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Dr. Grace Hameister[/caption]
The language of science doesn’t necessarily translate into the language of business. That’s the problem
Dr. Grace Hameister has continually run into over the last two years as she’s sought to gain financial support for her first health-tech startup, called
Food FiXR. To solve this problem, Hameister launched a sister nonprofit company, called the
Food and Social Science Institute, that has created a symbiotic relationship for both organizations.
“The investment community isn’t really interested in learning what I do or in having an impact on people’s lives through food as medicine like I do,” said Hameister. "Right now, especially in the climate of investing, money isn't going out."
Hameister was the first Olympic-level rhythmic gymnast in Wisconsin and a world champion water skier. She said her athletic background merged with her “geeky scientist” personality and she eventually began working as a concierge doctor for some of California’s most elite clientele.
After living in California, in what Hameister called the most competitive market in the world for weight loss and fitness, she returned to Wisconsin and realized there was a gap in the market for a company looking to tackle food-related health issues.
This realization led to the creation of Food FiXR. The Milwaukee-based startup provides users with an app that helps them find non-toxic, body optimizing foods at the grocery store.
Over the last two years, Hameister has been relying on her experience as a chiropractor, functional and integrative medicine specialist, and food specialist to try to raise funding to support Food FiXR. This has been a difficult task. After spending more than 15 years as a doctor focused on how food impacts health, she suddenly had to explain her work to people who didn’t necessarily have medical or scientific backgrounds.
“Looking at the world through the lens of science has been my life’s work,” she said. “A lot of the feedback I was getting, especially from the investment community, was they needed to see more evidence that (Food FiXR) is a product that would work.”
With a startup company that was struggling to gain even a small amount of initial funding, Hameister decided to take her success into her own hands. That’s where Food FiXR’s sister company, a recently launched nonprofit called the Food and Social Science Institute, comes into play.
The goal of the Milwaukee-based Food and Social Science Institute is to advance human health by using natural foods as medicine. The nonprofit is dedicated to the prevention of diet-related disease through research, education and community engagement.
Through its nonprofit status, the Food and Social Science Institute can apply for grant funding to complete its work, which will consist of both scientific studies and community-based programming. This work will then provide the data needed to support Hameister’s ongoing work with Food FiXR.
"I'm tired of asking anyone for permission to do what I know how to do," said Hameister. "That's where the Food and Social Science Institute comes in. I'm in a position where I can have an impact. I've got these skills that I'm just sitting on -- that I’m not using."
Hameister recently finished applying for a grant that will allow the Food and Social Science Institute to run a clinical trial for people with gut issues. She also has another grant application in the works. She hopes the Food and Social Science Institute will receive its first $2 million in grant funding this spring. Supporting her efforts are
Daniel Sem of Concordia University and
Stephanie Hoskins, a Sheboygan-based startup founder and operator of the Sheboygan County Accelerator for Learning Entrepreneurship.
"Both entities will help give each other validity," said Hameister. "I'll be able to use food FiXR and the data that we take in to help with the reporting that we're going to do with the Food and Social Science Institute for studies."
By the end of its first year in operation, Hameister hopes the Food and Social Science Institute will have at least two community programs in operation to support the communities most at risk for diet-related diseases. Programs the nonprofit is considering include “food for thought” masterclasses that would provide hands-on education and social support networks that would connect people with similar health struggles within a single community.
'I'm just doing what I know how to do," said Hameister. "I'm doing the studies. I'm doing science. In the meantime, I'll be able to fund this on my own."
