Testing the Limits of Sustainability From overcoming gender bias to greening the medical device industry, learn how determination and innovation fueled Hoopsy's success
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
After witnessing the waste generated by traditional pregnancy tests during her In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) journey, Lara Solomon, founder of Hoopsy -a London-based company producing eco-friendly, non-plastic pregnancy tests- felt driven to take action against the excessive use of plastic in medical products.
Faced with unexpected challenges, including gender-based abuse from investors, she has become a force in sustainable innovation, pushing boundaries while empowering other women in the process.
What inspired you to start your business?
"I was inspired to start Hoopsy after I went through IVF and saw just how many plastic pregnancy tests women use. The fact that 90% of midstream tests are plastic just horrified me, particularly because you literally only use the test for five minutes. I looked into the market and found that most women prefer to use a midstream test as it is less messy and also on average they use 3 each time they test. All this made me think someone needs to do something about this, and I can't see that anyone else is going to do anything so I will!"
What unique challenges have you faced as a female leader and how did you overcome it?
"As a female leader one of the biggest challenges I have faced has been abuse/bullying from male investors in Hoopsy and male investors who I turned down. It was horrendous and totally unexpected. In regards to oncoming it, a lot of it is being the bigger person, telling other female founders and advisors to be wary of the people, while being very particular about who I add to the cap table going forward."
Related: Why B Corp Certification is a Game Changer for Sustainable Businesses
What advice would you give to other women aspiring to enter and succeed in your industry?
"To succeed in the sustainable medical device industry I think the biggest thing is double whatever time frame you think you achieve anything in! Sustainable products still frustratingly take longer for consumer adoption than regular products and medical devices have a lot of paperwork."
What's a common mistake startups make in sustainability, and how can it be avoided?
"I think a common mistake in sustainability is thinking carbon offsetting is a fix all, but it is not being sustainable, the first rule of waste management is refuse, ie do not use. Once you take that off the table and look at each part of the business with the lens of refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose and finally, recycle it will change what you do. Then with what is left look at how it can be done more sustainably."
How can entrepreneurs effectively measure the impact of their sustainability efforts?
"Entrepreneurs can measure the impact of their sustainability efforts by first of all making sure that they are actually being sustainable! Then you can measure through the business' carbon footprint calculation, or a much simpler way is to see if you are using less of a given material than you were last year, because realistically it is all about moving the needle. If everyone just did a little bit each year it would make a huge difference."
Share your tips for achieving success...
"My tips for success are surround yourself with people that get you, who you can reach out to when things are going well or not so well as a support/cheer squad. Those who understand the journey. Secondly, don't be afraid to ask for help/advice- if you don't ask, you really don't get it!"
