More than half of Dutch citizens live with a chronic disease, and over 70% of supermarket products are ultra-processed.
In this episode of Women Disrupting Tech, I talk with Anke Kuik, co-founder and CEO of FLTRD, about turning a personal interest in nutrition into a tool that helps people navigate the supermarket. Anke walks me through the science behind PureScore, why popular nutrition labels can be misleading, and the founder decisions that took FLTRD from an outsourced prototype to more than 30,000 downloads.
This episode is for female founders and women in tech building health tech products, women entrepreneurs curious about the science behind nutrition apps, and any startup leader deciding when to bring technical development in-house.
What you'll learn in this episode:
- Why more than half of Dutch citizens live with a chronic disease, largely driven by lifestyle.
- How the "food matrix" explains why isolated vitamins or fiber don't work like whole food does.
- Why FLTRD built its own PureScore instead of relying on nutrition scores that can be gamed.
- Why outsourcing app development early on slowed FLTRD down and cost more than expected.
- Why bringing a technical co-founder in-house was Anke's best decision for FLTRD.
- How FLTRD keeps its scanning tool free while building a B2B model with supermarkets.
- What Anke looks for in investors beyond capital: retail, FMCG, and dietary network expertise.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Anke Kuik and FLTRD
06:55 Developing the concept and building the first app
12:01 Why healthy supermarket choices are so difficult
14:21 What "ultra-processed" food really means
18:09 PureScore vs. Nutriscore
22:56 Personal responsibility, pricing, and the food system
25:10 How the PureScore works
29:03 Scanning products and choosing better alternatives
31:19 Keeping the app free and building a business model
34:40 Working with supermarkets and the B2B opportunity
37:35 Fundraising, traction, and growth plans
39:52 Health impact and scientific validation
43:18 Publicity, media attention, and founder visibility
46:40 How bringing a CTO in-house changed the company
49:00 Finding investors with strategic value
50:10 Advice for an AI-powered founder funding platform
54:06 Where to find FLTRD & closing
Show notes:
Blog: https://womendisruptingtech.blog/2026/09/17/episode-170/
Substack: https://womendisruptingtech.substack.com/p/episode-170
Connect with Anke Kuik and FLTRD:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankekuik/
Website: https://www.fltrd.nl/App:
Download the FLTRD app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fltrd.nl/
Connect with Dirkjan Hupkes:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirkjan-hupkes/
Funding Coach tool: https://fundingcoach.ai
Substack: https://womendisruptingtech.substack.com/
About Women Disrupting Tech
Every week, Women Disrupting Tech covers the decisions, patterns, and structural realities that female founders and investors rarely discuss in public but run into every time they meet. Follow to get it in your feed.
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