Welcome to the latest installment of “5 Questions With…” – Health Tech Idaho’s monthly feature to help you quickly get to know an innovator who is changing the face of healthcare and technology in Idaho.
Ashley Crafton was a top-ten finalist in the 2024 Startup World Cup pitch competition in October!
There’s no shortage of content that debates what separates entrepreneurs from the rest. If you meet Ashley Crafton, founder and CEO of Galena Innovations, you’ll probably be convinced that what makes an entrepreneur boils down to this: they’re people who aren’t just frustrated with a problem, but are willing to do whatever it takes to solve it.
Crafton is a nurse by trade and started working for a Nampa OBGYN when she was 17, which propelled her into a career in women’s and children’s health. Through that career she’s worked as part of the perinatal bereavement team where she had the difficult job of taking care of families who had lost their babies. Read on for how that sparked her entrepreneurial journey.
What’s your current gig?
I was frustrated that we didn’t have a good answer…so I decided to see what I could do about the problem.
– Ashley Crafton
I am the CEO and founder of Galena Innovations, where we are developing a medical device that prevents preterm birth. In my time working with families who had lost their babies, I was asked the same question over and over again: “Why can’t we do anything about this?” I was frustrated that we didn’t have a good answer to that question, and I’ve never been one to sit on the sidelines, so I decided to see what I could do about the problem. I started with some thorough research about causes of preterm birth, which was very clearly centered around one commonality: early cervical change. This is the problem I’m focused on solving with our medical device, the Hannah Cervical Cup.
What is your elevator pitch and how do you deliver on it?
Our Hannah Cervical Cup prevents preterm birth by applying tension and stretching the cervix, which causes collagen regrowth that stiffens the cervix so babies don’t deliver early. During pregnancy, the cervix keeps the fetus inside the womb. At delivery, the role of the cervix reverses and it then facilitates birth by softening, shortening and dilating. Preterm birth happens when the cervix changes too early. Previous interventions have been medications that don’t work and cause harm, or techniques that compress the cervix closed which only further weakens the cervical tissue and can actually induce labor.
What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned getting to this point in your journey?
The job of an entrepreneur is to build something from nothing….You’ve got to figure out how to do it without the money, how to do it from nothing.
-Ashley Crafton
I’ve learned quite a few things. First, the job of an entrepreneur is to build something from nothing. A lot of early entrepreneurs say “I don’t have money to build what I want to build, and no one will give me money until I’ve built it.” But that’s the job of an entrepreneur. You’ve got to figure out how to do it without the money, how to do it from nothing.
I’ve also learned what it means to truly have grit and perseverance even when you are faced with adversity and naysayers. It really does boil down to that: how do you keep moving no matter what? It’s not all about talent and knowledge.
And one of the very first things I learned that continues to hold true is that the execution of an idea is always harder than the idea itself.
If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing about healthcare right now, what would you change?
I would change the four most prevalent issues in modern day obstetrics that are preventing us from getting the outcomes we all want: the healthiest moms, babies, and families possible:
- Mental health disorders of pregnancy and postpartum
- Gestational hypertensive disorders
- Postpartum hemorrhage
- Spontaneous preterm birth
These four things are the biggest contributors to infant and maternal mortality and morbidity. Yes, I also want sophisticated diagnostic tools. Yes, I also want the training and environment for healthcare workers to perform at their highest levels. But it’s only when we change these four things that we will finally reverse our alarmingly high mortality and morbidity rates.
Why are you excited about healthtech in Idaho?
“I am just a girl from Idaho, am I really capable of doing this?” I don’t think anyone should ever have to ask that question.
-Ashley Crafton
When I started this company, I did pause for a second and thought: “I am just a girl from Idaho, am I really capable of doing this?” I don’t think anyone should ever have to ask that question. So I’m excited about healthtech in Idaho because I think it is driving a lot of good changes for Idaho as a whole, like increasing female founder entrepreneurship, changing the job landscape, and changing the tech landscape. I am excited for healthtech to help move all of these things forward so in the future, potential founders don’t ever have to question themselves the way I did.
Want to learn more about Galena Innovations? Head to their website where you can read more about the company and the promising path they’re on, including pitching at the Newport Investor Summit, and MassChallenge. The company also just placed in the top 10 at the Startup World Cup and was selected to participate in the Tech4eva worldwide female-focused health startup accelerator.
