An Interview with TheraB's CEO, Alexa Jones

As founder and full time CEO of TheraB Medical, Alexa Jones is dedicated to the success of commercializing SnugLit. In 2014, Alexa and two other students invented SnugLit as an engineering project at Michigan State University. After graduating with a degree in Biosystems Engineering, she worked as an analyst at Goldman Sachs, working in Short-Sale Equity and Foreign Exchange markets. In late 2015, Alexa found her passion for entrepreneurship and began the commercialization of SnugLit as a full time career. Here’s a look into who Alexa is and how she got to where she is now.


Q: Why are you passionate about what you do?
A: “I became passionate about creating SnugLit after talking to so many real people who told me they wished they’ve had this product in their life. When you talk to real people who care about what you’re doing, and they say that it would make a difference in their lives, it really motivates you to make it a reality.”


Q: What’s the most important thing you’re working on right now?
A: “We’re currently working with Tekna to finalize the product that we’ve been working on since the very beginning of the company. We’ve had so much good traction over the past few years and it’s exciting to finally be within 6 months of launch.”


Q: What inspired you to begin TheraB Medical?
A: “TheraB began as a class project given through a design course. What inspired us to take it from a class project to an actual company were the conversations that our original student team had with nurses and moms. They validated the need for a new jaundice treatment and we loved seeing how excited they were when we showed them what we were working on.”


Q: If there was one thing you would go back and do differently, what would it be?
A: “I wish that we would’ve applied for federal SBIR grants as a funding resource earlier. This would have made it much easier to raise our first institutional round of capital since we would have had a more developed product to go off of when applying for non-government funding.”  


Q: What do you think you would be doing if you never began this company?
A: “If I never began TheraB, I would probably still be working in finance at Goldman Sachs. I loved working there but also really enjoy the independence and humanitarian aspects that come with having a healthcare startup.”

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Q: What are 3 ways you would describe TheraB Medical?
A: “I would describe TheraB as being a company that is innovative, listens to our customers, and is the future of newborn care. We’re still developing SnugLit and building the product around the voices of our customers. We plan to change the approach of jaundice to be healthcare efficient while also including the care aspect that new moms desperately need.”


Q: Where do you plan to be 1 year from now?
​A: “In 1 year, we plan to be launched in both the US and India. We have built incredible partnerships in both locations and are eager to get our product in the market.”


Q: Why is right now the best time for TheraB to exist?
A: “Everything we’ve been through so far has been a learning experience to figure out our purpose and how to best serve our customers. The mistakes, timing, experiences, and opportunities have all led up to now, with us having a well-informed and unique background. Now more than ever, it’s also important to decrease time spent in hospitals and reduce the risk of exposure to disease. Current times call for innovative and revolutionary solutions, and SnugLit is just that.”