Meet Miami U

When Amanda Simeone enrolled at Miami University, she knew exactly what she wanted to study. She double-majored in Finance and Entrepreneurship and minored in Nutrition. These programs would give her the well-rounded knowledge she needed for her goal.

That goal was to help her mom.

As a person with Type 1 diabetes, Amanda’s mom struggled with low blood-sugar levels. The scariest incident happened when she experienced a hypoglycemia-induced seizure. They were fortunate to have sugar nearby, but Amanda felt a calling to do something more. No one’s life should be in the hands of chance. 

Unfortunately, for those with Type 1 diabetes, avoiding dangerous blood-sugar lows often does feel like a matter of luck. When dealing with hypoglycemia, you can’t always access food right away. Even when you can, there’s the issue of delayed absorption, where food has to go through the digestion process before it enters the bloodstream. 

Amanda knew what problem she wanted to solve, and she knew whom she wanted to solve it for. That’s what led her to Miami.

Her Journey Begins

As Amanda had hoped, she was gaining the skills she needed to start a business in her Finance and Entrepreneurship courses. And through her Nutrition program, she was brainstorming the essential cure. Before long, she was leading a class project with five other students who shared her passion for the issue. 

Then an opportunity presented itself: the Farmer School of Business Techstars Startup Weekend. At the annual event for student entrepreneurs, Amanda pitched a general concept for how to help people with diabetes. While the details of her product weren’t fully realized yet, the exposure was enough for her idea to gain momentum. That’s when she figured it out.

Her Vision Crystalizes  

The solution was orally dissolvable strips. When one is placed between the gum and lip, it raises a person’s blood sugar level, removing the need to eat. And it goes directly into the bloodstream, eliminating the problem of delayed absorption. At last, Amanda had more than just the dream and the ambition. She finally had the product. 

After this breakthrough, she was ready to start her company. It was designed to be a savior for people with diabetes like her mom. And so, she had a name in mind: HERO Glucose.

Her Future Looks Bright

Now, Amanda is a proud small business owner and soon-to-be college graduate. Of course, she couldn’t have gotten this far alone. Not only does she have her co-founder, Kelsey Gruber, to rely on. She has the rest of the RedHawks community supporting her. 

“I can go to a professor’s office hours when I need help with the tiniest thing,” she says. “It’s huge in my mind. I’m like, ‘Okay, they’ll know how to do this in two seconds.’ ”

She’s also taking advantage of the connections she’s been able to make. 

“The alumni base here has been so helpful. I’ll just look someone up on LinkedIn, reach out to them, and we’ll have a Zoom set up for next week.”

Amanda is proof that with perseverance, dedication, and support from your community, you can accomplish incredible goals. HERO Glucose already has a website and a product launch scheduled for this summer. Soon, people with diabetes everywhere will have access to convenient, life-saving care. How would Amanda summarize her journey?

“It started as a class project,” she says, a hint of astonishment in her voice. “And now, it’s a real thing.”