She Created SweetBio, a Memphis Biotech Company That’s Changing the Game
With her brother, Kayla Rodriguez Graff founded a biotech company that's transforming wound care through innovative products and a "patients first" mentality. Get to know this dynamic FACE of Memphis! Image: SweetBio
After a successful launch in 2024, Memphis-based biotech company SweetBio is reshaping the future of healing with a focus on ethics, accessibility, and inclusivity. We talked to the entrepreneur behind SweetBio about her journey, sources of inspiration, and what she loves most about the 901. Get to know this dynamic FACE of Memphis!
Tell us about the path that led to creating SweetBio. It’s a fascinating one!
I was inspired by my grandmother, a bridal business entrepreneur who brought joy to many. From a young age, I knew I wanted to bring care and joy to others, too.
During college, I interned at Target … When I was offered a full-time role on the merchandising team, I realized I was really studying what it takes to achieve both high performance and a healthy culture at scale. I started in big data and intentionally built the tools I knew I’d need as an entrepreneur: analytics, strategy, and systems.
I left to pursue my MBA full-time, then joined Target’s Innovation Office in San Francisco. I moved there with the vision of starting a company, initially thinking it would be in the digital space. At the same time, I was talking with my brother Isaac, who had been developing a unique biomedical technology for years. When he showed me what he had built — a collagen and Manuka honey solution to wound care — we realized it had the potential to truly help people.
We had a choice between joining an accelerator in San Francisco or moving to Memphis, one of the top cities for medical device innovation. Since neither of us came from a medical background, we knew we needed to learn as fast as possible and surround ourselves with the right experts. Memphis offered that, along with the space to build both a company and a life.
What’s the SweetBio elevator pitch?
SweetBio is a biotech company revolutionizing wound care with innovative, affordable products powered by certified Mānuka honey and collagen. With FDA clearance, Medicare and commercial insurance coverage, and $10M in funding, SweetBio recently launched VERIS™, an advanced wound-care solution for patients recovering from Mohs surgery, biopsies, and chronic ulcers.
SweetBio also offers APIS®, which is a prescription product proven to support healing in chronic and acute wounds, including diabetic ulcers.
What inspired you to launch a biotech company with ethics at its core?
Our great-grandfather in Puerto Rico had to undergo an amputation simply because he couldn’t afford the wound care he needed, and he passed away from the diabetic wound. Sadly, that kind of inequity is still far too common. We launched SweetBio to change that. To make advanced healing accessible, affordable, and centered on human dignity. Ethics aren’t an add-on for us; they’re the foundation.
Biotech has long been a male-dominated field. What has been your experience navigating leadership in this industry?
Ten years ago, biotech and entrepreneurship were even more male-dominated than they are now. As a Latina woman without a healthcare background, I wasn’t exactly the typical founder profile. I faced skepticism early on, so I made it my mission to get as smart as I could, as fast as I could. I asked questions, read constantly, and surrounded myself with trusted advisors across science, regulation, and reimbursement. Now, we’re respected for our track record and results, but that came from relentless preparation and resilience.
Are there any values or perspectives from your upbringing that have influenced how you lead your business?
Absolutely. One of our core values is positive intent, which comes directly from family. You can disagree, but if you’re aligned on a shared vision, you can move forward together. We also embrace our humanity, where making mistakes is fully and 100% accepted. We prioritize mental health. We put family first. We operate from our values, which are the strength behind how we build.
Switching gears a little, what do you love most about Memphis?
I love that Memphis offers the best of both worlds. You can be in the city or outdoors in places like Shelby Farms, where I serve on the board. It’s a space where people from every walk of life come together, and that sense of inclusion and community is something I value deeply. For my family, it’s the diversity in Memphis.
Our kids grow up dancing, playing sports, and connecting with all kinds of people. And professionally, Memphis gave us the space to build the type of company we believe in. Grit and grind run deep here, and it’s a place that rewards that entrepreneurial spirit.
What’s something that people are often surprised to learn about you?
I thrive in chaos … and I have a black belt in taekwondo!
What is your best piece of advice?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned building this company is the power of decision-making. The best decision is the right one, the next best is the wrong one, but the worst thing is indecision. When you’re stuck between two paths, just pick one and move forward. Practicing decision-making builds confidence, clarity, and momentum. Whereas indecision stalls life, movement creates growth!
Aside from faith, family, and friends, name three things you can’t live without.
Saturday Night Live, macaroons, and walks outside.
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Gaye Swan
As a professional writer of over 20 years, Gaye is an avid traveler and enjoys highlighting food, culture, and attractions around the South. While Gaye is passionate about life in Memphis, she grew up in Meridian and is still a Mississippi girl at heart.