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Prepare for the worst, surprise for good

MyAir personalize stress relief via plant-powered nutrition bars

Please introduce yourself and your startup myAir to our readers!

Chronic stress is a global silent killer, influence a $300 billion industry. While we manage our diet and our sports routine – it is essential that we will start to manage our stress, and personal nutrition is part of the solution. MyAir is the first startup to offer a complete body & mind solution to reduce different type of stress. It leverages AI to personalize stress relief via plant-powered nutrition bars

We developed plant-based nutrition bars with a personalized edge. Each formulation contains a research-backed botanical blend designed to deliver a specific stress-release effect. The proprietary herbal extract blends are based on deep profiling machine learning technology and are tailored to the consumer’s unique stress profile and cognitive needs. Imagine every month, you receive a box to your doorstep. In that box you will find stress-relief nutrition bars tailored to your personal needs. Our patent-pending & research-based IP is the core of our technology. 

My name is Rachel Yarcony and I’m the Founder and Co-CEO of myAir. I have a strong leadership background with 20 years of hands-on experience managing companies in FMCG + Pharmaceutical markets (I was VP at Teva pharmaceuticals, and a business manager at Nestle). Dovev Goldstein, Co-CEO & Founder, is a seasoned entrepreneur, specializes in personalized technologies and innovative B2C products.

Our team includes well-known, experienced researchers such as Professor Daniela Kaufer who is the Associate Dean of Biological Sciences at UC Berkeley, and Dr. Gil Lwitus, a Scientist, Ph.D. at the Technion, IL.

How did you get the idea of myAir?

As an executive manager and a mother, stress had become a massive burden in my life. I tried to manage my stress through meditation and mindfulness, but I failed to maintain stress management in my routine Good nutrition is a key to managing stress naturally. This spurred me to seek a natural solution and develop a ‘food for mood’ solution that consumers can easily merge into their daily routine to help take control of their health and manage their personal stress levels.

Why did you decide to start with myAir?

Stress has many facets. In our preliminary study, based on AI, we discovered that different consumers generally have different stress symptoms that are more dominant than the others. For example, stress affects me mainly in the mornings, so my energy levels and focus are decreased. My partner feels the stress at night and occasionally has problems getting fulfilling sleep. Each of us needs a personalized solution. This is where myAir has redefined the paradigm.

What is the vision behind myAir?

myAir empowers millions to take control of their health and manage their stress through better-for-you, personal, plant-based nutrition bars.

myAir’s novel concept taps into three current booming trends: plant-based, personalized nutrition, and stress management. Studies show that 75% of the population prefers to improve their quality of life by embracing a healthy diet rather than dosing up on prescribed medication. Meanwhile 73% of adults snack in order to relax. Our concept effectively leverages AI technology to provide a simple-to-follow, tasty, customized nutritional solution to the global stress crisis.

How difficult was the start and which challenges you had to overcome?

myAir concept essentially brings together two arms of science. The science behind plant-based formulations and the science of AI to develop personalization algorithms.

For this purpose, we put together a first-rate team of scientists, plants-based formulators, developers, physicians, psychiatrists, cognitive psychologists and AI experts. 

The key challenge was to leverage these two sciences and craft the best effective adaptogens and plant-based formulations, based on profound data.

Another challenge was locating the quality of ingredients that could meet our requisite for purity, clean-label and non-GMO attributes and to ensure standardization in the quality and composition across all our products. To this end we work with a select sphere of suppliers of high-quality raw materials whom we can rely on for consistent supply.

It was also important to us that our concept perpetuate adherence. This can only be achieved by ensuring our formulas are designed to full accuracy, with great taste and can be easily integrated into consumer’s daily routine in the same manner one manages its daily exercise and nutrition. For this reason, we also deliver the bars on a subscription basis so that our customers received their custom-made mix on a monthly basis, based on their personal stress effects and needs.

Another obstacle was to get pre-seed investment. Quite immediately we successfully harness investors to join our “food with a purpose” journey: Tel-Aviv University Ventures, iAngels VC, and Entrée Capital, and we could focus on building the model business and our strategy for myAir.

MyAir personalize stress relief via plant-powered nutrition bars

Who is your target audience?

75% of the population suffer from chronic stress, so actually, most of us can be target audience for myAir.

 At this point we target consumers who are early adopters, key opinion leaders, aged 25-45 with active lifestyle. This segment lead hectic lives with demanding careers is a strong target users. Consumers want to excel, be productive, manage career/life balance but prefer to control their stress and not vice versa. 

In the last months, the global pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health for different consumer groups as the lockdown lead to loneliness, increased stress, decrease in sleep quality and depression. myAir’s plant-based bars support different stress symptoms and provide a tailored solution for each consumer, and luckily, we are ready to help them in managing their stress.   

What is the USP of your startup?

myAir is the first start-up to develop a comprehensive personalized solution to stress management. myAir leverages AI technology, and gives users insights into how stress affect them personally.

The company developed a line of plant-based nutrition bars with a personalized edge. Each formulation contains a research-backed botanical blend designed to deliver a specific stress-release effect. The proprietary herbal extract blends are based on deep profiling machine learning technology and are tailored to the consumer’s unique stress profile and cognitive needs.

Can you describe your typical work day ?

I wake up at 06:00, and start with checking my emails. Right after my sport routine: pilates, swimming or running I prepare my 3 kids for school and start my day.

It’s a combination of high-level strategic conversations with our R&D and management team, zoom meetings with investors, suppliers and partners, up to the most specific details regarding the best copy for our campaign or how to answer a specific question of a consumer.

The time flies and within 5 min its already evening. I insist on family dinners and after the kids go to sleep, I usually start the next part of the meetings with our team in the US market. I enjoy meeting friends from time to time and we have a book-club which enable me to discover (listen through Audiable) amazing new books and deep, authentic conversations.

Where do you see yourself and your startup myAir in five years?

myAir  will be the leading company for functional, plant based, personalized solution. myair will lead the “Food for mood” revolution, and enable millions to take control of their wellbeing through personalized active plants-based food. myair will leverages AI technology, and gives users insights into how stress affect them personally.

What 3 tips would you give to founders?

  1. Be bold with passion to dare and to win!
  2. Good strategy is deciding first what NOT to do!
  3. Prepare for the worst, surprise for good. 

More information you will find here

Thank you Rachel Yarcony for the Interview

Statements of the author and the interviewee do not necessarily represent the editors and the publisher opinion again.

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