With a background as a cancer researcher and a lifelong dedication to science, Leta has transitioned into entrepreneurship, aiming to revolutionize animal welfare in livestock. Her story showcases how a willingness to learn, added to the mix of science, innovation, and customer discovery, can bring a great idea to fruition.
From Academia to Livestock: How Leta Nutt is Revolutionizing Animal Welfare with Nutt Bio
Early Inspiration and Transition to Animal Welfare:
As a dog mom and advocate for animal welfare, Leta’s passion was ignited by a need in her community. “When we first moved to Memphis in 2009, the Memphis Animal Shelter was euthanizing more than 10,000 dogs and cats a year,” Leta explains. “It’s less than a thousand now, but we don’t have enough vets to sterilize all the dogs and cats in the US. We need another method.”
This realization drove her to develop a single-injection sterilization solution, igniting her transition from academia to entrepreneurship.
“I spent my entire adult career in academia, and I was a cancer researcher at Saint Jude. I had my own lab, and we focused on the metabolic regulation of cell death. And I figured if I could get a cancer cell to die, I could get a sperm cell to die.”
And so began her startup journey.
The Role of Customer Discovery:
At Alchemist, one of the pivotal things we teach our startups is the art of customer discovery. Leta was already miles ahead in making this a solid foundation for her business before she joined our pre-accelerator program in Memphis. Through the Patents to Products program at the University of Memphis, Leta conducted extensive customary discovery, still thinking of dogs and cats in her community, and made some unique discoveries.
“Patents to Products takes scientists and helps us spin our ideas into startups,” She recounts. “I had no idea what I was doing, and it taught me something very important—stakeholder or customer discovery. During my customer discovery process, I learned very quickly that the animal welfare space can’t afford a new form of sterilization product.”
This realization led Leta to identify piglets as a scalable target market: 120 million are slaughtered each year, 60 million of which are male. Farmers need to castrate these piglets during their first week of life without anesthesia in order to make the meat fit for consumption due to a condition called boar taint. As hardy as they are, some of these piglets do not survive.
The number of castrations highlighted the need for a faster, non-surgical method. Her single-injection solution is affordable, addressing this massive volume, which can help drive costs down, making it viable for large-scale adoption and an attractive solution for farmers. “All of a sudden, the numbers got big for me.”
Enter Alchemist and Epicenter:
As the Memphis region's nonprofit entrepreneurship hub, Epicenter is building a vibrant, inclusive economy by supporting startup founders and small business owners.
“Epicenter partnered with the University of Memphis to produce Patents to Products, and that’s how I got involved,” says Leta. “They have all these programs to help startups. I used every opportunity I had to grow myself as a businessperson. I have the science acumen, but I’m trying to grow my business acumen, so people take me seriously as a CEO.”
One such program is the Crucible program in partnership with Alchemist. This is a no-fee pre-accelerator program for Memphis-based companies aspiring to join top-tier accelerator programs. During the Crucible program, Alchemist coaches work with talented founders through intensive coaching sessions tailored to the needs of the startup’s areas of development.
Ian Bergman, Managing Director and Mentor at Alchemist says, “To be a successful entrepreneur, you have to deliberately focus on the problem space and ask, ‘Do we understand the problem? Who has it? How many people care enough about it to change behavior?’"
Ian was paired with Leta during her enrollment in the Crucible program, and their relationship proved transformative. Through his advice and mentorship, combined with her previous participation in other programs, Leta would win the Next Big Thing, a competition in which entrepreneurs pitch their business and investment opportunities and then answer questions from the attendees. “Ian was fabulous. He came into my life at the most opportune time,” Leta recounts. “He talked to me like a peer and tailored his advice to help me grow. Together, we worked on a pitch that got me to the Next Big Thing competition through the Society of Entrepreneurs here in Memphis. I won that pitch, and it gave me the confidence to start my fundraising.”
“Sometimes you meet someone where you step back and think, ‘Wow, this is an entrepreneur.’ Leta is one of those people,” says Ian. “The way she would update her thinking, convey her conviction, and build messaging that brought people along was truly impressive."
A Remarkable Fundraising Journey:
In January 2024, Leta started her pre-seed raise. Of the seven different investors she approached, five were a resounding “yes.”
“I needed VC, veterinarian, and producer support, and I got them all. Jimmy Tosh, of Tosh Farms, invested in Nutt Bio personally because he loves the idea and wants to see it come to fruition.”
Her persistence paid off, underscoring the importance of preparation and understanding your customer. “I’m an academic; I like to check boxes. I knew who my stakeholders were, and I got VC backing, veterinarian backing, and producer backing. Check, check, check!”
A Passionate Call to Action:
When asked if she has any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, she emphasizes that you cannot be held back by fear or the expectations of those around you. “Society likes to tell women at age 50 that you can’t start over, and that’s complete nonsense. You’re an expert in your field. If you work hard, keep your head down, and stay persistent, you’ll get to the end of the line.”
The Bridge Between Animal Welfare and Human Health:
What’s on the horizon for Nutt Bio? Leta aims to bridge gaps between animal welfare and human health: “Our pathways are converged across species. If we start solving issues like prolapse in sows, for example, we can pave the way for solutions in human health, too. I want to bring scientists and engineers into livestock to tackle these tough problems.”
Ian says, "I’m incredibly excited and proud of the work Nutt Bio has been doing. I have full belief that they will make a meaningful impact in the world."
Leta’s story is a testament to the power of purpose and finding unique ways to apply your knowledge to stimulate innovation. From identifying gaps in the market to leveraging the support of programs through Alchemist and Epicenter, she has built a company poised to change the future of animal welfare. Her message is clear: “Persistence, customer discovery, and passion will take you far. If I can do it, anyone can.”
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