Loba: How This Company Is Transforming The Pill Management Market And Expanding Its Focus To Wellness

By Amit Chowdhry • Feb 23, 2024

‘[Loba is] excellent! I am a chronically ill person and this has made the biggest difference in my life. I love the sleek look of the pill organizer, the push notifications, and the light reminding me as well to take my pills. The best invention and well worth the money. Their customer service is so fast. Thank you Loba!’ – Lani

Loba is an innovative health and wellness company working to advance and modernize traditional pill and supplement management through technology. What makes Loba different is that it’s not just a pill organizer. It’s a tech-powered platform.

The Loba Smart Supplement Organizer can be paired with Loba’s mobile app to manage your schedule, add pills, set daily reminders, track your habits, customize Loba’s glow, and more. Since its inception, the Canadian company’s customer base has expanded across the North American market, with a majority of its sales from the US.

The company was founded by CEO Kate Bouchard.

Kate Bouchard

I was surprised to hear the company had only just announced its Seed Raise. I’ve shared insights from my conversation with Kate below.

Formation Of Loba

Why did you create Loba? What benefit does the company bring to the Wellness Market? What are the company’s core products and features, and how is Loba using technology to move the needle forward?

Bouchard said:

“The story behind why I created Loba is a very personal one. Like one in six women worldwide, I was struggling with fertility. In my case, due to hormonal health challenges. I was taking many pills multiple times per day. Considering the volume, I went to find something to organize my pills and supplements, but there was nothing that fit my needs. Traditional organizers didn’t hold enough pills, remind me to take them, or look nice in my space.”

“And to be honest, traditional organizers found in the pharmacy I associated with the elderly. It made me feel like something was wrong with me, which is the last thing you need when struggling to conceive.”

“I discovered I wasn’t alone. In fact, there was an entire segment of sophisticated customers – those who invest in their wellness, their homes, and themselves – who were being ignored! So, I created Loba.”

“As a founder, it’s been amazing to hear how Loba is making a positive difference in the lives of our customers. Many are dealing with infertility, hormone challenges, chronic illness, or are neurodivergent, and they want something that both looks good and feels good to use.”

Significant Milestones

What are some of the company’s most significant milestones?

“There’s been a couple of them.

  1. Most recently, we just announced our Seed Round raise.
  1. Our userbase has seen a notable uptick since the start of the year, with a good majority coming from the US
  1. We recently secured funding from Mastercard and Pier Five. For us, this was a huge win. Out of 1,600 applicants, only ten were selected to receive funding, and Loba just happens to be one of four from BC and the only tech startup from Vancouver.

Here’s what the Co-Founder of Pier Five said about Loba: ‘Within a few minutes of speaking with Kate [CEO and Founder of Loba], we could immediately sense her passion and drive that she had for Loba. She is reinventing a product and routine that hasn’t been touched in decades and is giving something so mundane the excuse to be fun and beautiful, which we love. Her emphasis on design is excellent but what stood out to us the most is Kate’s long-term thinking as a business owner. She has some incredible ideas for where she wants to take the business which impressed us and of course, her dedication to keeping customers at the forefront of every action resonated with us a lot.  We think that Loba will soon have an impact on so many people’s healthcare routines and we are thrilled to be able to support her in her journey as an entrepreneur in Canada.’”

Funding

After asking Bouchard about the company’s funding and revenue information, she revealed:

“We’ve been mostly bootstrapped, with a small pre-seed round in late 2022. Loba is currently raising our next round of funding now that we’ve validated market need and have the metrics to prove product market fit.”

Total Addressable Market

What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing?

Bouchard assessed: “$10.5 billion TAM in the US and Canada alone.”

Differentiation From The Competition

What differentiates Loba from the competition?

Bouchard affirmed:

  1. “We’ve spent a lot of time and effort focused on developing a suite of products that tap into the psychology of building healthy habits.
  2. Great design, making taking your pills and supplements not just good for you, but look and feel good too.
  3. We’re the first to focus on the wellness segment and those who invest in their health proactively.
  4. We’re not just another pill organizer – Loba is a platform.”

Customer Feedback

What have customers said? Is the customer base growing?

“’I’m absolutely obsessed with my Loba! It’s been so helpful allowing me to create stronger routines with consistency and accountability from the glow and app notifications. 100% would recommend. Cannot say enough good things!!’ — Janette

‘I have never been successful at keeping track of taking my supplements or medication – but with my Loba I seriously haven’t missed a pill or supplement since I’ve received it. having the glow stay on until I take it has been a gamechanger. And on top of all that it looks beautiful sitting on our built ins.’ — Courtney

‘Makes it easy & effortless. Love the device so much! My doctor has me on a huge amount of supplements and a medication to help with my thyroid issues, and the biggest barrier to me taking them was how i couldn’t find an organizer big enough to fit everything into- plus i hated having the ugly ones just sitting out on my counter as a reminder. Loba removes all those barriers and I have a feeling my health is going to really improve because of it. Thanks for such a wonderful product!’ – Shelby”

Future Company Goals

What are some of the company’s future company goals?

Bouchard concluded:

“Building a global wellness tech brand at the intersection of health and wellness apps, smart home, and supplement industries.”