In Founder Focus we introduce entrepreneurs and change-makers working on innovative startups, social enterprises and SME’s around Aotearoa New Zealand.
At a glance
Founders: Aziz Shariff and Dr Nerissa D’Silva
Business: myWellaBee
Founded: 2021
HQ: Auckland
Can you tell us a bit about your business?
At myWellabee, we’re an AI for Good startup on a mission to make the complex world of food simple.
Over a billion humans are affected by dietary restrictions – be it food allergies, intolerances, medical diets and/or dietary preferences.
But finding the right food if you have a dietary restriction is a minefield:
That is where myWellaBee comes in.
We’re harnessing AI for Good to help millions of families instantly (and easily) find the food that’s right for them and their family budget.
Search or Scan: Instantly find food that meets ANY combination of food allergy, dietary preference and so much more. myWellaBee has got you covered!
We collaborate with reputable food brands, retailers, governments, non-profits/NGOs and health insurance providers in our efforts to realise our vision to make food freedom a reality for all.
What’s the backstory for your business idea?
My family and I (Aziz) have a very complicated relationship with food. We suffer from heaps of food allergies and intolerances. Families like mine are becoming way more common.
Discovering new foods that are safe, tasty and affordable has been a real challenge for our little family. We spend countless hours on google and scrolling through social media groups to find some tips. What’s more is the hours we spend in grocery aisles, carefully reading and scratching our heads over ingredient labels. Until now.
I joined forces with Dr. Nerissa D’Silva, who is an allergist who knows all too well the struggles of her patients with food allergies in maintaining a healthy and varied diet. I know the food industry. Dr. D’Silva is the Allergy Expert.
The result is myWellaBee – the new way to navigate the complex world of food for families with allergies and intolerances – and save money too.
What programmes, learning or mentoring, or resources have been of assistance so far?
Proactively seeking straight up feedback from early adopter customers and users of our startup has been by far the best source of learning.
Then equally important ensuring we act on the relevant bits of feedback and get back in front of our customers and users to understand if we hit the mark. Feedback is a gift as they say!
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