Introducing MIN ORGANICS– an e-commerce platform that specializes in selling organic menstrual products in bulk, allowing women to overcome stigma and customize their menstrual cycle according to their individual needs.
Founded by Anna Comas, a young, promising G-Accelerator’s beneficiary, MIN ORGANICS became the winning project as the Best Start-up in the Pre-Seed & Seed category of the G-Accelerator Impact Call Program 2020-2021 edition.
Ever since the end of her mentorship program last April, Anna has been working hard, overcoming occasional obstacles along the way, as she continued to scale her venture further, making substantial progress.
Having secured the funding following her Impact Call 2020-2021 win, Anna was able to continue with further project development. Seeking support during extra mentorship hours led Anna to successfully register and launch her venture into the real market, making MIN ORGANICS a reality.
We interviewed Anna to learn more about her experience as part of our G-Accelerator mentorship program and to see how her professional trajectory changed from this chapter onwards.
Interview with Anna Comas, CEO of MIN ORGANICS
Q: Hi Anna! Please tell us a bit about yourself and what brought you to GBSB Global?
Anna: My name is Anna Comas Rabell, I am 24 years old, I was born in Girona, Spain, where I live till this day. In 2020 I graduated in Biotechnology from UVic-UCC, and then did a Master’s in Project Management.
I started my degree wanting to dedicate myself to research. I even did an internship at the "Institut de Recerca de la Vall d'Hebron" in Barcelona. It was a very rewarding experience, but it confirmed, against all odds, that research was not what I was passionate about.
It wasn't until the last year of my degree, where I had the opportunity to take subjects I hadn't taken before, that I realized that what really interested me was everything related to the business world. I was so intrigued that I dedicated my final degree project to the development of a business idea.
It was this decision and this project that would later lead me to GBSB Global.
Q: What made you decide to apply for G-Accelerator’s Impact Call Program?
Anna: I was very lucky that my tutor for my final project was Elisenda Tarrats Pons, Director of Business and Communication Department at UVic-UCC, who is also a lecturer here at GBSB Global. She was the one who first told me about GBSB Global and the G-Accelerator Program.
I was full of doubts and fears simply of the thought of embarking on a totally different path from the one I had envisaged a few years ago. I thought about it a thousand times, but there was one thing that made me decide and that was the fact that when I imagined myself as a female entrepreneur, it got me excited. It was an image that, once it got inside my head, I could never get it out of my mind again, not even today.
I communicated my decision, after which I was introduced to Xavier Arola Pérez, G-Accelerator’s Director.
Q: What does the mentoring process look like?
Anna: The Impact Call was a 5-month training program divided into 3 blocks that encompassed ideation, go-to-market planning, business readiness, and funding. Each of these blocks had different subjects, in which some hours were dedicated to theory classes, and others to Q&A live sessions. Each module was taught by a different professional with international background.
At the end of each stage, some deliverables, a pitch, and a business plan is required. The idea is that, as you progress through the modules, the project matures and becomes clearly defined. At the finalization of the program, there is what is known as the “G-Accelerator Demo Day”, where all beneficiaries deliver their final presentations, investor pitch, and showcase the final version of the Business Plan.
Q: Please give a brief description of your business.
Anna: Currently, menstrual products represent 5% of the floating plastic waste on the Catalan coast. 90% of the composition of sanitary towels is plastic, and tampon applicators can take up to 500 years to degrade. The materials used to manufacture these products not only affect the environment, but also women's bodies, causing irritation, infections and even allergies.
MIN ORGANICS is an online platform offering organic menstrual products, which aims to revolutionize the world of menstruation by changing the way women consume these products. At MIN ORGANICS we know that every woman and their menstruation are unique, and that is why we offer the possibility to personalize an individual’s menstrual cycle. How? Through a 15-second automated test we identify the needs of the woman's cycle and offer her a customized kit. Our business model is based on a subscription model, so that the subscriber will receive their customized kit every cycle, without having to worry about buying/selecting these products again.
Q: How would you formulate the social purpose of MIN ORGANICS?
Anna: At MIN ORGANICS we care about women, but also the environment. We are creating a community of empowered women who love their bodies and their menstruation freely, without taboos, because it's not just about buying menstrual products, it's about being part of a community.
We want to encourage a more responsible consumption that helps women learn what their menstruation is like, how much flow they have, how long it lasts, and so on, as well as the amount of product they use.
All our products are biodegradable, most of them even compostable, and organically grown. If we talk about "Km 0" food, why not also talk about "Km 0" intimate hygiene? At MIN ORGANICS we offer local and proximity products, as all of them are manufactured in Barcelona. Our project is aligned with several of the SDGs, such as number 12, Responsible Production and Consumption, or 13, Climate Change. We have a very strong commitment to the environment and the surroundings in which we live.
Q: How has G-Accelerator helped you through the process?
Anna: The Program has given me many things on a professional level, such as all the knowledge I have acquired and the immense network of contacts I have created, but, above all, it has given me things on a personal level.
I feel like a totally new person, I feel that I have grown up here; the person who came in is very different from the person who has left. I have grown along with my project, and that is something I am very proud of. The program has given me back the illusion and the desire to continue building my future, something I felt I had lost. Regardless of what happens from now on and how things turn out, I feel that I am in a place where I belong.
I look back and feel that joining the Program was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I think of all those people who might be in the same situation as me, and I would tell them to do it, even with all the doubts and fears. The program changes you, I can't tell you how much. If you have an entrepreneurial mindset, the G-Accelerator program is for you.
Q: Lastly, congratulations on winning Impact Call 2021 as the Best Start-up in the Pre-Seed & Seed Category. What are your plans now?
Anna: Thank you very much! I am very proud to have been able to share this experience with the whole of G-Accelerator team alongside other projects and beneficiaries, who were all wonderful. I would also like to congratulate ORPHEUS, as the "Best Start-up in the Early-Stage Category". I admit that I still haven't been able to process everything that has happened over the past few months, as I have been unable, or unwilling, to stop working on the project. The program has made me addicted to the world of entrepreneurship.
Thanks to this award, I have had the opportunity to continue on with individual mentorship sessions. The program allows to do them with any profile that meets your project needs. This is just one of the many advantages of this incubator - the largely diverse network of professionals with whom you could possibility work with.
The mentorship sessions are of immense value in terms of tailored project development. In fact, thanks to these extra mentoring hours, I’ve already achieved the settling of the Company’s legal entity, started production of our menstrual products, launched an ongoing marketing and communication campaign… and I have just launched my business into the market!
I am also very happy to be able to stay in touch with other beneficiaries. I think it’s important that we keep in touch, considering that we share this unique experience.
As for professional plans, I am only 24 years old and still have a lot to learn. But I would like to be able to give back at some point, as a thank you for everything that the school has given me. Perhaps by sharing my experience with the upcoming entrepreneurs or as a mentor, why not.
Before finishing, I would like to thank the entire team of the G-Accelerator Program at GBSB Global, especially Xavier Arola, Almudena Martínez, Elisenda Tarrats and Sergi Grau.
G-Accelerator is extremely proud of Anna’s great achievements and will continue to enhance entrepreneurship with social impact through the next G-Accelerator Impact Call 2021-22 edition.
Do you feel inspired by Anna’s story and would like to join our Program to realize your full entrepreneurial potential?
Find out more about the G-Accelerator’s Impact Call 2021-2022 Program and apply.
The next winning project could be yours!
