“Get feedback from all stakeholders early in the process” with Gloria Kolb — Fem Founder™

Gloria Kolb, Co-Founder, and CEO of Elidah, Inc, maker of ELITONE which is a non-invasive wearable treatment for the millions of women with incontinence. ELITONE was developed almost entirely on grant funding and launched in 2019 to win Best New Product of the Year by the leading aesthetics industry. Ms. Kolb is an inventor with more than 20 patents, and has won prestigious awards including Boston’s “40 under 40”, MIT Technology Review’s “World’s Top Innovators under 35”, and Fortune Small Business’ 14 Hot Startups.

Can you tell our readers about your background?

I went to the “right” schools (MIT & Stanford for engineering) but found myself in the “wrong” job (missile analyst for Defense Intelligence Agency). I realized that I had to find a career where I could help people, continue to learn, and be excited about getting out of bed each morning. That led me to the design of medical products. First at a big company (Johnson & Johnson), and later at medical device startups.

What inspired you to start your business?

I think entrepreneurship is in my blood. My mother, as an immigrant, started several nonprofit organizations, and I started my first startup in my 20’s while getting my MBA. During that time I worked with a…