HAYVN Hubcast Cranel’s Founders on Building a Women-Led Health Brand From Personal Pain Points EP 134
In this episode of HAYVN Hubcast, host Nancy Sheed speaks with Christine Jurzenski and Erica Schultz, co-founders of Cranel, about their journey building a women-centered health company rooted in prevention, education, and product efficacy.
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Normalizing taboo conversations in women’s healthChristine Jurzenski and Erica Schultz are on a mission to remove stigma around UTIs, gut health, and vaginal health—areas many women experience but rarely discuss openly.
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A company born from personal pain pointsCranel started as a solution to recurrent UTIs after the founders experienced the frustrating cycle of antibiotics, side effects, and limited preventative options.
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Non-traditional founders who learned fastWith backgrounds in finance and law, they built Cranel by taking “micro steps”—researching clinical evidence, cold-calling experts, and learning manufacturing and e-commerce from scratch.
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COVID pushed them into DTC—and it workedThe pandemic forced Cranel to launch as a direct-to-consumer brand, allowing them to maintain margins, educate customers, and build strong relationships with their community.
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Lean scaling with smart delegationCranel is still run by the two founders full-time with a network of contractors. They believe in mastering processes before outsourcing and leveraging modern tools and AI to scale efficiently.
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Expanding from a hero product to a platformThe brand has grown beyond cranberry juice with the launch of a probiotic/prebiotic product to support gut and vaginal microbiome health, signaling a broader women’s health platform strategy.
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Navigating the supplement and regulatory gray zoneThey discussed the challenges of operating in the supplement space, balancing science-backed messaging with regulatory constraints, and advocating for better education around antibiotic overuse and resistance.
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The power of community and pitchingWinning the HAYVN Hatch pitch competition reinforced the value of female founder communities, mentorship, and the strength of a co-founder partnership.
Christine and Erica's journey with Cranel illustrates how personal frustration can spark meaningful innovation. By combining evidence-based product development, direct-to-consumer education, and a mission to destigmatize women’s health, they’re building more than a brand—they’re building a movement.
Their story highlights the power of curiosity, persistence, and community in turning a side hustle into a growing health platform designed by women, for women.
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