About us

Isabelle Guenou

Founder & CEO

Growing up between elite sports, doctor’s appointments and years of unanswered questions, Isabelle learned early what it means when the healthcare system doesn't have answers. For eight years, she searched for the cause of symptoms that were repeatedly dismissed as stress, hormones or simply “part of being a woman.” Eventually, she was diagnosed with endometriosis.

As a former competitive swimmer, Isabelle understood data, performance and the body. What she couldn't understand was why one biological sample was consistently ignored by medicine:

Menstrual blood.

Digging through scientific literature, she discovered something remarkable: menstrual blood contains immune cells, proteins, hormones and endometrial tissue, yet remains one of the most overlooked biological samples in healthcare.

So she asked a simple question:

What if the future of women's health has been discarded every month for centuries?

In 2022, she founded theblood to find out.


Dr. Amy Whitbread

Chief Scientific Officer

Molecular biologist with a PhD in Molecular & Cellular Biology and published research exploring the diagnostic potential of menstrual blood as a non-invasive source of health information.

Today, she leads the scientific development behind theblood.

Marilena Schmich

Fractional COO

Operator. Founder. Strategist

Marilena combines experience as a startup founder, venture advisor and strategist to drive execution across theblood's commercialization, partnerships and company operations.

Dr. Rajnish Rao 

CTO & Head of Data

PhD in Reproductive Biology and former systems neuroscience researcher with over a decade of experience in biological data analysis. Leads data science and biomarker discovery at theblood.

Advisory Board

  • Dr. med. Lisa-Maria Wallwiener

    Medical Advisor

    Board-certified gynecologist specialized in gynecological endocrinology and reproductive medicine. Expert in hormonal health, menopause, fertility and female physiology with over 15 years of clinical experience.

  • Dr. med. Burghard Abendstein

    Medical Advisor

    Board-certified gynecologist, surgeon and head of multiple certified centers for endometriosis, gynecologic oncology and minimally invasive surgery. Over 30 years of clinical experience in women’s health.

  • Dr. Sheida Hoenlinger

    Advisor

    Life Sciences executive at SGS with nearly two decades of experience in analytical testing, quality assurance and regulated healthcare environments. Leads large-scale laboratory and validation operations across Germany and Austria.

  • Dr. Olivier Flückiger

    Advisor

    Digital health entrepreneur and former healthcare executive at Pfizer and Roche. Co-founder of RoX Health, supporting the development and scaling of next-generation healthcare innovations.