When the founding team started working on their startup Lulo in New York City, they had spent months trying to understand the pain points that WIC recipients face when grocery shopping in the nation’s largest city. But when the app hit the app store, it wasn’t New Yorkers that generated the most downloads.
It was Georgians.
That unexpected “natural traction” from users in the State of Georgia was enough to convince Sarah Stellwag, Lulo’s co-founder and CEO, to pack up and head south. This spring, she set up shop at Atlanta Tech Village’s South Downtown location. Now she is ready to build her company closer to the customers who were already proving Lulo’s value.
Inside The WIC World
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides monthly food packages, nutrition education and breastfeeding support to low-income pregnant women and new mothers. Its impact is felt across the country since its launch in the 1970s. WIC served about 6.7 million participants each month of 2024, including more than 40 percent of all infants in the United States. As a food service, the program is widely regarded as a successful and cost-effective way to improve birth outcomes, diet, and maternal health.
Eligible users in Georgia, for example, get an eWIC card, similar to a debit card. A monthly balance is loaded onto the card and can be used at specific stores and markets to buy approved food items.
For Stellwag, WIC is the “premier food is medicine program” in the country.
But WIC participation rates remain low. The program varies by state, with each having different approved items. The paperwork around the program can also be a barrier, as can challenges understanding how to redeem food benefit packages.
The team started joining families during their WIC grocery shopping trips. What they saw was the frustration that came from having items rejected at the cash register because it wasn’t clear whether they were approved, or confusion over what their family’s actual monthly benefit balances was.
The experience, Stellwag said, led people to “just want to get out of the store as quickly as possible.” That meant food was left on shop shelves and not on the tables of families who needed it.
The team knew they wanted to create something to help families buy food “in a way that really respects their time and dignity.”
How Lulo Works
Lulo, borrowing its name from a fruit native to South America, helps families navigate the WIC system. Within the app users can check their WIC balance, instantly know if an item in their shopping cart is approved, and ultimately discover new food products. Instead of reading through a confusing list of item details, Lulo helps shoppers visualize exactly what items are available to them.
User-generated content has been particularly helpful in getting the word out. A viral TikTok helped the startup gain 10,000 new app downloads in just two days.
Beyond serving families, Lulo has identified a business opportunity with consumer packaged goods companies. Food manufacturers want better ways to reach WIC recipients and ensure families know which of their products qualify for benefits. In its early stages, Lulo is partnering with these companies on redemption offers and digital advertising campaigns within the app.
Get To Know The CEO
Stellwag told Hypepotamus that she had an interest in government and politics from a young age, intrigued early on from seeing people line up for elections at her local library. She moved to DC for college, enrolling in Georgetown with plans on working in government. While in school she got involved in The Corp, a campus initiative where Georgetown students run storefronts across campus. That experience gave her a first look into how businesses operate, run payroll, and figure out inventory.
Stellwag joined Deloitte after graduation and later spent a year in Malaysia with the Fulbright Program. Stellwag returned stateside and started working at Propel, a fintech company and mobile app used by millions of SNAP beneficiaries. She moved up the ladder at Propel, ultimately becoming Senior Product Manager at the venture-backed company.
Her work in civic technology showed her how startups could serve as intermediaries between families and social services. That insight became the catalyst for Lulo.
What’s Next For Lulo
The Lulo team participated in Techstars Economic Mobility program and Blue Ridge Labs, both in New York. It also brought in several health-related grants to grow.
Stellwag has been building alongside the founding team Dani Lopez (Chief of Strategy and Operations), Unnati Shukla (Head of Design), Rye Welz Geselowitz (Founding Engineer) and Sean Auriti (CTO).
While Lulo has found early traction in Georgia, it is eyeing national expansion. Stellwag said the startup already has a waitlist of 12,000 families across the country.
Ultimately, the goal is to help families with their “full grocery shopping experience,” Stellwag added.
Next, the Lulo team is looking to connect with “more community based partners” in Georgia and establish more partnerships with CPG companies.
See Lulo in action here: