Over a year ago, an innovative idea called Shealed emerged in the Lifbee Academy incubator, focusing on the area of women's health, known as FemTech. During the celebratory Finale, it immediately caught the attention of the jury and investors. You might remember the trio of scientists who presented their idea and detailed plan last year to support women in the analysis of the microbiome. We have many memories with Lucka, Brigi, and Helenka; over eight months, they experienced a lot, consulting with gynecologists, spending long hours on the business model and financial analysis, scrutinizing their idea from every angle.
They experienced a lot of frustration, learned quickly, and saw obstacles as opportunities to steer the project in new directions.
Today, Czech microbiologist Lucie Křenková, along with her colleague virologist Brigitá Benkőová, PhD, from Slovakia, continue to develop their Shealed project. They are working on a diagnostic solution in the field of women's microbiome and infectious diseases. Their efforts to assist women with vaginal infections have garnered attention from the professional community and earned recognition for their courage and innovative approach to addressing this issue.
We conducted a short interview with co-founder Lucka Křenková.
Currently, the founders are actively engaged in further developing and refining their business plan and validating their scientific solution. What are you currently working on? "We are currently finalizing the proof-of-concept, which is a bit of a bumpy ride, and since we aim to assist with diagnostics, we must proceed cautiously and responsibly," Lucie Křenková says in the interview.
In addition to technological development, the founders are also focusing on personal growth and professional experience. Nearly a year has passed since their participation in Lifbee Academy. How have you progressed personally during this time? "Over the past year, we have gotten to know each other better, mainly due to the stressful situations that we faced. We started as three, and now we are just two for a while, firmly hoping to be back to full strength soon. Besides personnel changes, some life and career changes also delayed us, but I think it ultimately only reinforced our determination to move the project forward."
Their effort and determination provide much inspiration for young innovators. If you have enough determination and healthy courage, you can work on and try to launch your own ideas, even in ambitious fields like MedTech. Have you adopted any experiences from Lifbee Academy that you have used or are using in practice? "We use Lifbee experiences every day. We revisit presentations and lectures because anything we tackle serves as an excellent springboard to further information and problem-solving that arise in connection with product development and startup life," Lucka adds.
Looking back on your participation in the program, how would you assess the overall contribution that Lifbee has provided you? "Lifbee Academy has brought us so much in terms of our team and project—where to begin? Apart from the fact that we would never have had the chance to meet and the project might never have come into existence, Lifbee gave us courage, mentoring, a safety net, and a lot of advice that we probably wouldn't have received together elsewhere. Matěj and Sima are still with us, interested, and constantly offer help, advice, and a boost of motivation when we lose our way. Who has such a luxury?"
We are delighted that the Shealed team is succeeding; they have our full support, and we believe they are already a great inspiration. We wish them the best on their journey towards their scientific startup and look forward to the next update.