Calmer Pregnancy. Better Birth.
– The Nordic Method
We are developing a revolutionary, AI-powered birth coaching program based on the Nordic Method: Clinically validated perinatal journey on your mobile phone.
Our future solution is a mobile application designed for pregnant women and their partners. The app offers a personalized digital coach that suggests user-targeted and clinically validated psychotherapy techniques and physical exercises. These are intended to prepare individuals for childbirth and the postpartum period, as well as to alleviate fear and anxious feelings towards the birth and recovery process.
Currently we are a Research to Business project at Aalto University, funded by a public grant from Business Finland. We are looking to spin off into a startup in 2024. A nationwide clinical trial on the effectiveness of the Natal Mind solution is planned to begin in late 2023 in Finland in collaboration with HUS Helsinki University Hospital.
EXPECTED BENEFITS:
Improved birth experience
Improved pain coping mechanisms
Improved
self-awareness
Better recovery and parenthood
Cost-savings: less need for extra checkups and hospital capacity
Fewer interventions such as c-sections or vacuum extractions
Better communication: happier patients and midwifes
Fewer sick leaves and perinatal mental health problems
The Team
Aura is an obstetrician and gynecologist by profession and an entrepreneur at heart. She excels in kick-starting initiatives and approaches challenges with innovative thinking. As the founder of Isla, an online women's health clinic, she is a pioneer in the realm of digital maternity care. Aura has worked in women's hospitals in both Finland and Sweden. Passionate about patient experience, she is a flag-bearer for a more empathetic approach to care.
Aura Pyykönen,
Medical Lead
MD, Ob. Gyn
PhD, Clinical Researcher
Riikka Lemmetyinen,
Head of Psychology
Psychologist & Psychotherapist,
Master of Psychology
Psychologist and psychotherapist Riikka brings a wealth of experience in treating perinatal anxiety and depression to the table. During her years at the Women's Clinic in Helsinki University Hospital, she led group therapy sessions for patients grappling with severe fear of childbirth, thereby gaining an extensive set of therapeutic tools. In Natal Mind, she is responsible for curating and creating the psychological content of the intervention. Additionally, she runs her own private practice.
Annika Järvelin,
Commercial Lead
Service Designer & Business Strategist
Master of Arts, IDBM / Biodesign Innovation alumni
Annika is a creative mind and sharp business thinker in the same package. She has a background in digital user experience design, business strategy, branding, and marketing. Her previous venture, a sustainable travel startup, took her on a global journey. Driven by an interest in improving women's health, she joined the Biodesign health tech innovation program. It was there, while observing unmet needs at a Helsinki maternity and child health clinic, that this project was born.
Annika on LinkedIn
Henni Tenhunen,
Research Lead
Doctoral Researcher of Healthcare Operations Management, MSc. (Econ), LL.B.
Henni has conducted extensive research on emotion tracking solutions and patient experience at Aalto University at the HEMA Institute (Healthcare Engineering, Management and Architecture). Inspired by the value-based health care framework and the emotional journeys women and families go through in pregnancy and postpartum, Henni's goal is to deepen our understanding of what outcomes really matter to the patients, how we can better measure them and design cost-effective services.
Wintom Zecarias,
Product Lead
Startup Business Developer,
Health Tech expert
Wintom easily becomes excited about initiatives that make a positive impact in the world. This passion has led him to co-found several startups. Recently, he has increasingly focused on transforming health tech startups into corns. Fluent in the language of technology, Wintom has an impressive network spanning across Europe, North America, and many parts of Africa.
Wintom on LinkedIn
Hanna-Mari Kuikka,
Content Specialist
Doula, Birth Preparation Educator, Yoga Teacher, Spinning Babies Instructor, Author
Hanna-Mari, commonly known as Hami, is without a doubt one of Finland's most renowned doulas and prenatal and postpartum yoga teachers. She has extensive experience conducting birth coaching sessions alongside various maternity care professionals. She is a true bridge-builder between all the stakeholders in maternity care.
Get in Touch
aura.pyykonen (a) aalto.fi
tel. +358 50 522 8761
Aalto University School of Science
Department of Industrial Engineering and Management
HEMA Institute of Healthcare Management and Arcitecture
P.O. Box 15500, FI-00076 AALTO, Finland