Our mission is to create a healthier and happier society by empowering women to take control of their reproductive health/system. We believe that the world is made better by women and that women are made better when they have full agency over their lives. By creating a smart undergarment that monitors seven different parameters like temperature, we provide a singular, non-invasive, and personalized tool to assist women with their reproductive health. We’re starting with family planning, but we want to be women’s trusted friends in every stage of their reproductive system and health in the future.
Tell us about yourself?
I studied biomedical engineering for my undergrad at the Toronto Metropolitan University TMU (formerly Ryerson University), and I started working at one of the offices on campus called The Office of Zone Learning as a data assistant when I was in my third year of undergrad. This office was responsible for overseeing the operation of the 10 incubators at TMU, such as DMZ, and this was my very first exposure to the entrepreneurial world. Before this, I always thought that you have to be old and with a lot of money to be able to start your own business, but it was through my exposure to startups by working in this office that I realized I could not be more wrong. That motivated me to start solving problems! On the other hand, I have always been a problem solver and a critical thinker. Once I completed my undergrad, I was done with studying (at least, I thought I was 🙂 ), but then I came across the master of engineering program in biomedical engineering at the University of Toronto, which was a combination of engineering and entrepreneurship. I applied for it and got in. It was through that program that I met one of our advisors, Dr. Harold Wodlinger. He was my professor at the time, and he agreed to be our advisor on Fibra, and it was then that I started Fibra. Looking back at it, it was truly an accumulation of little events and small decisions that I made which aligned with my entrepreneurial passion, which got me to where I am today.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
I would tell myself, you are more capable than you think you are and that you have got this! Also, trust your instinct and follow your passion. 🙂
What problem does your business solve?
80 per cent of those trying for pregnancy fail every month. This is personal for everyone. It could be you, your daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, or aunt. But it’s often private, so awareness is low, and a lot of women/couples suffer in silence. But here’s what we do know: Current solutions are insufficient. For half a billion women having an irregular menstrual cycle, it’s harder to find the few fertile days during the month, and this negatively impacts their pregnancy chances. It is also a very rough mental and physical journey. Anxiety, lower self-esteem, loneliness, and feelings of failure are a few of the feelings that women experience on a daily basis when they are going through the fertility journey.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
My best friend has an irregular mensural cycle, and she has been trying for pregnancy. I witnessed how hard it was for her to go through this journey both mentally and physically and how difficult it was for her to find the right few fertile days every single month. She either had to pee on or spit on a strip every morning or insert something into herself to tell her when she was fertile.
What is your magic sauce?
Our solution is smart underwear for effortless and continuous data capture (such as skin temperature and heart rate to determine ovulation) and an app which provides a support system and wellness plans based on their mood. Together, we help women find those few fertile days during the month and get pregnant much easier and in a hassle-free and non-invasive manner. We ease the mental and physical journey for them. We believe that the fertility journey does not have to be complicated, lonely, or scary as it is for 44M women each month.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
We strive to be every women’s trusted friend through each stage of their menstrual cycle, from fertility to contraception to early pregnancy detection, maternal and fetal health monitoring, and even menopause. We are here, no matter what stage of life, to ensure women are informed about their personal reproductive health. We also want to help women be aware of any reproductive system/sexually transmitted diseases and educate them to make healthy decisions regarding reproductive health. We exist to empower women and girls to have an even better future by making sure they have access to the right information at the right time.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
The biggest challenge we faced so far was to move forward with a very limited budget. However, that made me very resourceful, and I tried to find programs that we could take advantage of to move forward with the business while sustaining the cash.
How can people get involved?
You can reach out to me at parnian.majd@gmail.com if you are someone who is trying to conceive and wants to learn more about our product, or if you have a business/practice related to fertility and are interested in partnership, or if you are an investor and are looking for the next Canadian unicorn to invest in. 🙂
Also, please visit our website at www.fibrainc.ca