Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in Portugal. Every year, an average of around 7,000 new cases of breast cancer are detected in our country, 10% of which are metastatic, and around 1,800 women die from the disease, according to data from the Portuguese League Against Cancer. It was precisely following a diagnosis of breast cancer that the idea of creating Glooma was born, a startup based in Braga to which today's episode of "Negócios com Impacto", the Rádio Renascença podcast in partnership with CATÓLICA-LISBON, is dedicated.
The creation of Glooma began with the combination of Francisco Nogueira's degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa and the skills acquired on the MSc in Management course with a specialization in Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Impact at CATÓLICA-LISBON.
A business whose social impact is hardly debatable and whose genesis dates to 2019, the year in which one of Francisco Nogueira's close relatives was diagnosed with breast cancer. This is how the SenseGlove was born with Glooma, a clear case of innovative technological development.
"It's a sensory glove connected to a mobile app, which allows breast tissue to be screened at home and in a very practical way, using algorithms to complement self-examination, enabling the early detection of potentially worrying alterations," explains Frederico Stock.
It was precisely after finishing his biomedical engineering degree, in March 2020, that Francisco Nogueira dedicated himself to the project of developing this technological solution, together with his friend Frederico Stock. Their current goal is to reach as many women as possible with the early detection of breast cancer. To this end, they are deeply involved in raising investment to bring SenseGlove to the market, including the international market.
Since its creation, and while the SenseGlove does not enter the marketing circuit, Glooma has been adding up prizes and donations, and has managed to raise close to 120 thousand euros. "For example, we closed an investment round at the end of last year for almost half a million euros from Portugal Ventures," he says. From Banco Português de Fomento, the managing body of the Social Innovation Fund (FIS), they obtained 333,000 euros and were also distinguished in the "Innovative Caregiver" category of the Patienty Innovation Awards.
"What drives us is, above all, the impact of what we're building, every time people come to us, share their stories, show interest in what we're doing and ask us to get our solution to the market as quickly as possible," says Frederico Stock.