Latina Disrupters: The co-founder of a Biotech startup providing new opportunities for advanced wound care

FEATURE | HOLA!

CEO and co-founder of SweetBio, Kayla Rodriguez Graff is one of the recipients of funding from VamosVentures, a venture capital fund that provided funding for many Latinx-founded companies.

SweetBio was founded by Kayla and her brother Isaac Rodriguez. Their company’s goal is “advanced wound care” and comes from a surprising source, honey. Manuka honey from the Manuka tree has special bacteria that has antibacterial and healing properties. “We saw that the biggest need was in wound care, specifically for diabetic ulcers,” says Kayla. “And diabetes targets communities of color the hardest, so that’s where a lot of our initial exploration has happened,” she said in an interview with Apple.

Kayla received her MBA and Cornell Project Management. SweetBio is a Memphis-based company that has market-ready medical devices that are cleared by the FDA. Another facet of the company is the Manuka wound care products. As a businesswoman, Kayla has had success raising $4M for her company SweetBio and is proud of her ability to set the strategy for SweetBio’s future as they expand their national commercial success.

“Isaac and I started this company to help people heal,” says Kayla. “And what I didn’t understand when we first started was that yes, we’re helping wounds heal, but more importantly, we’re helping families and communities heal. That kind of change takes a village and we’re incredibly proud that VamosVentures and Apple are supporting us on our journey,” she told Apple.”

Her commercial highlights include 60 Minutes, Forbes and a nationally televised Prudential campaign. Kayla is passionate about advocating for women and diverse entrepreneurs. She has presented to the U.S. Senate on Women Entrepreneurship.