Scalable DTC FemTech Disrupts a Major Taboo-Topic Category
How Susan Trent, CEO of INNOVO, drives the necessary change
Susan Trent is no stranger to innovative brands in the healthcare industry. She has become a disruptive voice in a category that is ripe for change.
With a 20-year international career in pharmaceuticals and consumer healthcare, Susan has built and grown brands, leading sales and marketing teams to success. She is now the CEO of INNOVO by Atlantic Therapeutics, an Earlybird health team portfolio company.
INNOVO’s purpose is to transform the quality of life for millions of people each year – addressing with science and consumer insight, the stigmatized and distressing condition of urinary incontinence. This inspiring mission will disrupt a huge category, bringing true solutions rather than temporary fixes or invasive interventions.
We spoke with Susan to explore how her current role will positively impact an under-served and often unspoken area of women’s health. Her insightful answers to eight questions offer inspiration to other innovators in healthcare and beyond.
1) Across a diverse age range, 1 in 3 women suffer from stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Why has innovative treatment in this area evolved so slowly and why do you think it’s finally gaining traction?
ST: I believe the nature of the condition itself has been the biggest barrier to treatment. Urinary incontinence is an embarrassing, distressing condition for women. They simply do not want to address it, covering up the symptoms and avoiding talking about it. This is demonstrated by the fact that feminine hygiene companies are investing so heavily in the urinary incontinence category. They are trying to normalize wearing pads as the only choice for women to manage bladder leaks. And this has created a $7 billion category, so the opportunity to disrupt it is huge.
So far, women haven’t sought alternatives because no one has shown them a viable treatment option. Only now that a brand like INNOVO can offer a truly consumer-centric, clinically-proven solution to bladder leakage, can women take control and look forward to a future without bladder leaks.
2) Why is the INNOVO system unique in what it accomplishes? How exactly does it strengthen the muscles and modulate the nerves of the pelvic floor?
ST: INNOVO’s science and delivery method is unique. Our patented multi-path technology has been demonstrated in extensive clinical trials to deliver 180 perfect pelvic floor contractions in a 30-minute session, leading to 87% of subjects being dry or nearly dry after a 12-week treatment.
And INNOVO is also unique in that this incredibly effective technology is embedded in a pair of “exercise” shorts. This means INNOVO is entirely non-invasive, safe, convenient and painless. From a consumer acceptance point of view, this method of delivering a pelvic-floor strengthening treatment fits with a women’s concept that INNOVO is “doing my Kegel exercises for me”.
“From a consumer acceptance point of view, this method of delivering a pelvic-floor strengthening treatment fits with a women’s concept that INNOVO is “doing my Kegel exercises for me”.”
3) Direct-to-consumer (DTC) has disrupted other classically “medical” conditions (e.g. Eargo in hearing aids & Warby Parker in ophthalmology). What do you think the role of DTC business models is for the healthcare industry? Is it especially important in FemTech?
ST: Overall, people are taking far more control over their healthcare needs by engaging directly with brands. We know urinary incontinence is a subject women are very private about, so it is critical we can communicate with them directly and deliver the treatment to them directly. Our direct-to-consumer status means we have a direct relationship with our target consumer, from creating awareness about the condition and the brand, to order fulfillment via our e-commerce platform, to maintaining an ongoing relationship through our customer relationship management. Since we launched as a DTC brand in the US in March, we have been highly motivated by the positive reviews we received from women using INNOVO. This feedback is essential to us to build the brand to a greater scale so we can deliver this life-changing treatment to more and more women worldwide.
4) As an early-stage company, what are the benefits of being a DTC model versus a traditional prescription (Rx) or retail brand?
ST: DTC undoubtedly allows us to be agile and resource-light so we can scale quickly without building expensive infrastructure. ‘Test and Learn’ is our motto and our investors are being incredibly supportive as we embark on the journey to create INNOVO as a direct-to-consumer brand. As an e-commerce brand, we have instant feedback on what is working to attract consumers.
For example, when a TV ad is aired, through online analytics we instantly see website traffic increase and orders come in — so this is real-life testing of the power of our campaign and our media plan. Critically important has been our ability to establish key metrics and monitor them closely. Through this process, we are constantly optimizing our marketing mix. After just six months in the US, we’ve been able to build a very robust investment plan that will significantly scale-up the opportunity going forward, precisely because we have such granularity on the business.
“‘Test and Learn’ is our our motto and our investors are being incredibly supportive as we embark on the journey to create INNOVO as a direct-to-consumer brand.”
5) How did your Consumer Healthcare experience at GSK prepare you for your current role at INNOVO by Atlantic Therapeutics?
ST: Fundamentally, the business model is exactly the same. Our mission is to build a scalable brand, addressing an unmet consumer need in a huge category, with a unique and disruptive point of view. What I bring from my GSK experience is a strong belief that great healthcare brands are always underpinned by very strong science which can be translated into a compelling consumer proposition.
Also, having worked in categories like Smoking Control and Weight Management, I have seen the power of behavioral support in improving outcomes — and this is something we have in our pipeline that we can bring to consumers in the very near future, through our app-based next generation device. From an organizational point of view, working in a large corporation with a large number of strategic choices, focus is incredibly important. I became adept at driving a very clear and focused strategy and at communicating that to an organization that could have easily become distracted. We are fortunate that we have one very single-minded mission with INNOVO. I have made sure that everyone in our team is completely clear about their role in delivering that mission.
“Our mission is to build a scalable brand, addressing an unmet consumer need in a huge category, with a unique and disruptive point of view.”
6) You are clearly impacting women’s lives; how does this align with your personal values?
ST: Completely. I’ve spent my entire career working in healthcare, in many countries and many categories. My sense of purpose comes from knowing that brands I have nurtured have helped women and their families have healthier, happier lives. So when Atlantic Therapeutics approached me, I was incredibly inspired by the opportunity to have such a direct, positive impact on women’s lives.
Here’s an example of how INNOVO has improved some women’s lives.
“My sense of purpose comes from knowing that brands I have nurtured have helped women and their families have healthier, happier lives.”
7) What would success mean to you personally, looking ahead a few years?
ST: INNOVO is undoubtedly a game-changer in a category that is so ready for change. Looking out a few years, I want INNOVO to be the go-to treatment for urinary incontinence, recognized by consumers and healthcare professionals as the most trusted choice that is easy to access, use, and recommend to others. I want to fulfill the ambition of the Atlantic Therapeutics’ team to build a global brand founded on strong science and a mission to free women from an emotional, physical and financial burden.
8) Re-defining products that better fit what women actually need sounds vital and sensible. What brands are doing this well and what do you suggest to companies launching FemTech products?
ST: One brand that I believe is an interesting parallel to INNOVO doesn’t actually sit in the FemTech space. That is ThirdLove, an e-commerce lingerie brand. An unusual choice, you may think, however, ThirdLove has all the characteristics I want to emulate for INNOVO: it’s a challenger brand, disrupting a market leader that is doing women a disservice. It’s an authentic brand that really understands what its consumers want and is talking to women in a way that resonates with their own experience. ThirdLove is leveraging e-commerce and digital marketing very well to create an agile commercial model and is investing heavily in delivering high quality, innovative products that create great consumer loyalty — driving a virtuous circle of brand trust and recommendation.
Her model? “…an authentic brand that really understands what its consumers want and is talking to women in a way that resonates with their own experience.”
In the MedTech space, all eyes are on Eargo, as a great example of a medical device that has successfully built a consumer-facing brand and has transformed the hearing aid category. I believe more and more medical brands are recognizing that even when a prescription or healthcare-provider (hcp)intervention is required, consumers are key in making their own healthcare choices so all healthcare-related brands need to be talking directly to them.
Thank you for these insights, Susan. We look forward to your progress!
To learn more about how INNOVO by Atlantic Therapeutics helps patients, visit their website and follow them on Linkedin.
UPDATE: We are pleased to share that since this publication, there is more good news. Heidi Zak of ThirdLove has joined INNOVO’s in an advisory role!
If you are leveraging technology to solve a big problem in the healthcare space, or have a promising HealthTech startup, we want to hear from you. Simply head to our contact page, or send an email to our health team.
This conversation was edited and condensed by Elisheva Marcus.
