Natallia Miranchuk tells CBN how Soula got its name, why she picked Cyprus and what numbers the app had in April 2023.
On April 29, 2023, Jacqueline Theodoulou of CBN published an interview with Natallia Miranchuk, CEO of Soula. Soula is a Cyprus-based app that supports pregnant women and parents. Miranchuk told CBN how she came up with the concept and why she built it in Cyprus. Invest Cyprus published the interview on June 27, 2023.
The Idea Came From 15 Years of Maternity Projects
Natallia says she has led maternity and parenthood care projects for over 15 years. In the interview, she names USAID, UNFPA, WHO and UNICEF as organisations she worked with in Belarus, where she says projects reached over 350,000 women.
Her start was in newborn photography. By her account,t she photographed over 3,500 newborn babies and has taught photography to over 850 students worldwide.
As a doula, she saw a need for a knowledgeable companion available 24/7. Information from healthcare professionals is often complex and lacks a personal touch from woman to woman, she says. In 2022, she came up with the idea of a mobile app. Dua, Ewia and Lulla were on the list of names before the team chose "Soula", which she describes as "A SOUL but in a female way."
Natallia Chose Cyprus for Four Reasons
Natallia was looking for a place to relocate with her two children. She gives four reasons for choosing Cyprus:
- taxation and startup conditions
- a convenient geographic hub for flights, relocations, and meetings
- an investment environment with many investors, funds, and founders
- a comfortable climate
Soula Had 100+ Daily Installs and 16,500 Chat Questions
Natallia says Soula was still small because the team had put little money into user acquisition. She gives these numbers to CBN:
- more than 100 installs per day
- 77% of users completed onboarding
- 16,500 questions in the chat
Retention rates were higher than top market performance, she says. Her mentors include Andrei Kulik, who sold AI-Matter to Google in 2019, and Natalia Vodianova, who joined as a lead investor, in her words.
Natallia Lists Five Features and a Planned Partner Mode
Natallia describes five features: an AI chatbot that remembers a person's situation, a content library linked to the chat, a daily programme, a well-being tracker and community support. She states the mission this way:
"Our dream is to help every mother in the world to give birth and raise children from a place of love and acceptance for themselves, making the planet a warmer cradle for a healthier and happier generation."
Natallia says Soula had received no government or EU funding at that point and was raising its next investment round. She announced plans for a partner mode, which would let fathers and partners see the emotional state of a pregnant loved one and get tips on how to support her.
About Soula
Soula is a Cyprus-based startup whose app assists pregnant women and parents, according to CBN. Its founder describes an AI chatbot, a content library, a daily programme, a well-being tracker, and community support. Natallia Miranchuk is Founder and CEO of Soula.
Media contact: n.miranchuk@soula.care · soula.care
Sources
- Jacqueline Theodoulou, Soula: A SOUL but in a female way, CBN Cyprus, April 29, 2023 (updated May 5, 2023).
- Also published at: Soula: A SOUL but in a female way, Invest Cyprus, June 27, 2023.