Episode 02: Emilie Spire

Founded in 2021, Noala is on a mission to change the way people access communication support, combining clinical expertise with a digital platform that brings together speech professionals and families in need.

Our co-founder Walter recently sat down with Emilie, Noala's founder, to chat about mentorship, educational policy and the growth of her business.

Did you have any mentors when you were a younger?

I’m the seventh of seven siblings! They were mentors to me – they pushed me on and encouraged me to catch up with them. I’ve also always met people along the way such as?Nicolas Brusson?(co-founder of BlaBlaCar) who made a genuine effort to mentor me.?There is not one day that goes by when I do not ask a question of a mentor, or someone more experienced than me.?

Mentorship can help you fast track your progress. I’ve grown up thanks to mentors. They have been so important to me.??

?How did Noala start??

We are a platform that enables easy access to speech & language therapy. Therapy is not my background but the business comes from a personal story:??

My niece suffered from a stroke just before birth leading to a communication impairment. My sister couldn’t find a therapist to support her and found the system very inconvenient. In general, practice in between sessions is difficult and hard to find time for. I felt there must be an easier way to enable access to great therapy and facilitate real improvements for children.??

Speech and language therapy is very powerful. Communication is everything and I saw how my niece started to flourish as her speech improved.???

Do you measure the connection between speech therapy and child wellbeing??

?Outside of Noala, there are research papers on that topic which we host on our website. For example, 80% of children with behavioural disorders have undiagnosed communication disorders. The kids that struggle to express themselves demonstrably struggle with behaviour and wellbeing.?

?What are the implications of these unsolved problems??

Improved communication has a huge impact on child confidence. Children who have communication disorders are four times less likely to pass English and Maths GCSE, which obviously goes on to impact employment prospects and social integration.??

What do the therapists at Noala do??

We use the Parent Coach approach: the professional gives the family the tools.?

You have an initial assessment and then weekly check-ups. Each programme lasts on average 6 weeks. In between each check –up, students use digital exercises and resources, with tailored advice on how to optimise the intervening time periods for improvement.?

Parents and children can practice everyday in the comfort of their home, using coaching video and clinically backed digital exercises. It's like your own therapist in your pocket.?

You are the Education secretary. What would you change about the UK Education system???

It's a big task. Twenty years ago, it was all about memory and remembering stuff, but now it?could?be all about ‘learning to learn’ and encouraging kids to reflect deliberately on their learning process.?

What was it like moving from finance to education?

I’ve done a ping pong between operational and investor roles. It’s all about being analytical, using data to answer big business questions. As a founder, you’re dealing with some many different types of people and it’s about knowing what questions to ask those people.?

What are your tips on finding investment for your business??

Find people aligned with your business. Build relationships in a meaningful way. Always remind yourself that they're (the investors) only asking questions in order to improve the business. The cycle of learning should be short so you can iterate quickly.?

What’s the future of Noala??

We want to impact positively the lives of millions of kids – to continue to build a platform that facilitates access to great speech and language therapy.?