Alumna Giana Jarrah shares journey from engineer to entrepreneur

Giana Jarrah didn’t always plan to be an entrepreneur. 

The owner of With Meraki Co., a women’s probiotics supplier, graduated from Lehigh with a degree in biomedical engineering. 

The American Association of University Women’s Lehigh branch hosted Jarrah, ‘22, as she discussed her experience studying biomedical engineering and becoming a business owner through funding from the Baker Institute and several other Lehigh affiliates.  

The Allentown native born to Siberian-American parents said she always loved science, and after witnessing her mother’s cervical cancer diagnosis at the age of 16, she knew she wanted to study biomedical engineering. 

During her senior year, Jarrah discovered a passion for women’s health and began research for her company. She said she studied how probiotics affect the vaginal microbiome and compiled a list of ingredients to balance vaginal pH. 

She said she also discovered a lot of misinformation about women’s health. 

Jarrah found about 75% of women experience urogenital infections each year, and many are prescribed incorrect medications and antibiotics leading to chronic symptoms. She educated students at the event about the history of female reproductive health and said there are disparities between research on male and female reproductive health. 

“I am dedicated to transforming feminine health with innovative solutions that honor the complexity and strength of the female body,” Jarrah said. 

Jarrah also said the household and culture she grew up in considered discussing women’s reproductive health taboo, so her initial goal was to both solve her health struggles and break this stigma. 

Once Jarrah completed research for her product, she said she needed help with the business aspect. 

“I always say that I was a scientist learning how to become an entrepreneur,” Jarrah said. “I think that that’s really hard to navigate.”

Jarrah said she was intimidated by her lack of experience and knowledge, and she felt pressured as a first-generation student. 

“A big thing for me was that failure can’t be an option,” Jarrah said. “I have to succeed, but that’s scary when you know nothing about the space.

She said she credits Lehigh Ventures Lab director Chris Kauzmann with helping her during that time, as he encouraged her to work with the Baker Institute and pitch her idea at their Eureka! program. 

Jarrah received grants from the Baker Institute, The Lehigh Ventures Lab, The Lehigh Valley StartUp organization, Ben Franklin Tech Ventures and others. She said that capital gave her an invaluable opportunity to pursue her goals. 

As her business has grown, she said her customers have made the hard work worth it. 

“The best part of it is that I’m able — through different channels — to communicate with my customers,” Jarrah said. “Fulfillment now is something that’s bittersweet, because it’s become way too many orders for me, but it’s always been so fun to be able to see the same name every month, the people who have been supporting me forever.” 

When the bioengineering program invited her to sponsor the spring semester capstone, Jarrah said she was happy to help students because she received so much support as an undergraduate. 

Jarrah said she chose to name her company Meraki because it means “to do something with soul, creativity, or love” in Greek, which resonates with her. 

Jackie Engel, ‘28, said she plans to study bioengineering and was drawn to Jarrah’s presentation because she knew the club’s primary audience was women. 

“I thought this would apply to me, but I was also not entirely sure how bioengineering would relate to women’s health or entrepreneurship, so I thought it would be interesting to see,” Engel said. 

Mackenzie Donald, ‘28, also plans to study engineering, and she said she found Jarrah’s story inspiring. 

“I thought it was really interesting that she could start something in a research lab and actually build a business out of it,” Donald said.