A few years ago, during an international project S. Bačilūnas met A. Chwalibog, a participant from Poland, who was writing her university thesis on how psychobiotics can contribute to the treatment of various psychiatric diseases. The new acquaintance kept in touch, and a year later, they decided to set up a company together to develop psychobiotics and introduce them to the public.
According to the entrepreneur, this industry is new and has huge potential. "The term psychobiotics was first coined only a decade ago, and now there are thousands of studies confirming the link between the gut microbiota and our psychological health," says Mr Bačiliūnas.
The company, founded by the duo a few years ago, offers customers licensed, clinically proven, effective "Easy mind“ psychobiotics and educates the public about the link between microbiota and psychological health. "This is not the end of the story. We want to grow, we are constantly collaborating with scientists from Vilnius University, and we are developing a new generation of psychobiotics," Bačiliūnas announces future innovations.
Helps reduce the effects of stress
The entrepreneur admits that there were challenges at the beginning of the business, but a strong desire and belief in his idea helped to overcome them, which is why today, the company has expanded across international waters. "We have a unique opportunity to be pioneers in this industry, and our start-up Integral Solutions was one of the winners of the 2023 Probiota Pioneers," he says.
The company's first product, Easy mind, was born in the face of rising levels of stress in society, with more and more people experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety. "Our goal is to help our customers feel better, and in the future, we would like to expand into the B2B sector and encourage businesses to take better care of their employees' emotional health. We want to help them take care of their employees' psychological state and increase their productivity," says the entrepreneur.
According to Bačiliūnas, it has already been proven that psychobiotics affect the brain through the intestines. The gut and the brain send signals to each other, so psychobiotics can have a positive impact on mood, cognitive function and the body's response to stress, all of which can lead to reduced anxiety and stress levels.
Psychobiotics also help improve mental health. "Studies have shown that psychobiotics can be useful in the treatment of various mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder," says Mr Bačiliūnas. According to him, psychobiotics are a non-invasive and non-pharmacological product based on probiotics and therefore has fewer side effects than other treatments.
"Psychobiotics aim to address the root cause of the problem and not just treat the symptoms. In addition, the gut microbiome is linked to many systems and processes in the body, such as the immune system, metabolism and even cardiovascular health, so psychobiotics can also help improve overall health," says Š. Bačilūnas.
He believes that success in business is simple - it's all about finding an area that you genuinely care about. "Find a unique solution to a problem that is relevant to many, build a strong team and have a clear vision of where you are going. It is also important to dream carefully because dreams do come true. It's always worth setting the highest goals; even if you don't achieve them, the results are often exhilarating and help you discover things you never expected," he shares.
The Lithuanian start-up has already launched its products on the national market, exported to Poland, and is planning to expand to other Baltic countries. The US market is also in the plans.
