‘We are now starting with the ‘A for allergy’, but we hope to be able to contribute to the prevention of more chronic diseases.’
Laurie Lancee won the FEM-START Up Awards – Powered by Antler: an entrepreneurial pitch competition on November 3, with which she secured an investment of no less than €100,000. Rightly so. Because Vini Mini is on a mission to prevent food allergies in the little ones. How? They help new parents to administer allergens in a healthy, easy and safe way as soon as the child starts eating snacks. Laurie’s son Viggo has a severe egg allergy; and after examinations it turned out that he also developed an allergy to peanuts and tree nuts. Thanks to giving peanuts and nuts early and often, he ultimately did not become allergic. In conversation with Elegance she talks about her successful business.
Which study did you follow?
“After my pre-university education I didn’t actually know what I wanted. All I knew was that I wanted to work abroad and receive a broad education. I ultimately chose the Higher Hotel School in The Hague, trained as a Registered Controller and then completed various courses, including the course: Food Technology.”
What did you do after your studies?
“After studying at the Hotel School and internships in Paris and Shanghai, I started working at an American consulting company in London. In the meantime, I continued studying to obtain my masters in controlling (Register Controller). I then worked for 15+ years in various finance and business control roles at large corporates, such as HEINEKEN. My last position (as an employee) was Business Controller Europe at HEINEKEN.”
Where did the idea for Vini Mini come from?
“My second son, Viggo, had a life-threatening allergic reaction after eating a small piece of egg. He was six months old at the time and it was really rough. We were on holiday in Spain at the time and had to go with the camping doctor in the car with a shirt out of the window, facing the opposite direction. The ambulance came to meet us, because otherwise we would have been too late. Once we arrived, an EpiPen was placed and everything was back to normal. Apparently then. This event had a deep impact on me. PTSD was therefore diagnosed. Fortunately, I was treated well for this, but my life was turned upside down. Once back in the Netherlands, it turned out that Viggo was not only allergic to egg, but during blood tests and skin prick tests in the hospital he also reacted to peanut, cashew, hazelnut, walnut and milk. The doctors said that if we did not do anything now, he would with 99.99% certainty also develop an allergy to these allergens. We then, under the guidance of a medical team, schematically administered these allergens in progressive amounts. This worked! When Viggo was 1 year old, he could eat all these products.”
How did you come up with the idea for Vini Mini?
“The event with Viggo had such an impact on me. I wanted to do something with this. I wanted to turn the negative into something positive. This formed my mission: to help parents prevent food allergies in their babies. First of all, I wanted to ensure that no other parent had to go through such a traumatic experience as I had. Because I now know: I wouldn’t have had that experience if I had started at the right time and with the right dose of allergens. Secondly, I wanted to offer parents a healthy, easy and safe way to go about this. This resulted in Vini Mini (named after Viggo), the company from which we present healthy, convenient and safe peanut and nut powders that you can feed through your baby’s food. The right dose at the right time, for your baby.”
You won the FEM-START Up Awards, how did you come up with the idea to participate?
“I have known FEM-START for some time, because I participated in the mentor program they offer. I think it’s fantastic what Marian and her team are doing for female entrepreneurs. In addition to tools such as their learning platform, they also offer female entrepreneurs a platform to present themselves and teach them to tell them what their ‘ASK’ is! So when I saw the announcement of the awards, I didn’t hesitate for a moment. Because even if you don’t win, participating alone provides a lot of publicity and networking opportunities. The first prize: a 100K investment from Antler, made it crystal clear: I was going to participate in this. At Vini Mini we are currently working on a funding round and it is fantastic that we now have Antler as a partner.”
What are your ideas with the investment you won?
“With the investment we have won from Antler, we will expand our product range. Expand into other markets and expand our team. Great to have Antler as a partner: they have a large database of talented people!”
You have sons yourself, how do you combine motherhood with entrepreneurship?
“I have three sons (8, 5 and 3), fortunately only one of whom suffered from allergies. In my opinion, parenting and entrepreneurship go very well together. As an entrepreneur you are a lot more flexible than when you are employed. I can set priorities and organize my own time relatively easily. For example, I can also work on weekends or evenings, if I want to go on a school trip during the week, for example.”
So you keep all the balls high, how do you do that? What is your motivation?
“I think that the first years as parents (the Tropical Years) are difficult for every parent. Especially because you have to keep so many balls high. Children, work, sports, friends and a relationship. This is especially difficult if you are a perfectionist (which I am). The cure? Admit to yourself that things don’t always have to be perfect and that it is also okay to skip sports once in a while, or not to give a homemade banana cake as a treat. Don’t set too high standards for yourself. I think it’s more important that you really live in the moment and enjoy it as much as possible; so when you are busy with your children or with work, you are not busy with other things. I don’t always succeed, but I try to do as much as possible, so that I can enjoy 100% in all areas.”
What is your strength and what is your weakness?
As an entrepreneur you cannot be a perfectionist. That is something I encountered when starting Vini Mini. With a start-up you sometimes just have to start with something that is not yet perfect and learn from it. Otherwise it will take too long. And something that is perfect in your eyes does not necessarily have to be perfect in someone else’s eyes.”
What are the absolute highlights of your career?
“I learned more during those few years at Vini Mini than in 15+ years at large corporates. I think that is an absolute highlight, because I think learning and self-development are the most important and nicest things there are! In addition, I am very proud of our Advisory Board, with all relevant medical experts. And I am very happy that I can work every day with one of my best friends, Jozien Boersma. In addition to the fact that we get along well, as co-founder she also adds a lot of value with her background in marketing at baby food companies. I think it is key, in the case of a start-up, to have someone with whom you can share love, but above all, a lot of sorrow. I also think the moment when you have your own product in your hands is fantastic. So much blood, sweat and tears go into that. Also all the good reviews from parents and healthcare professionals and the fact that people come to the 9-month fair almost crying with joy to thank us. Another highlight is that my son Viggo, the reason I started the Vini Mini journey, now takes our Vini Mini flips to school as a treat for his birthday! That he can now eat this and is also so proud (just like my other sons) that his mom makes peanut flips! That he can now eat this and is also so proud (just like my other sons) that his mom makes peanut flips!”
Do you have any big dreams for the future?
“Our focus now is on contributing to the prevention of food allergies in all babies in Europe. This is a big mission, because one in four children now has a food allergy and the number is rising. So it is important to reach as many parents as possible and help stop this rising trend.”
“But there is so much more you can do in terms of prevention in the first thousand days of life (pre-conception until a child is two years old). We are now starting with the ‘A for allergy’, but we hope to contribute to the prevention of more chronic diseases and thus become a key player in the world of preventive child health care.”
Do you have any advice for people who want to start their own business?
“Yes, I would say: just try it! You can never lose, only learn. Make a plan, talk to some people and just start. If it doesn’t work, you can always change shifts or go back to square one. But at least you tried it! Oh, and were people allowed to have doubts? You can always contact me with questions!”
Image: Laurie Lancee
