When Jayme Coates \u201907 MS, \u201910 MBA was about to be discharged from the hospital with her first-born child, she discovered that her breastfed son was malnourished and dehydrated.<\/p>\n
The experience both terrified and motivated her.<\/p>\n
On Monday, the startup that she co-founded, Lactation Innovations<\/strong>, won the School of Business\u2019 Wolff New Venture Competition and a $25,000 prize. Lactation Innovations\u2019 Manoula Sensor is a device to help breastfeeding mothers know exactly how much milk their baby is receiving,<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a big win for new moms and babies,\u2019\u2019 Coates says. \u201cAll the competitors did an amazing job, and I\u2019m honored to have been selected.\u00a0 I\u2019m very happy that we were able to show the judges one simple way that we can help mothers who need our support.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n Lactaction Innovations offers an easy-to-use, non-invasive technology that involves putting a small, button-like device in the pocket of a baby t-shirt over the child\u2019s belly. The device uses infrared technology, similar to what is used for a pulse oximeter, to detect the amount of protein from the milk that is in the child\u2019s stomach and calculates how much the baby consumed. The results can be read on a mobile device.<\/p>\n More than 3 million mothers breastfeed in the United States, but some 50 to 60 percent of them quit by the second week, primarily over fears that their child isn\u2019t receiving enough nutrition. Other companies offer solutions, but they involve \u00a0wiring and other contraptions to monitor breastfeeding success.<\/p>\n \u201cI would say the major differentiator for Lactation Innovations is that we\u2019re moms and we\u2019ve designed this for other moms,\u2019\u2019 says Coates. Her startup co-founder is Brittany Molkenthin \u201917 (NUR). The product is expected to be on the market in 2024.<\/p>\n Hundreds of Businesses Have Launched Because of CCEI<\/strong><\/p>\n All five of the startups competing in this year\u2019s Wolff competition participated in the School of Business\u2019 Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation\u2019s (CCEI) Summer Fellowship, which helps prepare UConn-affiliated startups for market.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year is a bit special for CCEI as we are celebrating our 15-year anniversary,\u2019\u2019 says Jennifer Mathieu, executive director. \u201cAs I was reflecting on the pitches at the Wolff New Venture Competition, I couldn\u2019t help but think back to the hundreds of businesses we have helped to launch, and, more importantly, the thousands of entrepreneurs we have had the privilege of working with. I am grateful to be a part of this ecosystem and to have a hand in the success of our startups.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n \u201cThe five teams that pitched at the Wolff New Venture Competition this year are a great showcase of the startups we have supported over the years. We have heard pitches from undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and alumni entrepreneurs. They ranged in industry from consumer products to software to medical technologies,\u2019\u2019 Mathieu says.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have come a long way in the time that they have been working with CCEI, both with their businesses and individually,\u2019\u2019 she says. \u201cI am proud that at CCEI we don\u2019t just build companies, we inspire the next wave of entrepreneurs who are going to change the world.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n The other UConn-affiliated finalists in the competition included:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
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