Spokin

Spokin is a Chicago based startup​ in the consumer healthcare space. Our launch condition is food allergies. Spokin is an empowerment tool that allows people managing food allergies to quickly discover and share resources. The backbone of Spokin is a recommendation engine and we’re building the world’s largest data platform for specialized diets.

Food allergies is one of the largest chronic conditions impacting families in the United States with 1 out of 13 children now being diagnosed. Beyond food allergies, Spokin is expanding into celiac and specialized diets. The specialized diet market is large and estimated at 250 million people in the United States with a rate of 2 out of 3 people.

We are a mission-based, early-stage company and operate in a fast-paced environment. The underpinnings of our culture are productive, hard-working, humble and above all, kind. This is a culture where we work hard but family and outside interests are important. Our founder is a mother of three young children and simply believes you should never miss your child’s Halloween parade or other key events. Spokin offers unlimited vacation because we know self-starters who know how to get the job done don’t need to their vacation days managed.

Founder and CEO Susie Hultquist, the mother of a teenage daughter with life-threatening food allergies, co-founded FARE Chicago in 2008 and worked for decades as a professional public equity investor. She brings business strategy and a deep network to the business. Susie and her daughter recently appeared in the Netflix documentary, Rotten, featuring food allergies. Spokin raised $2 million in funding during its first year.