Latest / StartUp Health NOW Podcast / Turning your Bra into a SUPA Power: Sabine Seymour, SUPAsport

Transcript

Turning your Bra into a SUPA Power: Sabine Seymour, SUPAsport · StartUp Health NOW Podcast

• 0:01
  [on-hold music] Welcome to Startup Health Now. Uh, we are with Supa entrepreneur, health transformer, Sabine Seymour. Uh, it's great to be with you. How are you? I am very good. It's a sunny day in New York. Sunny.
• 0:15
  [laughs] And so you are the founder, CEO of Supa. Yes. One of the coolest companies around.
• 0:23
  [laughs] I just gotta say, I th- I think you're also at this very special moment, which is where technology, fashion, and health are, are colliding. So first let's start with, what is Supa? What's your vision?
• 0:36
  So Supa is a biometric sensor kit for apparel. So imagine anything that you can measure from your body, we can measure. We measure through base layers or through your clothing in general,
• 0:52
  and, uh, we create the algorithms for it so you can have simple apps.
• 0:57
  So any, um, fashion company, health company, um, drink company, uh, whatever it is, uh, who has to create an application around hydration, or an application around beauty, or an application around a chronic condition, or an application around rehabilitation, um, we actually have the kit that includes the data and the actual sensors, and they can integrate it through a garment manufacturer in the actual garment itself,
• 1:31
  and the consumer has the app. You're essentially turning every piece of clothing into an Internet of things- Yes... component. Each piece of apparel- Yes... is connected. Yes. We make every garment be an IT device.
• 1:45
  Exactly. With a serial number, so it's addressable like a computer. And at the same time, uh, I'm always referring to the sensors as a digital YKK. Right. So, and as a brand, we're like GORE-TEX, right?
• 2:00
  So it's an integrated brand. Right.
• 2:02
  So Supa, if something is Supa-powered and you buy it from Nike, Adidas, you know, whatever, um, they know, the customer knows, oh yeah, it has that added functionality and so, um, it does something else.
• 2:15
  Tell us about you. [laughs] You're, you're an author, you're a professor, you're an entrepreneur, you're an athlete. I think my first, uh, wearable per se was a helmet as a game controller.
• 2:28
  So I put an infrared LED on top of my helmet, and I walked around the space, and then I was able to control screens in front of me. So I always was very interested in putting technology away from a desk.
• 2:41
  So again, I'm an athlete, yes. I can't sit still. So I was like, "Okay, this is not for me," but I love programming. I used to do f- you know, C++ in... I'm sorry, not C, uh, Java programming and whatever.
• 2:53
  But um, so I didn't want to do that, but I wa- I still wanted to do it on something. Um, and so, um, basically became obsessed with wearable technology.
• 3:04
  Um, and my mother is a fashion designer, grandfather was a tailor, so it was obvious to just put it on clothing. Of course. Uh, gotta look good. [laughs] Obviously.
• 3:16
  [laughs] Um, and, um, and then, you know, because of my background as being an athlete, um, you know, it was very important for me to also create something that has, um, absolute meaning and a functionality.
• 3:31
  So, uh, looking into base layers for snowboarding in 2000, that was sort of like when it all kicked off to biometrics, really.
• 3:37
  So when you're in the backcountry, hydration levels, uh, exhaustion levels, people need to know where you are, uh, if something is happening.
• 3:45
  You need to actually, uh, know when an avalanche hits you, of what, you know, which direction you're actually under, under the snow, 'cause you really don't know. Um, only if you pee it yourself, I'm not kidding you. Mm.
• 3:56
  Um, and, uh, so those were the things where I was like, "Listen, we really... That this would be amazing."
• 4:01
  So it's body area networks creating that, um, and then, um, transferring all that information or transferring all that information to, um, the helicopters, to the base stations down at the mountain.
• 4:14
  Uh, and then again, 2000, not possible. So that's, that, that was the vision back then. The world has changed since then. Yeah. And now we can do it. Right. So it's, it's basically, it, it, it only took seventeen years.
• 4:25
  There we go. [laughs] Well, can we see some of the- Sure. I know you brought a couple of things here. Yeah. I've, I've brought, I've brought a few. Um, so this is, this is basically, um...
• 4:35
  Of course, I'm starting with, with very good-looking sports bras. Yeah. Um, but what is very important is really thinking about, uh, the actual sensor being part of the garment. Mm-hmm.
• 4:48
  Um, and- It's designed right into it. You wouldn't even notice. You wouldn't even know it. No, absolutely. And then, you know what, this, basically, we call this a Supa Reactor, and it is an accessory. Right.
• 4:59
  It, to me, um, you know, we need to make sure- It's like a superpower. Exactly. Mm-hmm. We have different straps. We're actually designing now rash guards for on the water.
• 5:08
  Um, and then it really is about, you know, different types of modules, um, those digital trims. It can be integrated in with Adidas, Nike, a, a, a drinks company. Um, I, I think that's a very interesting model.
• 5:24
  Why did you go down that path? Scalability, one. Uh, the other is, um, also if we work with everybody, meaning we can get data from, uh, uh, and create the largest sampling size of digital health data, basically. Mm-hmm.
• 5:40
  Um, and that is extremely important to me, that we actually use the data that we get from biometrics.
• 5:46
  Either it is a gaming application, it is a sport application, it is a health application, it is a security application.
• 5:52
  We still get biometric data from, from people, and through that, uh, we can aggregate the data, um, we can create, uh, different patterns and understand patterns.
• 6:04
  So I wanna know in like ten, twenty, thirty years why my friends' kids are having cancer.Or why, you know, my brother, you know, is, is developing a certain condition. Each piece is its own device, its own number.
• 6:19
  I can basically identify how often you're wearing this particular garment. Um, I can identify, um, you know, which, which, what, what is the data that is coming out of that particular garment.
• 6:31
  I can identify- So you know how often I'm changing my underwear? Yes. Okay. Mm-hmm. Yes. Yes, I do.
• 6:36
  If you are, make, make a garment an addressable device, you can actually, um, address the, or address that person that is wearing that device, quote unquote, at that particular time. Where do you imagine
• 6:50
  this opportunity goes, not just with Supa, but in, in general for how consumers are, are really using clothes in, in the future for their health and wellbeing? I think it's gonna be extremely seamless.
• 7:04
  Um, and, uh, if we look into textiles becoming sensors, basically, uh, you just need to really, um, add, uh, a, a very good, um, technical infrastructure in terms of AI and in terms of, like, what you do with the data and how you actually contextualize it and personalize it.
• 7:22
  So those are the, the most important things. Advice to other entrepreneurs, other health transformers, other people just getting started. Uh-huh. What do they need to know? [laughs] Uh, get a lot of sleep.
• 7:37
  [laughs] Um, I think what you need to know is you need to have at least, at least, you know, a, like, a huge passion on the side or, or, like, something that you're really passionate about.
• 7:48
  So that's your business, and then that's also your, you know, your, your personal life. And the other is definitely in terms of, uh, you know, if you kn- if you need to fundraise or so, um, I think it is, um...
• 8:01
  There's, there's still, there's still... I would have never said that, and I don't know, you can edit this out. [laughs] As a woman, it freaking sucks. Well, talk about that. What, what are... What have you experienced?
• 8:14
  What, what have the challenges been? Uh, it's, it's, uh, it's definitely access. Access to capital,
• 8:21
  uh, and that is, uh, you know, I, I never experienced that before with any other of the companies I had 'cause I never had to go out and raise within a certain community.
• 8:32
  Uh, you know- So it's mainly because of the fundraising- Yes... part of, of the business. Yes. Yes. It is a boys club. What you read in the newspapers, I'm so sorry, I'm not a feminist, but it is very true.
• 8:44
  So how do we change that? What, what needs to happen? I think, I, I mean, that's an interesting, that's a, you know, that's a huge endeavor. Um, I think one is, um, awareness. Mm-hmm.
• 9:01
  Because people were not aware or were looking away. Uh, the other- And that's starting to come out more now. It's starting to come out now. Just even more recently. Yes. Yes. Yes. So that is one.
• 9:11
  The other is people that are coming in from, uh, or, or having the ability to actually look, uh, look beyond. Mm-hmm. You know? Or look into others. So, uh, enabling those type of VCs or the, those type of investors.
• 9:28
  So wave a, a magic wand, um, one thing that you would like to see happen in, in the future and, and change in terms of digital health and the whole ecosystem. Democratizing it, particularly in the US. Hmm.
• 9:44
  I think it's crazy what's happening here. What do you do to stay healthy? I do sports every day. So I surf. Um, I do Pilates. Um, I golf. Uh, so that's now summer. Right? We're talking about summer.
• 9:58
  Um, I do interval training. Um, and if I don't get to do anything, and if I have no time at all, then I just do what I call a light surf workout. So basically, I have my, my mat next to my bed, and I just roll over.
• 10:12
  [laughs] Oh, [laughs] that's cool. And [laughs] like double leg stretch. [laughs] Very cool. Well, thank you so much for everything- You're very welcome...
• 10:22
  you're doing to really just push the boundaries and, and bring so many great ideas to, to bear.
• 10:30
  I mean, I, I think, uh, your energy is, is awesome, and what you're doing is awesome and, and I think really gonna make a significant impact, impact, um, and also hopefully influence a whole generation of other creators.
• 10:46
  So- Yeah... thank you for everything you do. You're very welcome. Where can people find you? Uh, well, either online, uh, sabine@supa.ai. Okay.
• 10:56
  Um, best is just supa.ai, and there is an Instagram, and, you know, you can reach me anywhere. Thank you so much.