Seen Nutrition has won $500,000 at the seventh annual Grow-NY international business competition. The competition is focused on expanding food, beverage, and agriculture development in the Central New York, Finger Lakes, and Southern Tier regions of New York state.
Seen Nutrition has developed a patented calcium supplement made from real foods. The supplement is designed to improve women’s bone health with focus on menopause and osteoporosis.
“Winning $500,000 is a real validation of our mission to improve women’s bone health with nutrition and draw attention to menopause and osteoporosis, conditions that have for far too long been overlooked and unseen,” said Adrienne Bitar, PhD, co-founder of Seen.
Twenty finalists from across the globe pitched their business plans. Grow-NY awarded a total of $3 million in prize money, including a $1 million grand prize, two $500,000 awards, and four $250,000 prizes.
“Seen developed the first patented calcium supplement made entirely from real foods, including New York state milk,” said Dr. Jennifer Han, PharmD, co-founder of Seen. “We are proud to provide women with a calcium that is highly bioavailable, easy to digest, and tastes delicious.”
Winners commit to making a quantifiable regional impact in the Grow-NY region during a 12-month period. Seen Nutrition is based in Ithaca and has supply chain components in the Grow-NY region, from ingredients to manufacturing to fulfillment. The company will use the award to accelerate hiring in sales, marketing, logistics, and food science.
The Grow-NY competition is funded by Empire State Development and administered by Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement.
