From San Francisco to Antwerp: an entrepreneurial journey
Marie, who are you, and what attracted you to the Master in Sustainable Innovation & Entrepreneurship at AMS?
I was born in Belgium, but moved to the United States when I was three, and I grew up in San Francisco. I earned my bachelor's at UCLA in Los Angeles in Design and Entrepreneurship, and I also did several internships in UX research, product management, sales, and strategy. From all those experiences, I mainly learned one thing about myself: I'm a real "busy bee" and I always like to be working on new challenges. I like to take action and carry out things that genuinely make people's lives easier.
The Master in Sustainable Innovation & Entrepreneurship appealed to me because I was looking for a bridge between my entrepreneurial background and practice, before throwing myself fully into the real world. What appealed to me most was how practice-oriented the program is: from the very start you know that you'll either dive into a consultancy project or into your own start-up. When I started the program, I didn't yet know I would choose the start-up route, by the way!
I'm a real 'busy bee': I don't just want to dream about change, but take action and build things that make people's lives easier.
The origin of Billies: breaking a taboo
When did the idea for Billies come about, and why do you focus so strongly on preparation rather than reaction?
I started the master without a concrete idea. In the first weeks, we all pitched our ideas. I had always had a strong interest in women's health and wellbeing, including mental health. My two co-founders, Clara and Lisa, shared that passion. Together we began our research into female hormonal health and asked ourselves: why do so many women know so little about their own bodies? The answer kept leading us back to one core issue: education at a younger age. Many girls are simply not prepared for what happens to them hormonally and physically.
One moment in our research really stuck with me: we read that a diagnosis of endometriosis takes 4 to 12 years on average, often because severe pain is dismissed as "normal." That pattern already begins with the very first period. For us, that was proof that we need to intervene earlier: remove uncertainty through preparation, and break taboos through honest explanation. What also struck me: Clara, Lisa, and I all grew up in different countries, with completely different first-period experiences. There is no "perfect" way to approach this, but good preparation definitely makes a difference.
Menstruation is something that comes back every month. I believe every girl has the right to a consistent, reassuring experience, and shouldn't have to figure out years later how it all works or which products suit her body. The numbers confirm how urgent this is: only 2 in 5 schools offer menstrual education, and the average age of first menstruation has now dropped to under 12, for some girls even as early as 8. On top of that, more than half of Europeans still consider it a taboo. Without structural preparation, girls turn to social media, where misinformation thrives.
That's why our focus is on preparation. That's exactly why we designed our First Period Kit as a discovery kit. Parents often give their daughters what worked for themselves, but there are so many new options these days. With our kit, every girl can discover with an open mind what suits her own body best, from tampons and pads to a cup and period underwear.
Only 2 in 5 schools offer menstrual education. A good first experience is not a 'nice-to-have', but determines how a girl listens to her own body for years to come.
Validating in practice: a hundred voices and strong partners
You spoke with more than a hundred people and are building great partnerships. What stood out?
For our master's thesis, we spoke with parents, teachers, and experts (sexologists and psychologists) in one-on-one interviews, and held focus groups with girls between 11 and 24 in Antwerp. We also conducted a quantitative survey among parents in Belgium. The most striking thing: in every target group, the same pattern emerged independently. Preparation is inconsistent, often comes too late, and the responsibility lies almost entirely with parents, who often don't feel equipped for it. Parents really want to help, but often don't know where to start, out of fear of doing something wrong. Part of our mission is to show them that there is no single "right" approach, but that you can give your daughter the space and tools to experience it in her own way.
Sustainability was central for us from the start. We deliberately wanted to work with local, certified producers. Our partner Yoni, for menstrual products, was one of the few brands that was both local and offered a complete range of chemical-free products. They felt our passion and saw what we stood for. For the period underwear in the First Period Kit, we work with Moi et Marie, a Belgian brand using certified organic cotton. And together with sexologist Jade Hulsman, we developed the "Myth or Truth" card game to clear up misunderstandings about menstruation. I think above all you have to believe strongly in your own idea to convince others to join you in it, as a small start-up!
The AMS experience: pitching, pivoting, and growing as an entrepreneur
How did the MSIE program at AMS help you turn an idea into a concrete business?
What makes the MSIE so special is that you take courses on innovation and entrepreneurship while immediately applying every bit of knowledge in practice. From the first month, the problem-solving and design thinking courses translated directly into how we set up our company and tackled problems. That gave us structure at a moment when you know you want to start something, but don't yet know quite how.
From the first month, you have to pitch your ideas: you learn to stand behind your idea, take criticism, and pivot when necessary. At first, we wanted to enter the broad health tech sector, but we met resistance there: who are your competitors, what is your market, how do you truly differentiate yourself? The coaches challenged us to think from other angles, and that led us to much sharper positioning. Our program manager Katrien was incredibly important in making us feel that we could handle it. Precisely because she is a mother herself, she was always there for us with her own, unbiased perspective. She is a super positive influence!
If you ask me which skill I use most today: public speaking and pitching! I still use it every day, even though in the beginning it was a real personal challenge for me. But at least as important: building self-confidence, the reflex to talk to as many people as possible, and not being afraid to ask others questions.
The future of Billies & advice for future students
What is the hardest moment right now, and what would you tell future AMS students?
Honestly, the hardest moment is now, after the master's thesis. It comes from the decision to actually turn the project into something tangible and realistic after the academic year. Figuring out the supply chain, quality control, and getting the finances in order, and carrying all of that out at the same time, is a big challenge. What we did learn in the program: you always need a sounding board. Professors never give you the "right" answer, because that doesn't exist anyway, but you have a team to work with and join forces. I remain incredibly grateful to my co-founders for everything we've built together.
To future AMS students, I hope to convey that at the start of the year they shouldn't put too much pressure on themselves to immediately have a great idea or a perfect problem statement. That evolves by itself. What's special is that with a good team and diverse, differently thinking people around you, you can grow something beautiful, and that along the way you learn to truly love the process. Every time I talk about Billies today, I notice how enthusiastic I am. It gives a lot of energy, with ups and downs, and I love it so much. I'm really looking forward to what the future brings!
