“What we don’t measure, we can’t improve,” said Helene Guillaume, founder and CEO of Wild.AI.
Guillaume, who says her favorite combined skillset is brains + vitality, launched Wild.AI in 2017. The company applies the science of female physiology to active women to help them train, recover and supplement based on their cycle.
“What is amazing, but first of all it’s quite scary–but so amazing, is that right now we are able to develop really cutting-edge products and solutions for women," Guillaume said.
"And the reason it's scary is that it hasn't really existed until now, which is pretty sad, but exciting. We're basically in the dark ages. We’re providing really good products backed by science to women and it's exciting because it’s such a wide world and we’re pretty much on top of it, and we're in the beginning of it. Women have been basically suffering in silence and just using training and nutritional protocols made for men that they didn't adapt to. We’re now able to really tap into our potential, so that's why it's so exciting right now.”
While there wasn’t a ton of data available on female physiology when Wild.AI got started, Guillaume said the team gathered any and all the research they could find. They then translated it into digestible information and combined it with wearables and eventually launched an app.
In sync
Using Wild.AI’s research and algorithms, the app provides a ‘readiness score’ and uses that score to suggest things like hydration, nutrition and activity level. The app can make predictions about things like menstrual pain and how to alleviate symptoms and pick up on ovulation, when the female body is particularly stronger, to recommend a more challenging workout.
“We're basically bringing something that is quite theoretical and ‘researchy’ and offering something usable and very practical for women," Guillaume explained.
"And it's really interesting for women because our bodies are changing all the time, and our systems are changing all the time. So technology is really a nice tool to say, for instance, if a woman is menstruating, we have phases of the menstrual cycle: menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation and the luteal phase and without symptoms. And so for each of these, with technical products, it's quite easy to provide the right conditions at the right time. So women are finding it extremely easy to follow these practical recommendations on supplements and nutrition.”
What to expect
As Guillaume prepares to take the stage in San Diego next month at the Sports and Active Nutrition Summit, she said attendees can expect to hear about the research behind Wild.AI and its practical applications.
“How can we understand the female body if she has a menstrual cycle? Or if she is using one of the 148 birth controls we cover, or if she's in perimenopause or menopause? We’ll also have a crash course on how the female body works. Men who work with women as well, like coaches and physical trainers, they love it because they can go back with something that they can then apply to their own lives. And then we’ll discuss some of the latest trends as well, and where we see opportunities and where we see some struggles,” said Guillaume.
Get ready for the Sports and Active Nutrition Summit
The Wild.AI founder and CEO will be speaking at the Sports & Active Nutrition Summit next month in San Diego. Guillaume will sit down for a fireside chat with NutraIngredients-USA Editor Danielle Masterson to discuss hormone tracking for better performance by delving into how Wild.AI applies the science of female physiology to active women to help them train, recover and supplement.