Ithaca startup Seen Nutrition named finalist in Grow-NY contest

Cofounders of Seen Nutrition Jennifer Han (clinical pharmacist) and Adrienne Bitar (food studies Ph.D.) weren’t looking to be the CEOs of their own company until they met each other and started talking about a shared problem: neither could find a calcium supplement she liked.

Han has a rare condition called premenopausal osteoporosis. Only two months after having her baby, she rolled off a yoga ball and fractured her back; she was diagnosed with pregnancy-lactation osteoporosis. She immediately had to stop nursing her newborn, take calcium supplementation and begin the long process of restoring her bone health.

Bitar’s experience with osteoporosis is far more common but no less serious; her mother was diagnosed with osteoporosis in her 50s and has since suffered multiple fractures.

Over margaritas one evening, the friends (who both live in Ithaca) decided it would be interesting to order a few products from the wide array of calcium supplements on the market to see how they compare. They were consistently disappointed by the taste, the quality of ingredients and the way the supplements made them feel. This led to taste-testing even more products and, when no supplement came close to meeting their standards, it sparked in them a drive to create the first patented calcium chew for women.

Made out of organic dates, milk minerals and protein, almonds and white button mushrooms for vitamin D, the bite-sized chews taste a little bit like caramel and provide 40% of the daily recommended intake of calcium in one chew.

Finalist in a global competition for $1 million

Seen Nutrition’s unique product and business model have earned the company a spot as one of 20 finalists worldwide vying for $3 million in prize money in the prestigious Grow-NY international business competition. 

Seen Nutrition will compete live at the Grow-NY Summit in Canandaigua on Nov. 12 and 13, where a $1 million first-place prize will be at stake, in addition to two $500,000 awards and four $250,000 prizes.

The event draws international entrepreneurs, investors and industry leaders to spotlight groundbreaking solutions in food and agriculture technology and requires winners to grow jobs and partnerships in upstate New York.

A panel of 40 expert judges with backgrounds in agribusiness, economic development, equitable access to capital, food systems and entrepreneurship selected the finalists, who are now in the midst of the next phase: a 10-week business development accelerator.

“We’re getting advice on how to craft our pitch,” Han said.

“It would change our business drastically,” she said of winning one of the prizes. “It would allow us to accelerate our growth.”

Prize money from the competition would allow the company to expand its line of products and hire more team members.

“We’ve had some big business transitions recently,” added Bitar. Just last week, Seen Nutrition moved its offices to Langmuir Labs on Brown Road in Ithaca. The two-person team is currently hiring for an administrative assistant and hopes to bring on board a sales and marketing specialist soon.

Calcium: Vital to women’s health

The average American woman stores around 2.6 pounds of calcium in her body, making it the most abundant mineral found in the body by far. And 99% of calcium in the body is stored in the skeleton.

“Our bodies need calcium every single day to function,” Bitar said, “and if our bodies don’t have adequate calcium, our bodies will draw from the storage reserves in our bones.”

Bone density can decline rapidly in women, especially during menopause. There is a link between the decline of estrogen and bone loss because estrogen is bone protective, Han said.

“We can lose bone faster than we can build it up,” she explained. “For women who fall under the category of low bone density, calcium becomes extremely important.”

As women age, bone density becomes critically important to long-term health, as fractures and broken bones tend to be some of the most devastating injuries and the most difficult to recover from.

“If a woman at any age falls and fractures a hip, she has a 30% risk of dying the following year,” Han said. “Then, 60% of women actually never return to pre-fall function. … It’s all about [asking], ‘How do we build up your bones, and also your muscles so that you don’t fall?’”

The calcium supplement problem

“It’s pretty hard in today’s society to get enough [calcium] from your diet alone,” Han said.

This was something Han quickly realized after being diagnosed with TKTK. She knew she needed to increase her calcium intake. “But I was having a hard time getting it through my diet,” she said.

Han said it is important that calcium come from real foods because of the additional nutrients that calcium-rich foods typically provide.

Vitamin D, for example, is vital for calcium absorption. Minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium, iron and zinc occur naturally in calcium-rich dairy milk, for instance. This cannot be said about many calcium supplements, which are often made with artificially manufactured calcium carbonate, which can cause unpleasant side effects.

“About 20% of people taking calcium carbonate find that it causes digestive issues,” Bitar said.

The ingredients in Seen’s chews are gentle enough for even children to eat. Calcium is important for young bodies, too, as an important nutrient for building strong bones as children grow; Seen Nutrition is appropriate for supplementing a calcium-deficient diet at any age.

“If you’re not eating enough calcium in your diet and you’re in your 20s or you’re a teenager, you could eat this, too, to meet your goals,” Han said.

Currently, Bitar and Han are focusing on getting their calcium chews into doctor’s offices, menopause, endocrinology and rheumatology clinics and other health care settings in order to establish Seen Nutritional as a trusted name in supplements.

The chews are also available for purchase online at seennutrition.com, where a one-month supply of 30 chews is available for $35 plus shipping, with free shipping for orders of more than $50.