Meet SCAPE company Grow Nutrition App. Like all great companies, Founder Katie Kelly identified a problem through a personal experience, which is exactly how Grow Nutrition App was born. Learn about her journey to entrepreneurship through motherhood and how her team has built a solution to create new standards in maternal care by focusing on nutrition.

Q: What’s your name, title, business?

A: Katie Kelly, Founder and CEO, Grow Nutrition App

Q: What does your business do?

A: At Grow, we educate and empower pregnant women to make informed choices about their nutrition, leading to healthier pregnancies and better outcomes for both mothers and babies. Pregnancy nutrition is so much more than “eating for two” and a prenatal vitamin. We aim to set new standards in maternal care in which optimal nutrition is a cornerstone for the health and happiness of both mother and child

Our goal is to revolutionize the pregnancy journey by providing actionable, researched-based information through an app that seamlessly integrates nutrition, education, and personalized support. Grow will be the go-to resource for parents during this incredible journey.

Q: Tell us about your entrepreneurial journey.

A: Grow will be my third startup. I became an entrepreneur after losing my job in local government. What started as a grant application served as the foundation of what eventually became my first and second businesses. I never imagined myself running a business, but I think I had the traits for a successful entrepreneur all along- always challenging the status quo, pushing for fast change- it just took me losing two jobs within six months to realize it! Now I have the bug, and I approach so many aspects of life with this mentality. That includes my parenthood journey. Becoming a mom inspired me to start Grow, to challenge the current practices that minimize the importance of nutrition awareness and education during this critical stage of life.

Q: What was the most powerful lesson you learned on this journey?

A: To trust my instincts. There will always be people who don’t get it, but those people aren’t your customers. There’s a fine line between being able to take advice, and trusting in your gut that you know your solution will make a difference. I recommend leaning toward your gut.

Q: Why did you apply for the SCAPE Program?

A: Grow has incredible high-growth potential, and we need all the help we can get to make sure we fulfill that potential. I’m really impressed with the level of support and expertise in the four corners area, curated by SCAPE, and that makes it easy for our team to ask for help.

Q: What companies inspire you the most (local, national, worldwide)?

A: I am really inspired by the company Flo Health. They were pioneers in female body literacy and empowerment, and their approach to that service is really insightful. We hope to follow their lead and start to open eyes around a topic that is so essential, but that has become really muted and systematized- nutrition during and after pregnancy. 

Q: What do you love most about the Four Corners?

A: I love everything. I love that when I go to the grocery store I literally stop in my track at the view- every time. My family moved here when my son was 10 days old, and every day I tell him how lucky he is to live here. I can’t wait to raise him in the culture here.