Ciara Donlon, CEO and founder of THEYA Healthcare. Photo by Richie Stokes.
THEYA Healthcare (www.theyahealthcare.com) an award winning Irish company which designs and manufactures healthcare garments, has announced that it has secured €665,000 in funding.
The funding, raised from “private angel investors” and Enterprise Ireland, will facilitate the expansion of the company into the U.S. market, said a release.
The company also announced that it has signed a deal with the Greenhealth Exchange (GX), a U.S. purchasing co-operative which specifies, screens and sources high-quality sustainable and ethically sourced products for its members, and supports their purchasing through the GX catalogue.
This deal will see THEYA Healthcare become a preferred supplier to eleven large U.S. Healthcare systems including the Mayo Clinic, Dignity Health and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical.
THEYA Healthcare, headquartered at NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures and Entrepreneurs at University College Dublin, was formally launched in 2015 by Ciara Donlon.
Its post-surgery lingerie range, designed primarily for use by breast cancer patients and which uses bamboo as a primary meterial, currently retails across Ireland, the UK, mainland Europe, Australia, Canada, South Africa and the U.S.
CEO Ciara Donlon said: “The signing of this deal with the Greenhealth Exchange opens up the U.S. healthcare market to us at a pivotal time in our expansion. The securing of this funding of €665,000 will be used to fund our reach into the lucrative U.S. market and to create a number of new sales and marketing roles to help achieve this goal.
“This coincides nicely with our range becoming available on Walmart.com later on this month.”
In 2017, Donlon was named Laureate for Europe in the Cartier Women’s Initiative and was shortlisted for the EY Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Donlon is also one of 30 women who recently completed a seven-day Debra Ireland Arctic Challenge. The aim of the annual challenge, which involves six full days out on the snow, is to help raise awareness and money for children living with the painful genetic skin condition EB (epidermolysis bullosa).
“I had a truly amazing experience in the Arctic to raise badly needed funds and awareness for DEBRA Ireland. We lived off the grid with no running water, electricity or heat for six nights and camped out in sub-zero temperatures on the fifth night.
“The discomfort and hardship we experienced does not compare to the pain it is to live with EB or to see a loved one suffer from EB. I hope this amazing challenge will encourage more donations to DEBRA and more sign-ups for next year’s planned challenge. They are now taking volunteers and for the first time it is open to men to take part,” said Donlon.
