Nutrition comes to Seeqnce! Next week Cynthia Bu Jawdeh, founder of Strawberry Blu will take the stage to talk about the story and vision of her “healthy” online startup. Strawberry Blu acts as a specialized online Q&A platform, where questions on nutrition, health, dieting and cooking are answered by qualified experts within 72 hours. Strawberry Blu’s vision is to create food-conscious online communities, where every individual will have access to highly credible and comprehensive sources of food information, away from the traditional frauds, ploys and misconceptions within our culture.  

Today Seeqnce interviewed Cynthia via email.  Cynthia explained to us in details how she got the idea and who is behind it. She told us the company is between the seed and early stage. Moreover, at this stage, Strawberry Blu is looking for funding in order to move to the next level when the company will also look for hiring. Cynthia also talked about the greatest challenge and fear she faced in this business.  

Cynthia expressed her opinion on startup accelerators like Seeqnce also. She said: “Seeqnce helped out shape my idea and boosted it to the starting level. It offered Strawberry Blu exposure, motivation, advise, guidance, support and follow-up. Whenever Strawberry Blu steps back in any way, there’s Seeqnce to push it forward. So defiantly, yes I do believe that Seeqnce can help startups such as Strawberry Blu to shine”.

In the end she sent a great message to other fresh entrepreneurs: “To all fresh entrepreneurs, each one of us has millions of ideas on hand, if one doesn’t work just don’t give up; always rely on your own knowledge, talent and passion, take advantages of all opportunities surrounding you, take the risk, create the change and aim at achieving success”.

You can find the full interview transcript below.

 

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

Seeqnce: What does Strawberry Blu do?

Cynthia Bu Jawdeh: Strawberry Blu answers any question asked about food whether on nutrition, health, dieting, cooking or any related field, by a specialist (Dietitian, Food Scientist, Chef or a Health Specialist) within duration of around 72 hours, for free.

Viewers can ask on the Facebook Page, Facebook Group, and Twitter, on the Web or via email. Moreover, more weighted question, or repetitive questions are further discussed and elaborated into blog posts.

Seeqnce: What sparked the idea?

Cynthia Bu Jawdeh: Starting from my university days I was continuously flushed by thousands of questions related to food such as the specific benefits, health problems, related diseases, recipes, advice etc. Most questions were related to our own ethnic foods, cultures and traditions; and in most of the time people’s conception was wrong.

I started compiling a list of all those misconceptions related to food, and I was continuously encountered by “We can’t find any information about Mloukhiyeh, we can’t calculate the calories within our traditional foods, honey is excellent for diabetes, bread makes you fat etc.”All what they knew was what their mothers and grandmas have taught them. I sensed lack of knowledge and lack of resources within my community; so I decided to open my personal blog to share my own food experiences.

Yet, and with the help of Seeqnce Founder, Samer Karam, we decided to transform this personal blog into a social interactive one where anyone can ask anything about food so that I can increase awareness and increase the food conscious within my own community and hopefully within the Arab community as a whole.

Seeqnce: Who is the Strawberry Blu team?

Cynthia Bu Jawdeh: Founder: Cynthia Bu Jawdeh

Graphic Designer: Josianne El Helou

Other Contributors: (Alternate depending on the need)

• A Dietician

• A Chef

 

Seeqnce: What is your target market?

Cynthia Bu Jawdeh: The general population: food and health lovers within the Lebanese (Arab) community

Seeqnce: What stage are you at? (seed, early, growth…?)

Cynthia Bu Jawdeh: I guess it’s between the seed and early stage.

Seeqnce: Are you looking for funding?

Cynthia Bu Jawdeh: For the near future, yes I am looking for funding, in order for me to move Strawberry Blu to the next level.

Seeqnce: Are you looking to hire?

Cynthia Bu Jawdeh: For the time being I am managing Strawberry Blu with the contributor’s efforts. Yet as soon as I move forward to the next level I will surely look for hiring.

Seeqnce: What is the biggest challenge in your business?

Cynthia Bu Jawdeh: As you can see that Strawberry Blu’s mass efforts are sharing information and advice about issues that directly affect health, thus, the biggest challenge is to communicate this information in the simplest, most comprehensible and correct way. So when it’s applied it’s applied correctly. I always fear having any viewer understanding what I write in an incorrect way; that’s why it’s very important for me to always tackle the subject from all its sides, and in ways that are applicable in our own community; in many cases it’s a bit challenging.

Seeqnce: Any regrets so far?  

Cynthia Bu Jawdeh: I can’t think of any, no so far I don’t regret anything.

Seeqnce: What was your greatest fear while working on the idea?

Cynthia Bu Jawdeh: The idea of Strawberry Blu started as a way of expressing my views and thoughts about this field and sharing my own experiences, yet as it progressed into a serious idea I always had the fear of being unable to fulfill my mission in spreading out the knowledge and shaping out this food-conscious community.

Seeqnce: What is your view on startup accelerators like Seeqnce?

Cynthia Bu Jawdeh: Well Seeqnce was the best thing that happened to Strawberry Blu. Seeqnce showed Strawberry Blu the willingness and eagerness to help launch Strawberry Blu’s idea and took part of the responsibility for the outcome. Seeqnce helped shape the idea and boost it to the starting level. It offered Strawberry Blu exposure, motivation, advise, guidance, support and follow-up. Whenever Strawberry Blu steps back in any way there’s Seeqnce to push it forward. So defiantly, yes I do believe that Seeqnce can help stratups such as Strawberry Blu to shine.

Seeqnce: What advice can you give to fresh entrepreneurs?

Cynthia Bu Jawdeh: I was continuously motivated by a desire to help, improve and transform the conditions within my own community. I never accepted the world as it was, I was always driven by an emotional desire to address food issues, because I believe food is not just an essential need but food unites us all; it gives us a social identity and a social value; yet on the other hand we must not misuse it. I stood up for my own beliefs and desires and through Strawberry Blu I aim to provide the best innovative solutions and initiate change.

So, to all fresh entrepreneurs, each one of us has millions of ideas on hand, if one doesn’t work, don’t just give up; always rely on your own knowledge, talent and passion, take advantages of all opportunities surrounding you, take the risk, create the change and aim in achieving success.