Ciara Donlon, Theya Healthcare. Image: Richie Stokes
Irish company makes post-surgery garments from a fabric mix using bamboo.
A Dublin manufacturer of medical garments, Theya Healthcare, has raised €665,000 in a funding round from private angel investors and Enterprise Ireland.
The funding will facilitate the expansion of the company into the US market, and the company plans to create four new sales and marketing jobs to support this strategic expansion.
Theya has also signed a deal with a US purchasing co-op called Greenhealth Exchange, which specifies, screens and sources high-quality and ethically sourced products for its members.
The deal will see Theya become a preferred supplier to 11 large US healthcare systems, including the Mayo Clinic, Dignity Health and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical.
Putting the detail into retail
The NovaUCD company was launched in 2015 by Ciara Donlon.
The company’s flagship post-surgery lingerie range is designed primarily for use by breast cancer patients and currently retails across Ireland, the UK, mainland Europe, Australia, Canada, South Africa and the US.
Theya uses its patented fabric mix made from bamboo, which is ideal for post-operative products as it is antibacterial, breathable, 59pc more absorbent than cotton and extremely soft, thus helping to reduce skin irritation.
“The signing of this deal with the Greenhealth Exchange opens up the US 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 US market and to create a number of new sales and marketing roles to help achieve this goal,” said Donlon.
“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.
