8. Meg Maupin | Atolla (data-driven skincare)

The Founder

Meg Maupin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Atolla.
After getting her start as a designer at places like FormLabs and Patagonia, she enrolled in a special dual degree program at MIT that enabled her to focus on both Product Engineering and Business. During her first year in school, she started to experience some autoimmune issues that led her to keep a detailed skin diary to help diagnose the problem. It got her thinking, why isn’t there a better way to figure out what’s wrong with my skin? When she combined her design background with the AI and Machine Learning capabilities she was studying at MIT, Atolla was born.
At Atolla, Meg and her team are building a data-first skincare company. When you sign up as a new customer, you complete an intake questionnaire about your diet, environment, lifestyle and current routine. Based on information about people who are similar to you, Atolla’s predictive model creates your first month's serum. Every month after, you complete an at-home skin analysis test that measures your oil, moisture and PH levels to further refine your custom formula. Their algorithms are also able to tell you which of the other products you use work well together, as well as which ones don’t, so you can switch up your routine to get the healthiest skin possible.
This was an inspiring interview that got me excited about the way consumer companies are using data to deliver personalized products, services and experiences.
Tune in to hear Meg's story!
Use code "Founder" at checkout to get 15% off your first month!
EPISODE TOPICS:

• (2:22) What does Atolla look like today (mission, vision, products, size)?
• (5:10) What is your background and what were you working on before starting Atolla?
• (6:25) Where did the spark for Atolla come from?
• (10:55) What trends did you learn about skin early on?
• (13:53) How did you build the initial prototypes for the skin test, serum and data models?
• (24:17) Is there an industry standard for an ideal skin?
• (25:23) What marketing tactics did you use to get paying customers early on?
• (35:32) How do you think about product iteration?
• (40:52) Where do you see the skincare industry going?
• (43:41) What has your funding journey looked like?
• (52:15) What will Atolla look like in 5-10 years?
• (58:42) What has been your most frustrating/validating moment as a founder?
• (1:03:57) How do you get over self-doubt?
• (1:08:01) What resources would recommend to others?
• (1:14:00) Meg's startup manifesto
• (1:18:08) Meg's founder nomination

Atolla - www.atolla.co (Use code "Founder" for 15% off your first month)

• Follow Atolla (@atollaskinlab) on Instagram // Twitter // TikTok
• Follow Meg (@m_maup) on Instagram // LinkedIn
• Meg's learning and resource recommendations

The Founder - www.thefounderpod.com

• Follow The Founder (@founderpodcast) on Instagram // Twitter // LinkedIn // Facebook