LEIAs mission to support women in their 4th trimester.
LEIA, the third startup to enter the WITGBG Venture Studio, has a vision to redefine postpartum support for the next 280 million parents. They aim to do this by building an AI-powered solution that will change the industry and the lives of new parents worldwide. We met with them to learn more about their work.
LEIAS VALUES:
Our core focus is always on the users in everything LEIA does. What are the user needs? How can LEIA through data and science create a person-centric, inclusive and authentic solution? We believe we can build an accessible product for our users, while making a real difference in people’s lives.
How did it all start? What is the story behind LEIA? Our readers are curious, please share.
Sandra: I’ve always wanted to work with products that make a real impact for its users. I love working in customer-centric roles close to the customers. Taking on product development role felt like a natural way to go later in my career.
In 2017, I had my first child when my tailbone was damaged during the delivery. When I later told the staff about the pain I was feeling, they brushed it off. I struggled for a few months thinking this pain was “norma.l” When I finally sought care, I felt like a ping pong ball in the healthcare system. No one could pinpoint the problem, so I was left with treatments that didn’t help. Even doctors shrugged their shoulders saying they couldn't do anymore for me.
A few years later, during the birth of my second child, I got some new birth injuries. And once again, I stood there feeling like a ping pong ball, experiencing new birth-related injuries that affected me everyday. I had no answers about the cause nor a treatment I needed for a recovery.
I have always been a doer. Fueled with my passion for product and female health, I came up with an idea of a product for improving postpartum care and support the women with my experience. I felt like no one with a birth-related injury should ever have to feel like I did. Some birth injuries may not be preventable, but how they get treated once they happen can make a huge difference in the recovery and healing process.
A few weeks into my product and market planning journey, Astrid reached out to me. She was working on very similar idea to me. We met up for a coffee, and right away hit it off. We both had the same vision for the product and the goals of what we would like to achieve. We realized that as a team with our diverse skill set, we would be stronger together so we decided to build LEIA together.
Astrid: I have given birth to three children, and personally experienced the great need for support and guidance you have after the birth . During the pregnancies, I felt safe with various pregnancy apps and close contact with my midwives. But the moment I gave birth and all the focus fell on the child, I felt that I, as a mother and woman, was left to fend for myself in the most overwhelming and challenging time of my life.
Now I have been lucky enough to have a supportive family. But I think of all the mothers who do not have that privilege. Even though my family was there, I missed someone who could help me understand my feelings and all the strange things happening to my body. How to get the right information from an expert specific to my personal circumstances?
I felt very alone with my feelings even if I was not alone. Out of 115,000 women who give birth every year in Sweden, 90% feel that the postpartum experience is mentally and physically challenging. Postpartum depression affects 10-15% of new Swedish mothers, about 10,000 women each year.
The problem is that there is a stigma. Opening up about incontinence, prolapse or even worse that you do not feel any connection to your child is still taboo. Moms simply have to suffer in silence. I wanted to start LEIA to be the change I wanted to see and help women feel safer, healthier and informed during their "fourth trimester." It is time that we started talking about it and getting the support we deserve.
Building a company is tough and doing it alone is even tougher. When serendipity struck and Sandra's and my paths crossed, having the exact same vision, we decided that we were better off together. I feel incredibly lucky to be working with someone who has the same drive and passion. Together we truly are stronger and can create real change.
Where do you see LEIA in the future?
Within one year we have launched LEIA on the Swedish market. We have raised awareness about the lack of support during the postpartum phase for both women and their partners. Together with our research partners, we want to collect data to drive real system change.
In five years, we see Leia scaled up and launched in the US and EU. We see ourselves at the forefront of postpartum change and impact on a global level.
How can the WITGBG community support you?
Technical advisory.
Technical network.
Broadening our network within tech and femtech.
Acting as the sound board on different stages in our startup journey such as building product, team and scaling up.