term detrimental effects of gut bacterial dysbiosis.
After interviewing hundreds of mothers and discovering their primary barrier to breastfeeding was nipple confusion, she invented the solution: The Natural Nipple and won the "Most Promising Healthcare Innovation of 2018" by GuideWell. Since then, The Natural Nipple has grown to become a company with a strong team of clinicians, scientists and real moms. Our breastfeeding knowledge and experience will help you succeed, wherever you are on your breastfeeding journey.
Hear these women share their stories to a Panel of Champions at HerStory2021.
Learn more and register to attend: