Startup Stories: Featuring Ruth

This week we are excited to be featuring Anka Chan, Co-founder of Ruth, a women-led organization focused on creating sustainable, disposable menstrual pads by using biodegradable and compostable materials.

Previously as part of her first startup, Hempact (now rebranded Ruth), Anka was working on creating menstrual pads using hemp – an eco-friendly alternative to cotton. 

However, her recent shift to Ruth was sparked by the realization that there are other sustainable materials that could be used in menstrual products. 

The name Ruth was chosen as a nod to the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a pioneering advocate who fought for gender equality. In addition, one of the meanings of the name “Ruth”  is “generous”, aligning well with the company’s goal of giving back to those in most need of menstrual products. 

We first met Anka at Volition Pitch Canada last August where she pitched her company Hempact and earned Top Pitch, and we are excited to take the opportunity to get to know Anka and Ruth a bit better here today. Let’s get started.

Hello Anka! To start off, how was your virtual pitch experience?

It was not my first pitch experience, but it was my first online pitch and I had a really great time! 

I would say it is more comfortable than pitching in front of a live in-person audience because you’re in the comfort of your own home.

One thing I really liked about the format was that we had a chance to talk to some of the other people who were pitching before we had our pitch. It was just so cool to hear that there are so many great entrepreneurs out there with passion for their business and who are doing really cool things.

We’re glad to hear that it was a valuable (and comfortable) experience for you. Aside from earning Top Pitch, what are some recent company highlights or wins that we can share?

Me and my co-founder, Nicole Sanchez, are currently receiving world-class instruction on how to run our startup, so having that guidance has been a huge bonus. 

I am part of the 2021 NEXT36 cohort and excited to learn from experienced mentors in this Canadian entrepreneurship institute, and Nicole has recently completed the founders program with Founder Institute Western Canada, the biggest pre-seed start-up accelerator in the world.

With this advice, we are looking to apply some of the ‘best practices’ we’ve learned to our business! 

Our goal is to begin testing our product in the next few months, with an official product launch in Spring 2021.

It’s been quite the year then! What are the next steps from here?

We’re in the process of securing partnerships! 

We have also just launched our new website and social media accounts, so continuing to have ongoing conversations with our customers is a huge priority.

We are currently developing our pads and we’re testing and manufacturing these products. 

Our main goal is to make sustainable products accessible by donating a portion of their menstrual products to those in the most need.

And throughout this journey, what has been your greatest challenge as an entrepreneur?

My background is in Neuroscience, so the biggest barrier has been overcoming knowledge gaps in order to develop a biodegradable and compostable menstrual product. I just remind myself that everyone has to start somewhere when they’re developing something new! 

Having a science background has helped though, because I’m not intimidated by combing through unfamiliar literature. 

I’ve also been fortunate enough to be connected with industry experts and have learned to seek help from people who are experienced in the field.

Given all of this, what is one piece of advice you would give to someone just beginning their startup journey?

Surround yourself with good people who support you and cheer you on! 

The startup journey can be hard, but I’m so grateful for people like my co-founder Nicole because we can be vulnerable with our capacities. I also can’t thank my mentors enough for providing honest advice and encouragement.

Another piece of advice is to believe in yourself and that what you do is worth it!

Hear, hear. As you may know, we define Volition as ‘the will to do what you want and to get it done’. What is your volition?

My innate passion for problem solving is what fuels me! 

Menstrual waste is a huge issue (20 million products annually sent to landfills in North America, type of issue), and the desire to do my best to solve this is what drives me.

My dream is to see eco-friendly products in the hands of everyone.

And now for another one of our regular questions–what is your ask today?

If you have periods and are looking for a more eco-friendly menstrual product, our pads are perfect for you! They are biodegradable and compostable, so you don’t have to worry about waste, and they’re conveniently disposable.

We have a pre-sale sign up for people who are interested in beta-testing our pad product: https://rsshzr52fz9.typeform.com/to/MHz0EQCP 

Please share this with all your menstruating friends and family, so we can turn nature’s monthly gift into an eco-friendly act!

Is there anything else that you would like to share before we sign off? 

I was surprised when you announced the pitch awards because I didn’t even realize there were going to be awards! 

I would definitely recommend anyone with a startup who wants to receive feedback to participate in a Volition event.

You get great feedback and potential leads from the audience members. As part of the prizes, we got some advisory sessions including a brand strategy session, which was really helpful for us.

We also had new people subscribing to our newsletter!

Thank you, Anka! We appreciate your support. So, how can people best connect with you?

Visit us at https://getruth.ca/ or you can send us an email at hello@getruth.ca.