Luke Vorstermans
Wolfville, NS (CAN)
Role(s):
Founder/Owner/Principal
The Orion Group Ltd
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Startup
Location:
Wolfville
Industry:
Healthcare
Year Founded:
1992
Number Employees:
1-10 people
Description:
Which of our five senses is unlike all the others and more than any other, influences our behavior? It may surprise you but it’s our sense of smell.
The brain processes information delivered through four of our senses – sight, sound, taste and touch – by cognitive identification first, which in turn triggers an emotional response. Our sense of smell does the opposite. Incoming odors are processed by the emotions first and then identified.
Aromas delivered directly to the smell receptors in the brain have a powerful effect on behavior. Just think on how you respond when you smell a cup of coffee first thing in the morning or react to a dead skunk on the side of the road.
While drug companies churn out millions of pills and potions to alter the body’s chemistry through the bloodstream, aromachology – the science of smell – is pioneering a safe, non toxic pathway using our olfactory system. Influencing behavior using scent is a new medical frontier.
We are on the leading edge of aromachology product R&D. We design and engineer proprietary scent molecules which are blended with essential oils and delivered directly to the mood centers in the brain using our innovative non-transdermal patch or our wafer-sized scentpod.
We currently manufacture the world’s first non-transdermal aroma patch designed to enhance sexual response. We’ve developed formulas to help control food cravings, alleviate stress and assist with smoking reduction. We’re researching formulas for relaxation, mild depression, insomnia and Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Instead of dispersing aromas into the environment, our scentpod technology delivers aromas directly to the nose of the user and small enough to carry in your pocket or purse. Imagine the potential of adding the power of smell to corporate and personal branding, education for food and wine appreciation and for the sheer pleasure of scintillating our olfactory sense.
The market is huge. The global population is aging and there’s a growing skepticism of traditional medicine and ingesting more and more drugs. In North America, over 85 million baby boomers are dealing with the challenges of aging and declining health. They are increasingly eager to take personal responsibility for their health, well being and lifestyle choices.
We’ve brought together the research, the technology and several entry level products but the biggest opportunity is building this new category in the Health and Wellness market. Just take of whiff of it.