Robert & Anita Ahlgren’s Donations Fund supports and encourages companies, organizations, and individuals in Gävleborg to expand into new markets outside of Sweden. Företagsbladet magazine interviews some companies that have previously received support from the fund. Here, we turn to Tomas Persson at the company HealthTextiles.

What does your company do, and what are your business areas?

HealthTextiles focuses on women’s health with naturally antibacterial menstrual underwear in our patented TorTex fabrics, PPE surgical garments, and medical clothing in TorTex fabrics, as well as anti-odor sportswear in our TorTex fabrics. Last year, we pivoted to focus on women’s health by signing exclusive agreement with our customer Monthly of Sweden, who is the market leader in menstrual cups in Sweden under the brand MonthlyCup. We also have a three-year sales target.

How did you come up with the business idea

The business idea originated from our Textile Design School, which is now a foundation formed by us. Our Textile Design School has provided top-quality fashion textile design education since 1961. Recently, we shifted our focus to private courses and relocated to Yllefabriken in Järbo, Gästrikland’s Gnosjö! We began developing our patented TorTex fabrics, which is naturally antibacterial after 100 washes, sustainable, comfortable, and durable. In 2019, we obtained a patent for our TorTex yarn and fabrics in Sweden. We have since strengthened our positions in the value chain, allowing us to produce garments in our TorTex fabrics both in Asia and the EU. Menstrual underwear is a perfect product and market for our TorTex fabrics because competitors use silver in their products, which can be environmentally harmful.”

How did you come up with the business idea

The business idea originated from our Textile Design School, which is now a foundation formed by us. Our Textile Design School has provided top-quality fashion textile design education since 1961. Recently, we shifted our focus to private courses and relocated to Yllefabriken in Järbo, Gästrikland’s Gnosjö! We began developing our patented TorTex fabrics, which is naturally antibacterial after 100 washes, sustainable, comfortable, and durable. In 2019, we obtained a patent for our TorTex yarn and fabrics in Sweden. We have since strengthened our positions in the value chain, allowing us to produce garments in our TorTex fabrics both in Asia and the EU. Menstrual underwear is a perfect product and market for our TorTex fabrics because competitors use silver in their products, which can be environmentally harmful.

How many employees do you have today?

Currently, we have one employee in the company. There are three founders in the company, but we have built our team through our world-class advisory board. We will hire as we grow with our customers. It is important for us not to hire too early but to hire when the company is profitable. HealthTextiles has been in development from 2015 until now, when we have found the right niche, which is menstrual underwear in our TorTex fabrics.

How will you use the support from the Ahlgrensdonations Fund?

The support from the Ahlgrensdonations Fund will be used for market entry in the United Kingdom in collaboration with our customer Monthly of Sweden, featuring menstrual underwear in our patented TorTex fabrics.

What impact do you hope it will have on your business?

The support helps us, together with our customer, to focus on marketing and sales. We want to thank Ove Anonsen and the Ahlgren family, who founded the Ahlgrens Donations Fund. This is particularly important in Gävleborg as we lack local venture capital and business angels. Thanks to Peter Candell and the board of the Ahlgrens Donations Fund for believing in us and providing support at this crucial stage for HealthTextiles. This is incredibly important for us in these challenging times. The Ahlgrens Donations Fund has been crucial to our development!

What impact do you hope it will have on your business?

The support helps us, together with our customer, to focus on marketing and sales. We want to thank Ove Anonsen and the Ahlgren family, who founded the Ahlgrens Donations Fund. This is particularly important in Gävleborg as we lack local venture capital and business angels. Thanks to Peter Candell and the board of the Ahlgrens Donations Fund for believing in us and providing support at this crucial stage for HealthTextiles. This is incredibly important for us in these challenging times. The Ahlgrens Donations Fund has been crucial to our development!

What is happening with your company during the year, and what are the future plans?

We have two priorities. The first is the market launch of the menstrual underwear in collaboration with our customer Monthly of Sweden during the first quarter. The second priority is to carry out a larger fundraising round to scale up.

What impact on regional growth/development/employment does your company have or do you hope it will have in the future?

The Ahlgrens Donations Fund is fantastic for startups and smaller companies looking to expand internationally. Every company has been small at some point, and new jobs are often created in smaller enterprises. Therefore, there is a need for a better support system for smaller businesses, especially in these challenging times. Unfortunately, regional development has not always focused on smaller businesses, and the Ahlgrens Donations Fund plays a crucial role in supporting smaller companies seeking international growth. We hope that our company can be a positive force for regional development and employment as we continue to grow.

In summary, we are very grateful for the support from the Ahlgrens Donations Fund and look forward to continuing our growth and contributing to regional development within our industry.

Company: HealthTextiles

Name: Tomas Persson

Title: CEO

Age: 50 years

Website: healthtextiles.com

Facts about the Robert & Anita Ahlgrens Donations Fund

The fund supports innovative ideas that promote international trade and companies committed to growth. Companies and institutions in Gävleborg can apply for funding from the fund until October 31 each year.

The spirit of the Ahlgren family was crucial in establishing the fund. The family were entrepreneurs who didn’t follow the conventional path. Their intention was to reward regional companies with a commitment to ensuring and increasing employment opportunities locally and investing in international growth.

The fund is one of the region’s larger ones, with a total value of approximately 60 million SEK.

Launched in 2014, the fund has distributed a total of 10 million SEK as of the 2023 allocation, and approved applications amount to 63 since its inception.

Applications for this year must be submitted by October 31.

For questions regarding the fund, please contact the chairman of the Ahlgrens Donations Fund

Peter Candell, tel 070-674 12 44

This article is published on Företagsbladet through Yodo  News.

Translated to English supported by AI, Chat GHP.