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A Change in Plans

“We started off the summer by prioritizing customer discovery. We interviewed female collegiate athletes, casual gym goers, recreational athletes who compete, and more,” the duo explained.

These interviews, however, didn’t support the direction RUDE Strength was going, causing the team to rethink how they could best serve their athletes’ needs. RUDE Strength was in need of a pivot.

Acknowledging Goals

The team quickly realized that the people they serve matter most — the founders wanted to improve the everyday lives of female athletes.

In their conversations with female athletes, a common pattern quickly emerged: “Women frequently spoke to the negative impacts of their period cycles on performance, and further research revealed a huge market gap. There are no athletic performance supplements that take into account that female athletes have periods, despite 85% of athletes reporting decreases in performance related to their cycle,” the team detailed.

With that, was born — a supplement that alleviates the negative aspects of the luteal and menstrual phases and leans into the natural advantages of the follicular phase and ovulation to enable women to perform at their best all month long.

Embracing Transition

Since making the transition to RUBY Supplements, the team’s game plan has centered on setting monthly, weekly, and daily goals for themselves to make sure they stay on track and maximize productivity. These goals include completing discovery interviews, finalizing a prototype, and compiling lists of partners and manufacturers for production.

Why TIA: 

The TIA Summer Accelerator boot camp provided RUBY Supplements with the necessary leverage for the summer, proving to be instrumental in setting the tone for the program.

“We met with mentors who shared their knowledge and experience in venture capital, successful customer discovery tactics, constructing a clear and interactive business model canvas, optimizing financial models, and reframing thinking strategies to unlock new ideas,” explained the team. “These discussions helped us structure our thinking as we moved into the fieldwork and ensured that we’re as productive as possible.”

Looking Into the Future

RUBY Supplements is interested in connecting with alumni who have experience in the supplement and pharmaceutical industry, such as individuals who have helped formulate products or get FDA approval.

The team is seeking nutritionists, doctors, dietitians, female athletes, and others who can help expand their knowledge base. They are interested in pursuing RUBY Supplements through the NSF I-Corps program and are currently looking for a technical lead.

Decker and Untermeyer are proud to be developing the first daily supplement with a unique formula for each phase of the menstrual cycle to account for the physiological differences menstruating athletes experience throughout their cycle; the team anticipates working with a research and development partner and touring their first facility in the upcoming weeks.

Words of Wisdom

“Accepting the pivot was a hard, but necessary pill to swallow — and we’re glad we did. We can serve our market in a way that feels more meaningful, our total addressable market increased tenfold, and we’re more excited about the future,” said the team.

“If it were easy, everyone would do it. Sometimes you’ll need to scrap an idea that excites you, you’ll need to make uncomfortable phone calls, and get creative — but the most important thing is to keep trying.”

In the eyes of Decker and Untermeyer, having a passion for your idea will help you stay motivated despite the inevitable (and frequent) challenges of entrepreneurship.