What’s Behind Seen Nutrition’s Rise?

 When Jennifer Han, a pharmacist working with the Department of Veterans Affairs, fractured her back just months after having her baby, she knew something was wrong. She was diagnosed with pre-menopausal osteoporosis when she was only 29. She had to change her habits, diet, and even stop breastfeeding her child to try to get back her bone strength. 

Adrienne Bitar, a researcher and professor at Cornell University, had to watch her mother struggle with a diagnosis of osteoporosis and subsequent bone fractures, and was diagnosed with osteopenia, a precursor to osteoporosis.  

The two friends living in Ithaca, NY, dealing with this shared experience, tried various supplements and realized that there were no natural calcium supplements. The existing options were synthetic, chalky, tasted bad and were filled with unnecessary dyes, sugars and preservatives. In response, they joined forces to create Seen Nutrition. 

Their journey to create the first real-food calcium supplement wasn’t without obstacles. “Product formulation, testing, and regulatory approval required far more time than we initially anticipated,” says Bitar, “From the beginning, Jenny and I were committed to producing a quality food product that delivered a clinically significant dose of calcium from real food ingredients. We definitely appreciate the methodical care that we initially invested over our 18 months of research and development.” 

In the beginning of 2025, they became Rev members, which gave them an opportunity to grow their network and pitch their business to investors and other entrepreneurs in the Finger Lakes Area. “Rev and the Ithaca community have been such a source of encouragement and inspiration to us, buoying us through the last few years,” says Bitar. “As people without formal business background, seeing other people succeed in startups humanizes the whole endeavor and makes it feel more achievable.” 

“This is where we found our co-packer, where we found Ken (Rother), our mentor…. and we hope to continue to invest into this community so we can give back and contribute to the network,” says Han. 

After years of dedication, they’re finally reaping the rewards, and a steady stream of recognition and success has followed. 

In August, H&R Block named Seen a recipient of a $10,000 Fund Her Future Grant, beating out over eight thousand other applicants. “Winning H&R Block’s Fund Her Future grant was such a gift,” said Bitar. Later that same month, they were honored by New York Small Business Development Centers as the 2025 Tech Business of the Year. 

On August 26, they were named finalists in the upcoming Grow-NY business competition on November 12-13 in Canandaigua, NY, where they will compete with 19 other startups from around the world for a $1 million prize. “Jenny and I are thrilled to be Grow-NY finalists,” says Bitar. “Grow-NY offers a stamp of credibility that has already opened doors for us, facilitating relationships with co-manufacturers and ingredient suppliers that are quickly becoming key to our business operations and supply chain.” 

For Bitar and Han, Seen isn’t only a business. It’s about bringing visibility to those who often get ignored. “Women’s health has for too long been overlooked,” says Bitar, “especially after the ‘service stage’ of puberty and reproduction concludes with the onset of menopause. To us and our thousands of customers, Seen is a reminder that women’s health is no longer overlooked, women’s voices no longer unheard, and women are now being truly seen as complete and complex human beings.”

“Women’s health has for too long been overlooked, especially after the ‘service stage’ of puberty and reproduction concludes with the onset of menopause. To us and our thousands of customers, Seen is a reminder that women’s health is no longer overlooked, women’s voices no longer unheard, and women are now being truly seen as complete and complex human beings.” – Adrienne Bitar