Mera McGrew

Mera McGrew is the founder and CEO of Soapply, a luxury soap company making expertly crafted soap in the US that gets soap in hands that need it around the world. Mera graduated from Vassar where she studied neurobiology, behavioral biology, and political science. After graduation she did drug discovery research in reefs with the National Institute of Health. There she learned she was less interested in being behind a microscope and more interested in driving change. After a stint with National Geographic and TedTalks, she took a job that brought her to Africa. There she learned that 1.7 million children die every year from diseases that could be prevented through the act of handwashing with soap. The idea for Soapply was born. She started Soapply to both deliver better, safer soap directly to US consumers and to help get soap in the hands who need it around the world by funding impact for water, sanitation, and hygiene initiatives in rural Ethiopia with every purchase.

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