Nadia Ladak, HBA’20, is the co-founder and CEO of a women’s health startup called Marlow, with a mission to make periods pain free. Ladak and team created the first-ever lubricated tampon in hopes of making them easier and more comfortable to use.
The Ivey Business School graduate spoke about her journey as an entrepreneur and how it all started during her time at Western.
Ivey Communications: Tell us about your passion for women’s health and entrepreneurship.
Nadia Ladak (NL): Beyond our product, we’ve built an educational platform called “The TMI Club” where we break down topics that are typically considered “TMI” (too much information) around periods and reproductive health through online content, blogs, a podcast and in-school workshops and programs.
After becoming an entrepreneur, it has grown to be my personal mission to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders. I’m a public speaker with the Canadian Youth Speakers Bureau where I travel around the world delivering keynotes on the power of youth entrepreneurship. I’m also a member of the G20 Young Entrepreneur Alliance where I work with the G20 government leaders to create policy that promotes youth entrepreneurship.
What led you to your career and how has it evolved over time?
NL: Growing up, I didn’t know that entrepreneurship could be a viable career path. My parents both immigrated to Canada and all they wanted was for me to pursue a stable and “traditional” corporate career path. In my last year of Ivey, I landed a job in management consulting and was excited to pursue that traditional career path that my parents always wanted.
Simultaneously in my last year, I took the New Venture Entrepreneurship Course and it was in this course that we began the market research for what is now known as Marlow. After graduating, I worked in management consulting for a couple years while starting to develop Marlow, and when we raised our first investment round, I decided to quit my job and go all into entrepreneurship.
Who inspired you?
NL: I am constantly inspired by my parents who immigrated to Canada as refugees and had to put themselves through school. They are my role models because as people of colour, they went on to become executives at their respective companies and did so while being incredibly supportive parents.
Outside of my parents, I’m also inspired by a number of female founders who continuously pave the way for the founders that come after them, including Joanna Griffiths, who has transformed the women’s health space; Tara Bosch, who is not only an impressive founder but has also taken her knowledge and wealth to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders through her Bold Beginnings grant program; and Melanie Perkins, who despite getting over 100 rejections from investors, went on to raise one of the largest fundraising rounds in history as a female founder.
How did Ivey play a role?
NL: Marlow started in the New Venture Project in my last year at Ivey. I never thought I wanted to be an entrepreneur. However, as the course went on, I fell more and more in love with the problem we identified, and as someone who is mission and impact-driven, I became increasingly passionate about the idea of transforming women’s health.
At the end of the course, we won the Stephen Suske New Venture Project Award. Our entrepreneur-in-residence at the time, Chris Guillon, encouraged us to pursue Marlow full-time after graduating. He later went on to become our very first angel investor. Without his push and vote of confidence, we probably wouldn’t have even started Marlow!
After graduating, I went on to complete the Morrissette Institute Accelerator. In this program, I learned about fundraising strategy, creating a pitch deck, valuations, go-to-market strategy and so much more. It was like a mini MBA crash course in entrepreneurship. We participated in the very first Western Angel Demo Day and that kickstarted our pre-seed round. Overall, Ivey has played a huge role in my entrepreneurial journey from investor and advisor connections to valuable workshops and programs.
What personal or professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
NL: One of the accomplishments I’m most proud of is when our team was selected to represent Canada and compete in the Entrepreneurship World Cup. We travelled to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to compete on the world stage and walked away with $70,000 in non-dilutive funding to grow our business. It made me proud to represent Canada as a young and diverse female founder and to openly speak about how we are transforming periods and women’s health.
What do you like to do when you’re not working?
NL: One of my favourite things to do when I’m not working is to spend time outdoors. Whether that’s biking, hiking, or going for a walk, spending time in nature always grounds me and lifts my mood. I especially love hiking and have done incredible hikes around the world including the Lost City trek in Colombia, the Lake Superior Coastal Trail, and most recently, my partner and I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and he proposed to me at the top!
What might someone be surprised to know about you?
NL: Most people don’t know that I spent my first two years before Ivey in the music administration program. Growing up, music was a huge part of my life. I did Royal Conservatory Music for voice and piano and I was in my high school’s choir. When I got to university, I wanted to combine my love of music with my interest in business and pursued music administration. I originally thought I wanted to go work in the music industry for companies like Sony or Spotify.
What is your favourite memory from your time at Ivey?
NL: One of my favourite memories was leading the Accenture Community Consulting Project. In this role, I got to lead a team of 50 student consultants as they delivered impactful strategies and consulting projects for over 12 non-profit organizations. This inspired my love for the social impact field.
Are you still connected to Ivey?
NL: My personal mission is to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. Since Ivey shaped my own entrepreneurial journey in so many ways, I made it a priority to give back to the community that gave so much to me. I’m currently an entrepreneur-in-residence for the New Venture Project, which is a full circle moment since that is how Marlow started. I also co-lead the Ivey entrepreneurship alumni community where we plan events, share resources and connect other alumni founders from across the country. I’m excited to continue to propel entrepreneurship at Ivey forward.
