Casa do Impacto talked to Francisco Nogueira and Frederico Stock, co-Founders of Glooma, one of the projects that end the training period for the Rise for Impact acceleration program this month.
We enter the final stretch of the Rise for Impact training period and invite the 10 participants to take a look back at their journey so far. Then, on December 16th, we will meet the three finalists of the program who will enter the incubation phase, which will lead them to the final prize, in an event not to be missed!
Grab your free ticket here.
In today’s interview, you meet Glooma, a digital healthcare startup developing a portable, home-based breast cancer screening device, SenseGlove.
How did the idea of creating Glooma come about?
When Francisco’s cousin detected a lump in her breast while doing the self-palpation, she didn’t go straight to the doctor out of fear and lack of confidence. Instead, it devalued that same nodule and allowed 3 months to pass. Only later, at the family’s insistence and noticing that the nodule did not disappear, she did go to the doctor. The result was a malignant tumour and removal of the right breast.
Francisco wondered why his cousin hadn’t gone to the doctor right away. Then, in conversation with his father, a doctor, and his mother, a nurse, he realized that, like Filipa, many women don’t have the confidence to self-palpation. So it was to give this confidence to women that Francisco, Biomedical Engineer, began working on a device that would help all women in the early detection of breast cancer.
How did you find out about Rise for Impact? What prompted you to participate?
We learned about Rise for Impact through the Casa do Impacto newsletter. We wanted to participate because we were still at an early stage and had an idea of our possible impact. We want to position ourselves as an impact startup, and we considered that it was the ideal opportunity for us to learn to have that vision from the initial stage of the project and to grow with a view to the impact positioning we want to have, both economically and in terms of psychosocial.
What is it, how does it work, and who is Glooma aimed at?
Glooma is a startup that wants to be part of women’s lives, raising awareness about breast cancer and detecting it early. Glooma was created thinking of the 600,000 lives lost every year because of breast cancer. Therefore, Glooma’s goal is to have a scalable product that reaches the entire female population over 25 years old and men at high risk of having breast cancer. In addition, Glooma’s goals are to raise awareness about the importance of preventing breast cancer, always aiming to avoid more aggressive treatments, mutilating surgery, and, ultimately, death.
What stage are you in now? What feedback have you received from using your solution, SenseGlove?
We are currently starting clinical trials with our prototypes. We are looking for funding and investment solutions to expand the team, move forward with final product development and begin medical device certifications and regulations.
Regarding the feedback received, it has been very positive both from the medical and scientific community and from the women. The various doctors we have spoken to have been available to assist us and have helped us improve the prototype to ensure the device is successful. On the women side, besides the positive feedback, we already have 87 organic pre-reservations on our website without the final design and certifications. However, we have received the feedback that we have to work on the design, which enters into our need to develop the final product. In addition, we have been recognized with awards that demonstrate people’s belief in our team, in the project, and above all in the impact that SenseGlove can have on women’s lives.
How has your Rise for Impact experience been during the 3 months of training? Something they can highlight?
The training phase has been an incredible experience, giving us many tools and knowledge to develop our business. Mentors have played a crucial role in defining an investment strategy. The exchange of views with other projects has also been essential as constant feedback is needed to improve the applicability of concepts and tools.
“Glooma was created thinking of the 600,000 lives that are lost every year because of breast cancer. Therefore, Glooma’s goal is to have a scalable product that reaches the entire female population over 25 and also men who are at high risk of having breast cancer.”
What would it mean for you to win Rise for Impact? And what are your most significant milestones to date?
For us, winning the Rise for Impact would be, first and foremost, recognition of our entire evolution and proof of the impact we want. It can have, both at a psychosocial level in women’s lives and at an economic level. Secondly, it would be the recognition of our entire team’s resilience, work, and effort who believe in Glooma’s values and mission and who started this project from zero and without any kind of help and everything we have achieved has been through bootstrapping. We reached a massive network of contacts that have supported and rewarded us ever since.
Since the beginning of Rise for Impact, we have managed to win some awards from renowned brands: Altice International Innovation Award, promoted by Altice, H-Innova Award, promoted by the Regional Government of Madeira together with Premivalor Consulting and Programa Forward, promoted by Catholic Business School. We also have 3 partner hospitals, clinically testing our device, and several partner doctors who believe in our team and our product. We have already started our pre-order campaign, and without any advertising, we already have 87 pre-reservations for our glove. Glooma’s entire strategy has been through bootstrapping. In addition to the 58 thousand euros in monetary prizes, we could save more than 100 thousand euros in carrying out our clinical studies with the partnerships reached with the Hospitals.
How does the project contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda?
Glooma addresses SDG 3 – Quality Health – 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities – and 12 – Sustainable Production and Consumption – in the sense that early detection of breast cancer increases the probability of survival. When cancer is detected in stage 0 or 1, the likelihood of survival rises to close to 98%. We want to develop sustainable, resilient and reliable infrastructure. We want to bet on a circular economy and the reuse of raw materials and encourage the return of the device.
In 2025, how do you see Glooma?
By 2025 we hope that Glooma will already be a national reference in the prevention and awareness of breast cancer and that it will be recognized for the number of lives saved through early detection. We also hope that we are already well on the way to becoming a reference at the European level and already working to have active and positive participation in women’s lives throughout breast cancer, from prevention to post-cancer.
Find out all about Glooma here. Stay tuned! This month we will get to know the 10 projects that participate in the acceleration, making their pitch at the Demoday that will take place on December 16th at Casa do Impacto. Admission is free, but prior registration is required here.
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