Innovation doesn’t always begin in a lab. Sometimes, it starts in an airport.
For Hana Kieger, a Ph.D. student studying entrepreneurship at Indiana University, it began with that familiar post-travel haze—the kind that leaves your body in one city and your energy in another. Jet lag wasn’t just inconvenient; it was a reminder of how hard it can be for the body to keep pace with modern life.
At the same time, her co-founder—a naturopathic doctor—was developing a solution for one of his clients, a flight attendant who made weekly trips between the U.S. and Australia.
Together, they began refining a formula to help the body readjust naturally—no caffeine jolts, no melatonin crashes, just steady, sustainable recovery.
Kieger tested it on a trip to California. For the first time in years, she didn’t spend her first day half-asleep.
“I could actually enjoy my time there instead of feeling drained,” she said.
That small but meaningful change sparked an idea:
What if more travelers could feel this way?
What if recovery could be natural, effective, and built on real science?
From those questions, Jetlag Rescue was born.
A Natural Gummy With No Hidden Compromises
When the team transitioned the formula into a gummy, they kept one rule:
If it doesn’t help the body, it doesn’t go in the product.
No synthetic dyes.
No processed sugar.
No artificially sweetened shortcuts.
“We wanted the entire gummy—not just the active ingredients—to reflect the same values of being natural and genuinely helpful,” Kieger said.
The result is a clean, travel-friendly supplement designed for real people navigating real life: long-haul flights, packed conference schedules, marathon sports trips, late-night arrivals, and early-morning commitments.
“We’re not masking anything,” she said. “We’re actually helping the body adjust.”
The Mill’s Role: Community, Momentum, and the Spark of Entrepreneurship
For Kieger, building Jetlag Rescue in Bloomington meant building it within a community of founders.
She credits The Mill with giving her the space—and network—to develop her venture with confidence.
“The Mill has been absolutely instrumental,” she said. “Being surrounded by people who are passionate, building companies, and willing to help—it’s inspiring and grounding. I’ve learned so much just by being part of this community.”
As a graduate student, she spent her days balancing two worlds: researching entrepreneurship and actively living it.
“It taught me how resilient I can be,” she said. “And it showed me how much I enjoy doing both—studying innovation and building something myself.”
What’s Next for Jetlag Rescue
With the product now launched, the real work—according to Kieger—has just begun.
The team is exploring potential partnerships with:
- major airlines
- travel-oriented hotels
- sports teams with dense travel schedules
- frequent-flyer organizations
- tourism boards and hospitality groups
Every new traveler who tries Jetlag Rescue adds to what the team is learning—new use-cases, new contexts, new ways the product helps people reclaim their time.
“If Jetlag Rescue could take off anywhere next,” Kieger admits with a smile, “I’d love to see it in Spain.”
A Product Built by Travelers, for Travelers
Ultimately, Jetlag Rescue isn’t just a business idea. It’s a solution shaped by people who live the problem:
- the flight attendants crossing oceans every week
- the founders racing between conferences
- the athletes moving between arenas
- the families traveling across time zones for moments that matter
And, of course, by a student founder who simply wanted to land somewhere new and feel fully present.
Jetlag Rescue is innovation in its truest form—not complicated, not abstract, but deeply human.
It comes from stepping off a plane, taking a breath, and asking:
How do we make this easier for everyone?
