Madison Pulford Campbell (born October 26, 1995) is an American businesswoman and entrepreneur.[1][2] She is the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Leda Health.[3][4]
Madison Campbell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Madison Pulford Campbell October 26, 1995 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School Hampshire College |
| Occupation | CEO |
| Years active | 2018–present |
Early life and education
editMadison Campbell was born in Bridgeville, Pennsylvania in 1995.[3][2] She grew up in a conservative Catholic family in a suburb of Pittsburgh.[3]
Campbell's initial foray into the performing arts was in musical theater, which she pursued at Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School.[3] However, a lisp, considered a hindrance for auditions, prompted her to switch to dance.[3] This pursuit was cut short due to a diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome, a nerve disorder that impeded her ability to perform.[3] Following her diagnosis, Campbell decided to major in public health and epidemiology at Hampshire College, aspiring to earn a Ph.D. in epidemiology and work at NASA. During her last semester, she was in an abusive relationship, felt her career plans derailed by NASA budget cuts, and ended up dropping out.[3][5]
While at Hampshire College, Campbell established a Young Americans for Liberty chapter. She interned at the Charles Koch Institute and Senator Rand Paul's PAC. [3]
Career
editPrior to co-founding Leda, Campbell founded Iyanu in 2018, a company designed to address the equity gap in Nigeria by connecting individuals to jobs in the United States.[6][7][3]
In 2019, Campbell founded MeToo Kits, later rebranded as Leda Health after the mythic Greek queen, Leda.[3][8][9] Her decision to start Leda Health was driven by her own experience as a survivor of sexual assault, stating she sought to help others face challenges in collecting evidence and seeking justice.[10][11][3][12] The company developed an "early evidence kit" in close collaboration with medical and law-enforcement personnel, using blockchain to encrypt data.[13][14] This data, attached to a specific user account, allows sexual assault survivors to collect evidence without the need to visit a hospital or police station.[3][11][14] The company introduced an at-home alternative to standard hospital rape kits, allowing assault survivors to collect DNA evidence themselves in last-resort situations.[3] Collaborating with DNA Labs International, these early evidence kits can be tested in under 48 hours. The kits are available in Florida.[15] Three years afterward, Leda Health expanded its services to include Plan B, STI testing, and raised $7 million in funding.[3][16][13] In 2022, Leda Health was included in Fortune's Change the World list.[17]
Awards and recognition
edit- Forbes' 30 Under 30[3][16]
- CES Award[18]
- Maverick's 40u40[19]
References
edit- ^ Goldsmith, Annie (23 December 2021). "A Startup Founder Moved to Las Vegas for the Weather, Then Developed Political Ambitions". The Information.
- ^ a b Funk, Harry (September 15, 2023). "As Miss Pittsburgh, Bridgeville native promotes advocacy for survivors of assault". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Chapin, Angelina; Heaney, Katie (February 23, 2023). "'Call Me a Scammer to My Face'". The Cut.
- ^ "A world without evidence with Madison Campbell". Annenberg Media. March 6, 2021.
- ^ "性暴力のリアル──「DIYレイプキット」をめぐる議論から私たちが学ぶこと。". Vogue Japan. May 11, 2020.
- ^ "How Health Tech Entrepreneur Madison Campbell Used 2nd-Order Thinking to Carve a Path for Leda Health". www.beondeck.com.
- ^ "Finance: The harsh realities for women, and survivors, in venture capital". The Edge Malaysia.
- ^ ""We Help Survivors of Sexual Assaults" – Interview with "Leda Health" co-founders". Kyiv Post.
- ^ Nashrulla, Tasneem (September 12, 2019). "The 23-Year-Old "MeToo" DIY Rape Kit Founder Says She'll Fight Law Enforcement's Demands That She Stop Advertising". BuzzFeed News.
- ^ Shamus, Kristen Jordan. "MeToo Kit CEO says Mich. AG has it all wrong. She didn't want to profit from rape victims". Detroit Free Press.
- ^ a b Williamson, Alex (September 5, 2019). "DIY rape kit startup's 23-year-old founder says she is a sexual assault survivor". Brooklyn Eagle.
- ^ "Founder of 'MeToo' sexual assault evidence kit speaks out". WXMI. September 6, 2019.
- ^ a b MacColl, Margaux. "Sexual-assault scenarios. Questions about used condoms. Two female founders share their ugliest moments when pitching VCs for their controversial rape-kit startup". Business Insider.
- ^ a b Cuen, Leigh (May 4, 2021). "Radical Ethereum entrepreneurs are redefining what 'rape kit' means". TechCrunch.
- ^ "Leda Health offers fast, discreet DNA collection kits to sexual assault survivors". August 18, 2021.
- ^ a b "Leda Health". Forbes.
- ^ "Leda Health | 2022 Change the World". Fortune.
- ^ "Innovation Award Honorees". www.ces.tech.
- ^ "Future40". Maverick PAC.