ERIKA TYBURSKI

Co-Founder & CEO of Sanguina, a company that creates simple medical device and wellness tools designed to detect illness and track wellness.

What Is Sanguina? Tell Us About What You Do And What Your Mission Is.

Sanguina is a wellness and diagnostic tool company that aims to position important biomarkers as “new vital signs” as overall health and illness indicators. Our company exists to empower people to learn more about and take action on their health, through accessible science and technology. Simply put, our tools are simple and accessible and are designed to educate, engage and empower people in order to evolve their approach to health and wellness.

What Is Your Background? What Led You To Starting Your Own Company, And How Did You Choose This Space?

I got my degree in biomedical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Throughout middle school and high school I had a keen interest in math, science and biology, and studied how we build solutions for healthcare. I’ve also had iron-deficiency anemia for most of my life. During my senior year of college, I chose to (somewhat selfishly) work on development of a simple tool to screen for anemia outside of the hospital. I remember thinking: why is it that I have to go to a hospital to be screened for anemia, and why is it only when I feel bad enough to be seen? I was inspired by diabetics who have simple testing available at home. My senior year, I was paired with a professor, Wilbur Lam, MD, PhD, and soon after met another fellow student, Robert Mannino, PhD, who both shared the mission for creating such a tool. We began working on our AnemoCheck platform in the academic space where we developed, tested, and published in high impact peer-reviewed journals before forming the company. We’ve always put scientific rigor first.

What Have Been Both Your Favorite And Least-liked Parts Of Your Entrepreneurial Journey? What Have Been Your Most Challenging And Most Exciting Moments For You And The Company?

At first, I didn’t like fundraising. I felt pressure from the industry to have the company run a certain way, more in line with traditional business models, with similar missions. Over time though, our true mission- making health and wellness tools more accessible- was realized and our pitches became more authentic. I realized that cutting edge businesses do not follow the norm, they are different and have novel missions that address current problems traditional models have failed to.

My favorite part of the journey has been how much I have been able to learn and the people I’ve made connections with. Since graduating, I have garnered both technical and entrepreneurial skills through hands-on execution of preclinical and clinical assessments, regulatory studies and strategies, quality management systems development, company operations, fundraising, funding management, and team expansion. I’ve also worked with many different people from all over the world, many of whom share my passions and are also concerned about health and wellness accessibility.

What Was The Fundraising Process Like For You? Tell Us About Your Investors And What You Use The Money You’ve Raised For.

Prior to private investment, we relied on local, state and federal research grants. Since 2014, we’ve raised over $2M in non-dilutive grant funding for research and development. Our core team has a strong background in science, engineering and medicine. That said, we were looking for an investment partner with experience in marketing with specific strength in marketing direct to consumer. Last summer, we reached the point where we needed to begin investing in market strategy for our product launches, quite simply, we needed funding for things that grants couldn’t pay for.

We actually spoke to many different investors with different portfolios and focuses before making the decision to partner with The Seed Lab (NY). I was impressed by the wealth of information they had in retail marketing and the consumer experience. On top of that, they had specific experience in wellness products and were aligned with the Sanguina mission. Since partnering in 2020, they have helped us create a brand identity, position our products, negotiate our B2B contracts, and expand our team. We work very closely each week and the partners are an extension of my team.

Any New Products Or Features In The Works That Will Launching Soon?

The AnemoCheck Mobile app is our first direct to consumer product launching right now! The app is a healthy lifestyle tool for non-invasive hemoglobin measurement and tracking. It works by taking a picture of your unobstructed finger nail beds (please remove any nail polish when using this app). The app quantifies paleness of your nail beds, is typically controlled by the amount of a protein called hemoglobin in your blood (it’s also what makes your blood red). It is currently available on Google Play and coming soon to a web application for anyone to access.

Who Are Your Co-Founders Or People Who You Work Very Closely With? How Do Their Skills Supplement Yours?

The core Sanguina team includes: our Chief Technology Officer, Robert Mannino, PhD, our Chief Medical Officer, Wilbur Lam, MD, PhD, our Chief Scientific Officer, Andrew Lyon, PhD, and our Chief Financial Officer, Rene Gonzalez and myself. Rob and I are both biomedical engineers and work closely for all day to day activities. Wilbur is a pediatric hematologist-oncologist and also a bioengineer. He serves as an associate professor at Georgia Tech and Emory University, and was actually one of Rob and I’s professors prior to starting Sanguina. His unique background in both engineering and medicine allows him to continually inform our team of medical breakthroughs, practices in medicine, and perception of the physician, while also managing new technologies in research and development. Rene has a background in business, finance and retail. His background totally complements Rob and I, as we bring technical expertise on our products, and he brings insight on partnerships, product positioning, perception of a consumer and, of course, strategizing and managing our company’s financial efforts. Rene is instrumental in managing Sanguina’s PR and marketing team. Andrew is a renowned chemist, and served as the Chair of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Georgia Tech, but is also the founding Dean of the engineering school at Chapman University. He advises on all matters related to chemistry (for our physical products) and works with Rob, Wilbur and I for development of new technologies. Also, given his vast experience in management, he and Rene work closely in managing partnerships with other companies.

What Are Your Daily Routines? Walk Us Through Your Typical Workday Schedule.

I’m usually up by 7:00 thanks to a 10-month old son, Collin, who keeps me on my toes. The first thing I do is read a current news article or two in the healthcare space. Lately, there has been a lot about COVID-19... I spend a bit of time with my son before taking him to daycare. I like to front load my days with meetings whenever possible to allow for execution of tasks in the afternoon through the evening. That said, I am usually in partnership meetings, Sanguina team meetings, and investor meetings from 8:30AM through lunch time. After lunch (more often than not there isn’t a true lunch- but I’m trying to get better about it in 2021), I block off times for tasks, for example: managing the latest clinical study, testing in the lab, work sessions with the Sanguina teams, reviewing the latest marketing campaign or content, etc. After the work sessions, I answer all of the emails that need my attention before the end of the day. I’m lucky I have a very supportive husband to pick up our son, as often this can run well past 5:30PM. I try to have a stop around 6:30 to have dinner with my family and help with getting Collin to bed around 8:30. We’re lucky he sleeps through the night now (fingers crossed it will stay that way) because I tend to work on prep for the following day after hours until around midnight. Although my days are jam-packed, I truly love what I do and sometimes it’s difficult to break away. To unwind, I will visit Reddit to listen to live music.

How Did You Choose The Name “Sanguina”?

Why Sanguina? It kind of sounds like Sangria, right? The word “Sanguina,” like sangria, is derived from the Spanish, Latin and Romanian words for blood. Additionally, the English word “sanguine” means optimistic or positive. We’ve chosen Sanguina as our company name because of our focus on developing a range of technologies for indications that are typically associated with blood. We are also a forward-looking and optimistic team who believe our work has the potential to dramatically improve quality of life.

How Do You Think Your Industry Will Change Post-COVID?

The health and wellness industry is already changing due to COVID-19. The world has never before needed more remote management tools for people in maintaining their health and wellness. The pandemic has caused many people without COVID-19 to be managed poorly. There is also a widespread and consistent fear of visiting a clinic or hospital. As such, the demand for home testing, home management and at-home services appeared overnight from all of the key players in the industry- insurance providers, hospitals, physicians, regulation bodies, and of course patients and people. I hope that one of the silver linings of this pandemic will be a more permanent shift in thinking from a reactive (the “Get sick and then get care”) model to a proactive and engaged model with one’s health and wellness management.

What Are The Most Important Skills A Modern Day Entrepreneur Needs In Order To Be Successful? What Advice Do You Have For Entrepreneurs Who Are Just Starting Out?

1. Integrity: Integrity is so important, especially in my industry. It is important to be transparent with your team and your customers.

2. Communication: Communication is just as important as development. You need to be able to communicate your idea, development and/or product to many different audiences (the customer, the decision-maker, the investor, and your peers) in order to have it succeed. If you’ve invented the greatest invention ever, it is useless unless you can communicate that it exists and why it is so great.

3. Grit: Finally, you need grit. This means to persevere over time with passion for a particular long-term goal. Along the entrepreneurial journey, it’s important to realize that the journey you start is usually a long one, with twists and turns that you can’t see from the start. You have to be a problem-solver and be able to adapt, with positivity to keep the company motivated and moving toward the goal. You will get a hundred “no’s” to a single “yes”- without grit and endurance, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and discouraged.

My advice: Timing in life is everything. Watch for timely opportunities because exceptional companies have great ideas, great teams and sufficient funding at the right time.

Tell Us A Story Of Something That Happened To You, Something You Heard, Or Something You Saw, That Either Made You Laugh Or Taught You An Important Lesson.

A few years ago, I saw a couple of women say “sorry” to one another as they passed each other in a store, it was almost a synonym for “excuse me”. I remember thinking, that’s odd, and began noticing how common it was. Since then, I’ve told myself to reserve “sorry’ for true apologies.

What Do You Do In Your Free Time?

Jazzercise, hike, and play strategy games like mahjong, Catan and card games.

If You Can Have A One-Hour Meeting With Someone Famous Who Is Alive, Who Would It Be And Why?

Taylor Swift. She is one of the best businesswomen of our time who capitalizes on timing very well.

What Is Your Favorite Quote And Why Does It Resonate With You?

“Timing in life is everything” and “Knowledge is power”. They resonate because they are both so true.

What Does Success Mean To You?

Success is completing a task you are passionate about.

Erika Tyburski’s Favorites Stack:

Books:

1. The Sound and the Fury, or As I Lay Dying

2. That Will Never Work: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea

3. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

Health & Fitness:

1. Jazzercise. I do this several times per week. It is actually an intense cardio and strength session choreographed to top 40 hits. I love Jazzercise.

2. I use our own Sanguina AnemoCheck products to measure my hemoglobin levels and manage my anemia. :)

Brands:

1. I’ve been wearing Nike Pegasus running shoes for years.

2. Old Navy activewear leggings are great- they have sheen and don’t attract lint or animal fur.

Consumer Products:

1. When I’m on the go, I like the Starbucks PB&J protein box.

2. I’m also a fan of Vitamin Water Zero, my favorite is the lemonade one.

3. Interesting fact about me: I am not a habitual coffee drinker. I’m much more likely to be drinking tea or hot chocolate.

Newsletters & Podcasts:

I like to keep up on the latest peer-reviewed scientific and medical releases (New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, Science etc)

Erika Tyburski | Sanguina