In Conversation with Melissa Holloway, Founder of SmartStart Health

Melissa Holloway, founder of SmartStart Health, is transforming diabetes education through her innovative digital platform. Inspired by her 30-year journey with type 1 diabetes and a career in healthcare, Melissa created SmartStart during the pandemic to address gaps in access and education. Her dedication has turned a personal challenge into a global initiative, empowering people to live healthier lives.

We’re proud to feature Melissa in our Female Founder Spotlight series, celebrating her passion, resilience, and drive to create meaningful change. Here, she shares her journey, the story behind SmartStart, and her vision for the future.

FC: Melissa, thank you so much for speaking with us! To begin, could you summarise your professional background?

MH: Sure! My journey has been quite varied but always centred around healthcare. I spent about 15 years working in healthcare advertising, primarily as a medical copywriter, after initially pursuing a career in healthcare business consulting. Before that, I worked for a medical technology company. But my academic background was actually in the humanities—I came to the UK in 2001 for postgraduate studies in Reformation history.

As a postgrad at Oxford, I became deeply involved in diabetes advocacy and education. Having lived with type 1 diabetes since I was almost 12, I realised how fortunate I had been to have access to advanced technology and education.

After setting up a peer support network for people with type 1 diabetes, I saw I could make a difference in how people navigate life with diabetes.

FC: That’s such a meaningful foundation. Could you share the story behind SmartStart? How did it come to life?

MH: It really started with a mix of frustration and opportunity. During the pandemic, I began hearing stories of people in the UK being told by a diabetes care specialist that they were eligible for NHS funding for a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system, but wouldn’t be able to access it without in-person training… which couldn’t be offered because all in-person appointments were suspended. On the other hand, people who could afford to buy CGM systems privately weren’t getting much guidance on how to use them effectively either. Both scenarios weren’t great.

I’d been inspired by a CGM education program from Germany called Spectrum, which I came across in 2017. It was a brilliant model for in-person training, but I always wondered if it could be adapted for a digital format. The pandemic provided the spark to act. Suddenly, digital health solutions were not only viable but essential. I thought, “Now is the time to tackle this.”

So, I began staying up late at night, reimagining hundreds of PowerPoint slides into something that people could use and benefit from online. It wasn’t easy, but the more I worked on it, the more I realised this could truly make a difference. That’s the heart of SmartStart—bridging gaps in access and creating tools that empower people to live better with diabetes.

FC: What were the most difficult parts of starting up SmartStart?

MH: One of the hardest parts was recognising when I was getting in my own way. For months, working on SmartStart felt like a hobby. After receiving a significant grant from Diabetes Center Berne to deliver the proof-of-concept version, I needed to commit more time and energy to make real progress. That was a huge mindset shift.

Then there were the practical hurdles—working with collaborators and learning to trust the process, even when things weren’t moving as quickly as I’d like. For example, our proof-of-concept study involved 20 participants, and while the content only required 90 to 120 minutes of interaction per person, the process of gathering and analysing the data took about a year.

Patience isn’t always my strongest suit, but I had to learn to let go of what I couldn’t control.

FC: Teamwork seems to have been crucial to your journey. Could you elaborate?

MH: Absolutely! I’ve been so fortunate to work with an incredible team of people who share my vision. For instance, my creative lead Nanda was a dream collaborator. I had always admired her talent when we worked together in healthcare advertising. I literally daydreamed about having her work on SmartStart. By sheer coincidence, when I secured funding she was freelancing and the rest is history. She’s the reason SmartStart’s branding is so strong and distinctive.

Vassilis Karamanis of The Scaffolders in Greece was instrumental in identifying Eurekos LMS as a platform for the proof-of-concept version and getting it up and running. After years of virtual teamwork, we finally met in person in Athens during the Easter holidays last year.

Spending the day together with our families was a highlight of the trip: a genuine human connection developed from our remote collaboration.

FC: Have you encountered gender-based challenges as a female founder?

MH: Yes, and it’s been a real eye-opener. In diabetes technology circles, I feel very at home—it’s my domain, and I know most of the key players.

But pitching to investors and accelerators has been a different story. There’s a disheartening undercurrent of scepticism.
For example, at one event, an impact investor was surprised I’d already built a working product. He asked if he could see it, so I gave him a quick demo. He nodded, said, “Huh,” and wandered off. Later, I noticed the same person engaging enthusiastically with a male founder whose idea was still on the back of a napkin.

This story stands out because it hasn’t happened often, which is a positive thing.

FC: What advice would you give to aspiring female founders?

MH: Don’t be afraid to ask for help—it’s not a weakness. And trust your instincts. You’ll meet some people who claim to be supportive but are really trying to sell you something or sow doubt. The real allies will make themselves known by their actions.

Also, embrace the learning curve. The startup world comes with a whole new vocabulary—SEIS, EIS, cap tables—and it can feel overwhelming. But you don’t need to master it overnight. Take it one step at a time, and surround yourself with people who’ve been through it before.

FC: Speaking of FounderCatalyst, how has it supported your journey?

MH: FounderCatalyst has been a lifeline. Their guidance with SEIS Advance Assurance and other fundraising essentials was top-notch. The WhatsApp community is equally amazing—ask any question, no matter how basic, and you get real, thoughtful answers. It’s reassuring to know I’m not alone in this journey, and there’s always someone willing to share advice or lend an ear.

FC: What’s next for SmartStart?

MH: Lots of exciting things! We’ve launched the proof-of-concept version on a direct-to-consumer basis in the U.S. We’re working on a version of SmartStart CGM for young people aged 12 to 17, as well as an adaptation for the Indian market that includes a mix of English and Hindi.

We’re actively raising an SEIS round to complement a £185,000 Innovate UK Smart Grant to develop the MVP with adaptive learning paths.

Melissa’s journey is a testament to the power of combining personal passion with professional expertise. Her dedication to creating accessible, impactful diabetes education tools has not only filled a critical gap but also inspired others to rethink what’s possible in digital health.

A huge thank you to Melissa for sharing her story as part of Female Founders Friday. We’re here to support her throughout her fundraising journey.

Check out SmartStart’s LinkedIn page here, to learn more about their vision and impact.

Click this link to let us help guide you on your own fundraising journey.

Author: Gideon Stott, Digital Marketing Executive at FounderCatalyst