IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT NEEDLES

Rose Odette
Oct 31
3 min read

Lea Milovich Founder and CEO of Flowbeams

When most professionals talk about career progression, they’re thinking titles, promotions, and perks. But not Lea Milovich. She walked away from corporate comfort to lead a med-tech revolution — building a company that fires medicine through the skin without a single needle. Her startup, FlowBeams, is redefining how injections work by using laser-powered micro-jets that replace pain with precision.

This isn’t just about science. It’s about leadership. It’s about a woman who saw an idea buried in a research lab and had the courage to turn it into a global movement.

👑 The Lioness Behind the Laser - IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT NEEDLES

Before FlowBeams, Lea was the definition of stability — a Master of Science in Business Administration graduate from the University of Twente, working in innovation programs and startup acceleration across the Netherlands. She thrived in business development, connecting ideas to opportunities. But in 2021, she traded predictability for possibility, co-founding FlowBeams with Professor David Fernández Rivas, whose groundbreaking research on laser-induced micro-jets had quietly been changing the physics of fluid dynamics.

Together, they envisioned a world where injections were painless, safe, and sustainable. Lea once said, “In the beginning, we worked on FlowBeams after hours — now it’s my full-time mission.” That’s the essence of Lioness leadership: the courage to walk away from “good enough” for the pursuit of greatness.

🌍 Where She Is Now — Leading on the Global Stage

Under Lea’s leadership, FlowBeams evolved from a two-person university spin-off into a 7-person deep-tech powerhouse housed in the Netherlands’ High Tech Factory ecosystem. The company recently secured a €2.5 million grant from the European Innovation Council to bring its needle-free injection device, BoldJet, to market.

Their strategy is razor-sharp — start with the cosmetics and aesthetics market (think botox and fillers), where regulatory hurdles are lighter, then scale into medical applications like insulin and vaccine delivery. It’s the kind of go-to-market clarity most founders spend years chasing. In January 2025, FlowBeams showcased at CES Las Vegas, earning the title of CES Innovation Awards Honoree and global recognition as the company that could make the needle obsolete.

Lea’s leadership fuses empathy and execution and she imagined a world without needles. She’s not just commercializing science — she’s proving that precision, persistence, and purpose can move the world forward.

💎 5 Lioness Lessons from Lea Milovich

Comfort is the Cage. Every time you choose safety over growth, your impact shrinks.
Courage Looks Like Action. True bravery is leaving stability to pursue significance.
Lead With Vision, Not Volume. Quiet confidence commands far more respect than noise.
Commercialize the Impossible. Innovation only matters when it reaches people.
Create Ripples, Not Roles. Stop fitting in — start rewriting the system.

⚙️ 5 Ways to Lead Like Lea

Audit Your Comfort Zone. Identify what’s too easy right now — that’s your next leap.
Collaborate Intelligently. Pair your business instincts with technical brilliance.
Own Your Story. Investors, partners, and teams follow conviction.
Think Global Early. From Enschede to Las Vegas — that’s how a Lioness scales.
Build Impact, Not Just Income. Real leadership solves problems that matter.

✨ Conclusion

Lea Milovich didn’t just lead a startup — she led a movement. Her story reminds us that leadership isn’t about climbing ladders; it’s about building beams of light where darkness once was.

Every woman who dares to trade certainty for significance is leading the pride forward. The next time comfort whispers, remember Lea — and roar anyway.

#LeadLikeALioness #WomenInInnovation #FearlessLeadership #FemaleFounders #CourageToCreate #BullishOnBusiness