Why I built this

I built Mealistik because
I was tired of being told
I was fine.

I have PCOS, hypothyroidism, and HS (Hidradenitis Suppurativa). For years I felt exhausted, in pain, mentally low, and completely alone in trying to understand what was happening to my own body.

2 in 5
women live with at least one chronic health condition
80%
of autoimmune disease cases occur in women
7 yrs
average wait for an endometriosis diagnosis
75%
of women with PCOS are undiagnosed
Sowmiya, founder of Mealistik
What happened

I was doing everything right.
My body just wouldn't respond.

It started with weight gain I could not explain. I was dieting. Running. Going to the gym every day.

My blood tests showed low vitamins. I was handed supplements and sent home. Nobody looked further.

It took flying back to India and doing a full body check up to finally get a diagnosis. PCOS. Then hypothyroidism. Then HS. Three conditions in under two years. Not one doctor explained what any of it meant. Every single one said the same: lose weight and everything will be fine. But losing weight with PCOS is hard because of insulin resistance. Nobody mentioned that.

What it felt like

Exhausted before the day
even started.

Constant fatigue. Invisible pain. A mental fog that made everything harder. My friends thought I was being dramatic. My family thought I just needed to push through.

I spent hours on Google. I asked ChatGPT everything. I joined forums. But nothing knew what I had eaten that day, where I was in my cycle, or whether my inositol was actually helping. I was collecting information with no way to connect it.

And the GP appointments. Fifteen minutes to explain months of symptoms. I always left with a referral and still no real answers.

Why I built this

It started as a meal app.
Women asked for so much more.

I built the first version because I wanted something that knew what I was eating, how I was sleeping, and where I was in my cycle. Something that could connect those dots.

When I tested it with other women, they said what I had been feeling. They did not just need meal plans. They needed someone to explain why they felt the way they felt. Available at 11pm when the bloating was bad. Not just during a 15 minute appointment.

So Hippo was built. An AI companion that knows your whole picture and speaks to you like a knowledgeable friend. There every day. Not just when you can get an appointment.

You don't have to figure
this out alone.

Join the waitlist and be first to know when Hippo launches.