Think about the stress of being simply discharged from the hospital – really feel weak, weak and shaken by a severe prognosis.
It is a tough activity for a lot of, however luckily, two colleagues, meals professional Vanessa Senna and UConn Well being, have an answer.
They began a enterprise referred to as MLC Diet. It gives a scrumptious, wholesome chef-prepared meal to lately admitted sufferers with the purpose of optimizing their well being and stopping readmissions.
They serve shoppers with severe medical situations together with being pregnant or uncontrolled diabetes, renal failure, coronary heart illness and continual psychological well being points. Sufferers are referred to MLC diet by their doctor and case supervisor.
“I advised my colleague final week that if I obtained a Powerball jackpot, I am nonetheless doing this,” CEO Senna mentioned.
Her companion within the enterprise is Dr. Helen Wu, affiliate professor on the Cato T. Laurensin Institute for Regenerative Engineering, Division of Psychiatry and Public Well being Sciences at UCONN Faculty of Drugs, and medical pupil Lucia Duenas-Bianchi, UCONN.
Thus far, MLC Diet has delivered 150,000 meals to Connecticut residents in his house. The corporate companions with native cooks and services to arrange meals underneath the steering of a nutritionist and consists of choices corresponding to mushroom and spinach lasagna, jerke shrimp and pineapple brown rice, stewed puerto rican beans and potatoes, roasted poblano and corn chowder. Meals companies are often lined by medical insurance.
Startups competing for share of the Wolff Award
MLC Diet is one in every of 5 UConn-related startups to compete on the Wolff New Enterprise Competitors in Hartford subsequent month. Now in its tenth yr, the occasion is hosted by UCONN’s Connecticut Heart for Entrepreneurs and Innovation (CCEI) and can award the first-place finisher an award of over $115,000, together with $30,000. Thought of the Faculty of Enterprise’s Pinnacle Entrepreneurship Problem, the occasion on October twenty third might be open to the general public.
“When Wolff New Enterprise Competitors first launched, the $15,000 prize was $15,000 due to the generosity of the Wolff household. Now, 10 years later, now we have expanded to an award totaling over $115,000, together with the startup showcase and keynote audio system,” the UConn Entrepreneurial Neighborhood. ”
Begin small and determine it out as they go
Senna, who beforehand owned the culinary enterprise and had expertise in occasion planning, grew to become interested by home-based diet companies when she labored as a guide’s instructing hospital supervisor and a guide instructing how meals can enhance well being.
When she started exploring an organization providing house diet meals service, she discovered nothing.
“Everyone knows that hospitals, suppliers, payers need this type of care,” she says. It is tough to scale and requires a whole lot of sources. We begin small and get it found out as we go.”
“We not solely make individuals select the healthiest meals, however we additionally acknowledge that there are locations the place there aren’t any easy accessibility to high quality, contemporary meals,” she says. Nevertheless, as soon as I used to be discharged from the hospital, nothing was in place. We needed to fill that hole. ”
MLC Diet has opened its first clinic at 602 New Britain Avenue in Hartford. It gives entry to medical doctors, nutritionists and medical exams. It’s the state’s first standalone meals clinic, permitting medical doctors and case managers to obtain ongoing dietary administration, assist and different companies to sufferers. The corporate plans to broaden to New York, the Mid-Atlantic and Washington, DC.
Affected person satisfaction is on the coronary heart of the corporate
CCEI selected SENA to take part in Fellowship Accelerator this summer season. The 8-week program affords intensive startup assist by way of mentorship, workshops, professional bono companies and $15,000 in non-diluted funds. Designed to assist promising entrepreneurs develop their enterprise, they put together them to keep away from the various pitfalls that problem early-stage startups.
She beforehand owned a small enterprise in California, however Senna says CCEI gave her deep publicity to the success of her enterprise.
“It was actually nice to work on the construction of the group, management and coaching fashions,” she says.
If MLC Diet wins the Wolff Grand Prize, Sena will rent a care supervisor/care coordinator for the corporate’s Connecticut enterprise.
To preempt inflation, the corporate orders month-to-month in bulk and purchases luggage of produce by way of Levo Worldwide, a nonprofit group began by UConn alumni Christian Heiden, to fight meals insecurity and promote hydroponics.
However one factor that is still the identical is Sena’s dedication to his shoppers.
“We begin with sufferers and ensure they’re pleased and glad,” Senna says. Sufferers can select from quite a lot of diets that change weekly, present meals that enchantment to totally different cultures, and select from menus produced in each English and Spanish.
The Wolff New Enterprise Competitors might be held on October twenty third at Parkville Market in Hartford from 5 to 9pm, with the occasion being free and welcome. Pre-registration is required at https://luma.com/oi5l7nfo.
Wolff New Enterprise Competitors is the generosity of the Wolff Household Fund for Strategic Entrepreneurship and the sources of Wiggin (X), Fiondella, Milone & Lasaracino LLP, Sardilli Produce and Dairy Co., Prime Supplies Restoration Inc., Baystate Monetary, Webster Financial institution, Marziali and Linda demiali, Bob, Bob, Bob, Bob and Linda delisle, Marziali co.
