Bloom: Redefining innovation through everyday essentials

Bloom: Redefining innovation through everyday essentials

In Episode 14 of Bloom, co-hosts Emily Rendell-Watson and Faaiza Ramji interview Nicole Sanchez, co-founder of Ruth, which makes sustainable menstrual pads, and Gillian Thomson, the founder of Skipper, which makes shower caps.

Both entrepreneurs are building companies in an innovation ecosystem that tends to be dominated by tech startups. They are also both reinventing products that people use every day.

"We obviously want to provide something that's sustainable, but we still want to provide a product that's the same quality as the ones that people would get in the market," Sanchez explained. "I think there are certain expectations from a consumer perspective as to how the product should work already, and so keeping that in mind while you're making the product better is the challenging part."

Faaiza and Rendell-Watson also talk about The51, a financial feminist platform that is expanding from Calgary to Edmonton this month. The organization provides access to women-led capital for women-led businesses. Nicole Janssen of AltaML, Kristina Milke of Sprout Fund, and Sharleen Oborowsky of Yogapedia are hosting a launch event in Edmonton on May 12.

Sprout Fund was also on Bloom's radar this week, as it announced the first close of its second fund. The fund hit its $10 million goal and will begin investing in business-to-business software startups across Western Canada.

In our sponsor spot, you'll hear from Dawn Newton, the head of Accelerate Edmonton. She and Taproot's Mack Male discuss Alberta Catalyzer, the new provincial pre-accelerator program for Alberta founders.

Bloom is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and everywhere else you get your podcasts.