Making Aging Her Business

09/03/20 • 38 min

Jill Angelo is the CEO and Founder of Gennev, a company on a mission to give women more control over their health, especially for those in their second half of life. Gennev prides itself as the first-ever online clinic for women in menopause that also provides telemedicine access to OBGYNs, Primary Care Practitioners, and Registered Dietitians. Before starting Gennev, Jill spent 20 years in the tech industry, of which 15 of those years she spent working at Microsoft in executive roles such as Chief of Staff to the CMO, Director of Global Media, and Product Management for Emerging Markets. Jill is also a regular speaker on topics related to femtech, women’s health, and entrepreneurship and sits on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics of Washington.

Today, Jill joins me to share her passion for helping women and the services Gennev offers. She describes why menopause is a taboo topic and how she wants to change society’s perception of it. She explains why the second half of a woman’s life isn’t all bad and discusses some of the challenges she overcame when she became an entrepreneur. Jill also shares advice for female founders in any industry and why there’s a great need for a service that specifically caters to menopausal women.

"Our mission is to empower women to take control of their health in the second half of life, starting with menopause." - Jill Angelo

Today on When She Founded:

How Gennev helps women in their menopause stage.
The need for a service that specifically caters to menopausal women.
Why being in menopause isn't completely negative.
Jill's background and what led her to start Gennev.
The effort they put into building Gennev and what it was like during the first few months.
The biggest challenge Jill encountered when she was just starting out.
When they started growing as a company, who they hired, and where they are now.
Why telehealth is a difficult endeavor to take on.
How their clients are finding their company.
Why menopause is considered a taboo subject.
How their pricing model is structured.

Connect with Jill Angelo:

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Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.

Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

"Our mission is to empower women to take control of their health in the second half of life, starting with menopause." - Jill Angelo

Today on When She Founded:

How Gennev helps women in their menopause stage.
The need for a service that specifically caters to menopausal women.
Why being in menopause isn't completely negative.
Jill's background and what led her to start Gennev.
The effort they put into building Gennev and what it was like during the first few months.
The biggest challenge Jill encountered when she was just starting out.
When they started growing as a company, who they hired, and where they are now.
Why telehealth is a difficult endeavor to take on.
How their clients are finding their company.
Why menopause is considered a taboo subject.
How their pricing model is structured.

Connect with Jill Angelo:

Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.

Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Previous Episode

Creating Comfort for Pediatric Patients

Meg Casano, BSN, MA, is the president of Medi Teddy, Inc., a non-profit organization that creates specialized teddy bears to accompany children in the hospitals as they undergo infusions. Meg is also the co-founder of Baby Sleep Science, a sleep consultancy that works with children up to age five, as well as the co-author of the book Overcoming the Four Month Regression. Ella Casano is Meg’s daughter and the inventor behind Medi Teddy, Inc. Ella lives with a platelet disorder called Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP) and spends much of her time in treatment at an outpatient clinic. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, singing, and fishing.

Today, Meg and Ella join me to discuss the concept of Medi Teddy and the inspiration behind the product. They share how they have evolved their brand while fulfilling their original mission and the most significant challenges they have faced along the way. Meg and Ella also highlight the new product soon to be released from Medi Teddy and share their advice for young women like Ella with entrepreneurial ideas that they want to explore.

“It’s really taught me to expand on my ideas because if I do, I can really use them to help a lot of other kids.” - Ella Casano

Today on When She Founded:

What Medi Teddy is and what led Ella to come up with this concept
Ella’s early prototype for Medi Teddy and how the product has evolved over time
The support and inspiration Ella along her entrepreneurial journey
Meg’s perspective as a parent as Ella’s passion for building the brand began to grow
Why Ella and Meg decided to launch Medi Teddy as a non-profit organization initially and how the brand structure has evolved over time
Medi Teddy’s sales strategy and price point and the role of fundraising
The age demographics of Medi Teddy’s customers
How Medi Teddy helps children emotionally when they are in the hospital
What Ella has learned through her journey and what she envisions for her future career
What’s next for Medi Teddy in terms of expansion, future goals, and new products

Connect with Meg and Ella Casano:

Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.

Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.

Next Episode

Global Food Health Institute: Promoting A Healthier Future of Food

Julia Olayanju is an entrepreneur, scientist, and the Founder of Food Niche Inc., a company that facilitates collaboration between scientists, innovators, investors, and executive decision-makers through nationally recognized conferences. She is a thought leader that advocates for nutritional education and a healthy food supply. Julia is also the Founder and Executive Director at the Global Food and Health Institute, leading a team that leverages technology and scientific expertise to promote healthy food systems. Her work has appeared on Forbes, Thrive Global, Business Insider, and USA Today. She has a Doctorate degree from Rutgers University and lives in New Jersey with her husband and two boys.

Julia joins me today to discuss the key ingredients of good health through nourishing meals. She shares her journey from lab researcher to female entrepreneurs bringing food innovations and education to the younger generation. We discuss the eating patterns of adults and children in America and share how food compounds can affect our long-term health as well as help prevent chronic illnesses. Julia shares how the Global Food and Health Institute and YScooks inspire children to learn about nutrition through technology. We also discuss why we need to make nourishing meals available to all, regardless of where they live and their financial constraints.

“What we hope to do is create a generation of ambassadors - not only to take care of themselves by eating and nourishing their bodies, but also to help others see this is really important.” - Julia Olayanju

Today on When She Founded:

Julia's first motivations for looking at food and health
How food compounds interact with cells on a molecular level and their effects on our health
Julia's research into delaying and preventing illnesses such as cancer
How Julia made the jump from working in the lab and research industry to building a business
The high figures of adults with poor eating patterns and children with obesity in America
How the Global Food and Health Institute is bringing nutritional education to schools
How YScooks' program of food history, science, nutritional basics, gut health nutrition, and food safety is presented to children through e-learning, videos, and gamification
Food innovations of the 21st century
Why we need to make nourishing meals more affordable and accessible to everyone

Connect with Julia Olayanju:

Subscribe, Rate & Share Your Favorite Episodes!

Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of When She Founded with your host, Somer Hamrick. If you enjoyed this episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts to subscribe and leave a rating and review.

Don’t forget to visit our website, connect with Somer on LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes across social media.