Neha (left) and Catherine (right) showcasing Rora’s early prototype at the Rice Business Plan Competition, a national competition where 42 startups across the nation compete for over $1M in prizes.
At Kellogg, we’re taught to chase big ideas. Sometimes, the most powerful ideas start with a quiet truth: women are suffering in silence throughout menopause.
That’s what we discovered when we started a venture in business school. We would ask midlife women about their daily experiences. The answers were surprising —because these women weren’t just talking about hot flashes or mood swings. They mentioned feeling overlooked, dismissed, and isolated. We heard from women who had quit their jobs because of menopause symptoms. Some women couldn’t sit through work meetings, exercise comfortably, or connect with partners because they were struggling with one of menopause’s most common symptoms: external vaginal dryness. In some cases, they were trying to manage a decade-long hormonal shift with makeshift solutions like Vaseline or baby oil.
And perhaps most tellingly, we heard the same phrase over-and-over: “No one talks about this.”
Team Rora won first place at The Garage’s (Northwestern’s startup space) Demo Day, winning an additional $10,000, after spending the summer accelerating their company in Northwestern’s accelerator program, Jumpstart.
GETTING A ‘JUMPSTART’ ON THEIR VENTURE
As MBA students at Kellogg, we co-founded Rora, a consumer health startup to serve the millions of women navigating menopause each year. Our first product is a hands-free, hormone-free mist that provides instant relief from external vaginal dryness (also known as vulvar dryness)—one of the most common and painful, but also most ignored, symptoms of menopause.
Team Rora getting local spending their Saturday at the Evanston farmer’s market to raise awareness around perimenopause and menopause, showcase the brand vision, and hand out samples of Rora mist.
We didn’t know much about vulvar dryness prior to beginning this journey. Once we saw the scale of the problem and the lack of products catering to these women’s needs, we couldn’t look away. Rora became our way of asking a better question: What would women’s health look like if it was actually designed for women, by women?
Throughout our time at Kellogg, we’ve taken advantage of the variety of resources that Kellogg has to offer in building Rora. Last summer, we participated in The Garage’s summer accelerator program, Jumpstart. Jumpstart is a 10-week long pre-accelerator incubator where 10 startup teams from across Northwestern come together to work on to advance their startups, backed with support from the university through dedicated programing, funding, and mentorship. Jumpstart gave us incredible resources and support throughout the summer, which we used to conduct extensive customer discovery, create initial branding materials, and build our formulation in-house.
Every day during Jumpstart, we had programming led by incredible founders, operators, professors, and mentors, covering everything from financial modeling and accounting to brand strategy and investor pitching. We also took full advantage of The Garage’s physical space, designing prototypes and holding discovery sessions where women in our target demographic came in for live testing. We also ran exercises to understand their preferences. However, the real learning came when we asked them to go into the restroom and mimic real-world behavior with the product. The contrast between what women said and what they did was eye-opening. It taught us how important it is to observe behavior, not just rely on answers.
This kind of hands-on, ethnographic approach to research was a direct result of the customer discovery mindset that Jumpstart and Kellogg instilled in us. The Garage’s maker space also gave us the ability to test and iterate on physical components like packaging and bottle design before we had the capital to do it professionally. We 3D-printed packaging mockups and designed early labels, which we used alongside our in-house formulation to bring Rora to life at Demo Day. At the end of the 10 weeks, Jumpstart culminates in a Demo Day pitch competition, of which we were lucky enough to win first place.
Neha and Catherine are pictured at a manufacturer visit outside of Seoul, Korea. They were able to visit multiple manufacturers, formulators, and brands as part of the Levy Inspiration Grant.
FINDING INSIGHT AND INSPIRATION OVERSEAS
After Jumpstart, we took advantage of Kellogg’s Levy Inspiration Grant to travel to South Korea for further research on the manufacturing and research and development process behind leading topical products. The Levy Inspiration Grant is a program that enables Kellogg students to travel anywhere in the world to pursue their entrepreneurial ideas, whether through conducting ethnographic research, meeting with customers, or consulting industry experts. We used our time in South Korea to dive deep into the wellness ecosystem, with three specific goals in mind: understand what it takes to manufacture Over-the-Counter (OTC) skincare products, explore how packaging design influences consumer behavior, and study how brands break through in saturated markets using science-backed storytelling.
Catherine (left) and Neha (right) showcasing early prototypes and handing out samples at the Rice Business Plan Competition final showcase in Houston.
For us, South Korea stood out for its leadership in skincare innovation and its cultural emphasis on wellness across life stages. One of the most surprising insights came when we visited top-tier Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) manufacturer. We learned that they often lead the research and development (R&D) process themselves, developing and proposing new formulations to brands rather than the other way around. We also saw how these one-stop shops are increasingly serving global clients, highlighting a shift in how wellness products are being developed and scaled. This experience gave us a new lens through which to assess manufacturers in the U.S. for our initial production runs. It helped us ask more thoughtful, forward-looking questions and better understand the tradeoffs involved in formulation, minimums, and scale. Most importantly, it showed us the value of building a long-term relationship with a manufacturer who could grow with us, not just fulfill a one-off order.
We returned more confident in our vision for Rora and more inspired to bring the same level of care, science, and design to vulvar wellness that we saw embedded in Korea’s skincare ecosystem. We came in focused on product development, but left thinking more expansively about the role Rora could play in reshaping vulvar care as a category. Our overseas trek also taught us something fundamental about growing a venture: cast a wide net in the types of meetings and experiences you want.
We would recommend that aspiring founders leverage their business school network, reach out to local contacts, and say yes to unexpected conversations. Some of our most meaningful insights came from off-script moments where we asked more questions and remained curious. Don’t go in with too rigid an agenda and leave space to be surprised. We left Korea with clearer conviction, a more global experience, and fresh inspiration for what’s possible. That perspective directly influenced how we refined Rora’s packaging, along with prioritizing sensory elements like mist texture and visual design to mirror the elevated care we saw in Korean skincare. It also shaped how we talk about the product, not just as functional, but as part of a daily wellness ritual that centers women’s comfort and dignity.
Catherine and Neha with Kellogg’s Dean Cornelli after pitching at the Kellogg Healthcare Business Plan Competition finals
FINDING SUPPORT AMONG ZELL FELLOWS
Neha was also selected as a Zell Fellow, Kellogg’s competitive, year-long venture accelerator for student founders. The program has been instrumental in helping us pressure-test our business model and think critically about how to launch a consumer health brand in a space where education, trust, and stigma all intersect. It provided strategic support and funding for Rora, while also creating space for Neha to reflect on her leadership style, personal growth, and what it really takes to build something from the ground up. As part of the program, each fellow is paired with a personal advisory board of seasoned entrepreneurs, operators, and investors who offer individualized mentorship throughout the year. Even more, Zell surrounded us with a community of bold, mission-driven founders who understand the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship and make you braver just by standing beside them.
Catherine Malloy
One of the most impactful parts of the Zell Fellows program has been the Design Review sessions, where the entire cohort comes together to workshop a real challenge brought in by a fellow. These aren’t surface-level brainstorms; they’re deep, thoughtful, and action-oriented. Fellows jump in with feedback, intros, resources, and even shared decks or frameworks if they think it will help. We leaned on these sessions to pressure-test Rora’s brand and packaging, exploring how to talk about vulvar care in a way that felt both credible and warm, how our visuals landed, and where we needed to be braver.
What makes Zell truly special is the emotional support that comes with the feedback. This is a close-knit group that celebrates wins loudly and helps carry each other through the tough days. In these times, we would cheer someone on after a difficult pitchor share a happy hour pep talk, We would sit around the table at a faculty advisor’s home, like our dinner with Rebecca Kahnweiler, where we had an honest conversation about burnout, entrepreneurship, and inspiration. In essence, Zell creates space to be real. We’ve also had the chance to connect with the Sam Zell EGI team, adding a deeper sense of legacy and support behind what we’re building. It is that rare mix of practical advice, personal mentorship, and true camaraderie – and it has made all the difference.
Catherine delivering the Rora 1-minute pitch at the Rice Business Plan Competition elevator pitch competition. Rora won first place in their vertical.
“EVERY WOMAN SHOULD FEEL SEEN AND EMPOWERED”
Through the support of Kellogg, we’ve been able to create a science-backed product that is highly effective. Rora’s mist is dermatologist-validated, and can be used discreetly – anytime, anywhere. Unlike other products, there’s no goopy creams or awkward application methods. Instead, women feel immediate relief in seconds.
Neha Mehta
So much of the world tells women that menopause is a punchline, not a phase of life worthy of care, innovation, or celebration. Rora is pushing back on that. For us, Rora isn’t just about solving a symptom. It’s about reshaping the story of menopause – from something women quietly endure to something they feel empowered to navigate. We believe it’s time to flip the script on menopause. That’s why Women’s Health Month matters. Most innovation in women’s health centers around fertility, pregnancy, or aesthetics, yet menopause spans over a third of a woman’s life. At Rora, we believe it’s time to give menopause the attention, investment, and care it deserves. Every woman should feel seen and empowered to move through life with confidence.
After Kellogg, we’re planning to pursue Rora full-time. This summer, we’ll be working hard to get our mist into the hands of midlife women. Our long-term vision is to move beyond vulvar dryness and build a suite of personal care products that address the full spectrum of menopause symptoms – so women can feel supported, seen, and empowered through every phase and stage of life. This isn’t just about one mist. It’s about changing the way we treat women. It’s about building a brand that meets this moment with empathy, elegance, and energy. And it’s about saying, boldly and unapologetically: every woman deserves to feel their best, always.
At Kellogg, we learned how to test fast, think big, and build with heart. Rora is the result of all of that. We’re proud to be building a company that targets stigmatized women’s health issues head on. And we’re just getting started.
About the Founders:
Neha Mehta is the co-founder of Rora and a 2025 MBA graduate from the Kellogg School of Management, where she is a Zell Fellow. Prior to Kellogg, she worked in healthcare consulting, tech product, and marketing. She’s passionate about building bold, stigma-breaking solutions in women’s health and believes every woman deserves to feel seen, supported, and powerful at every stage of life. She was inspired to start Rora after hearing hundreds of women share stories of suffering in silence, and is driven to build products that reflect empathy, science, and strength.
Catherine Malloy is the co-founder of Rora and a 2025 MBA graduate from the Kellogg School of Management. Before Kellogg, she worked in management consulting and later in strategy at The RealReal. She’s passionate about creating thoughtful, intuitive products that help women feel more confident and comfortable in their everyday lives—especially during life transitions that have historically been ignored. She’s particularly interested in the economic toll of overlooked health issues on women’s lives, and is focused on building solutions that are not only functional, but built to drive real, lasting impact at scale.