Alaa Al-Sahli, founder of the LEAD company Mamelle, is one of 17 entrepreneurs and initiatives to receive a grant from the XO Foundation. The grant will enable the company to reach a wider audience with its product, which is designed to make everyday life easier for women with sore and tender breasts.
On August 19, the XO Foundation announced this year’s grant recipients. A total of 7,295,000 Swedish kronor will be awarded to entrepreneurs, community initiatives, and talented individuals from across Sweden. Among this year’s recipients are Linköping-based Mamelle and its founder, Alaa Al-Sahli.
Mamelle has developed a portable breast warmer featuring graphene technology and three heat settings, which is currently sold at apoteket.se, among other retailers. The heating pad is designed to provide an even and comfortable warmth across the chest area, for example, during a quiet moment before breastfeeding or pumping.
In its statement, the XO Foundation highlights Alaa Al-Sahli’s tenacity and passion:
“She is living proof that you should never give up—she won over the jury with her passion—and thanks to her persistence, her product will help many women improve their daily lives as parents of young children.”
– It feels amazing and is a huge honor for both me and Mamelle. I’ve faced many setbacks along the way, but I’ve always been firmly convinced that this product is needed. This grant now gives us the opportunity to take the next step and reach more women who need the product,” says Alaa Al-Sahli, founder of Mamelle.
Alaa Al-sahli’s business coach at LEAD, Johannes Walfridsson, sees the scholarship as a well-deserved recognition of her entrepreneurship.
“Alaa has incredible drive and a strong passion for the problem she wants to solve. She’s also very skilled at communicating Mamelle’s product and helping people understand both the need for and the value of the solution. We at LEAD are really looking forward to continuing to support the company going forward,” he says.
Since its inception in 2018, the XO Foundation has awarded a total of 32 million kronor to 67 grant recipients. This year’s 17 recipients were selected from a record number of applications submitted from 200 locations across Sweden.
Photo: Daniela Spiroska
