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Lab data guide

Launch and pilot: introducing follow-up products for your data step by step

Reviewed by Dr. Daniel Wallerstorfer, molecular biologist and founder of Novogenia · Updated: 13 October 2026 · Reading time: 9 min

In short

The best way to start a follow-up product is with a pilot. At Novogenia, personalized projects typically begin with 200 to 500 customers; after that, we plan capacity together, up to thousands of customers per month. The road there: define your goal and target group, check your data, settle data protection and roles, develop the product and formula (one week to three months, 3 to 5 months for your own cosmetics formula), test the data handover, prepare your brand and notification, measure the pilot – and only then scale.

The dress rehearsal before opening night

No theater opens a show without a dress rehearsal. That is where you find out whether lights, sound and cues are right – with a real audience, but not yet a full house. Whatever goes wrong at the dress rehearsal can still be fixed before opening night.

For a follow-up product based on lab or genetic data, the pilot is exactly that dress rehearsal: real customers, real data, real deliveries – but in manageable numbers. You see how your target group responds to the offer, whether the data handover works and how often customers reorder. And together we learn which monthly volumes are realistic. This article takes you in eight steps from idea to pilot, and from pilot to an established offer.

From idea to established offer: the steps at a glance

Goal and target group: Which customers do you want to reach, with which product – supplements, skincare or both – and in which partner model?
Check the data: Which genetic or blood data do you hold? Does your panel cover the genes needed, or is a fresh saliva sample required?
Data protection and roles: Roles, consent, privacy notice and contract are in place before the first record flows.
Product and formula: formula framework, nutrients, pack size; for cosmetics, the choice between a proven base and your own formula.
Test the data handover: Check the mapping and transfer route with test records.
Brand, packaging, notification: sticker or designed box, copy, reviewed marketing claims, notification in each target country.
Pilot: typically 200 to 500 customers, with metrics defined in advance.
Review and scale: joint capacity planning up to thousands of customers per month.

Steps 2 to 6 largely run in parallel. While the formula is being developed, the mapping, contracts and packaging design can already take shape. You will find the details on each building block in Data integration, Data protection and roles and Follow-up products under your brand.

What you bring to the table

A follow-up product does not require a production facility of your own. But it does need a few things that only you, as the data owner, can bring:

Access to the target group: customers who are willing to share data and sign up for a subscription – for example from your lab, your platform or your health program.
Data, or a way to get it: existing genetic or blood data, or the decision to run the genetic analysis through the manufacturer.
Data protection and consent: consent that covers the follow-up product and the transfer to the manufacturer.
Brand and design: logo, colors and copy – for the pilot, a sticker is enough.
Sales and customer service: Who explains the product, who answers questions about the formula, who looks after the subscription?
Billing: the decision whether you bill customers yourself or through Novogenia, with us as your fulfillment partner.
A clear medical boundary: Who informs the customer if a blood value is abnormal? Abnormal values need a medical work-up.

The first conversation: information that gets you moving fast

The more concrete you are going into the first conversation, the faster a solid plan takes shape. This information helps us outline the right follow-up product and process with you:

which data you hold – raw genetic data, DNA test results, blood values – and for roughly how many customers
who your customers are and how you reach them today
which product interests you: supplements, skincare or both
which countries you want to sell in
how far your brand design has progressed
whether you bill customers yourself or through Novogenia
when the pilot should start

You do not need a finished formula or a technical concept for this. We develop the formula, the data handover and the timeline together with you.

The timeline: what determines how long it takes

How long it takes to reach the pilot depends less on the calendar than on your decisions. These phases set the pace:

Phase	What determines the duration	Benchmark at Novogenia
Supplement formula	number and type of nutrients	one week to three months; 22 nutrients are in stock as finished Microtransporters
Your own cosmetics formula	your idea and the active ingredients you want	3 to 5 months of development
Genetic analysis, if needed	sample collection and shipping to the lab	4 days of analysis in the lab
Data handover	data quality, mapping, transfer route	agreed during the project
Data protection and contracts	roles, consent, information	completed before the first data flow
Packaging and notification	design, approvals, target countries	white box with sticker as the fastest option; notification as soon as the label is final

It is best to plan backward: set the date when the pilot should start and count back from there – production, before that label and notification, before that data handover and contracts, before that the formula. If time gets tight, a lean start helps: a few nutrients that are already in stock, and the white box with sticker.

Setting up the pilot: small, real, measurable

A good pilot looks like the later offer, only smaller. Define these points before you start:

Size: At Novogenia, personalized projects typically start with 200 to 500 customers.
Participants: customers for whom the follow-up product is a natural next step, for example with recent data from your lab.
Offer: what the customer receives, how reordering works and how to cancel – in plain words.
Pack size: 30 or 90 daily servings; the subscription runs on a 90-day cycle.
Team: Anyone who advises customers should be able to explain the product and its limits. To prepare, there is the free NOVO Academy with about 5 hours of video per language.
Communication: Explain personalization as a transparently calculated formula, not as a health promise. Recommendations derived from genetic data are logical conclusions, not scientifically proven.
Price: The price per box depends mainly on the formula, packaging and volume. The price calculator in our chatbot gives you a first estimate; our team calculates smaller quantities.

What to measure in the pilot

A pilot without metrics is a test run without a result. Decide in advance how you will recognize success – and which values you want to reach before you scale:

Metric	What it tells you
Share of customers who order the follow-up product	whether the offer fits the target group
Reorders after the first delivery	whether the product fits into everyday life
Questions to customer service	where explanations are missing
Queries about missing or implausible data	whether the data handover works
Time from data delivery to shipping	whether the workflows hold up
Feedback on packaging and intake	what to change before scaling up

The reorder is the most honest metric. How a one-time analysis turns into a lasting customer relationship is explained in Recurring revenue from follow-up products.

Scaling: from pilot to established offer

Think of scaling as a staircase, not a leap. As soon as the pilot holds up, we plan capacity together – up to thousands of customers per month. Typical next steps:

Packaging: from the sticker to the fully designed dispenser box with 30 or 90 daily servings.
Data flow: With high case volumes, a more standardized process pays off; for large health projects, Novogenia sets up sample kits, shipping routes and interfaces.
Range: If genetic data are available, the same profile can also drive personalized skincare.
New measurements: New blood values or an updated questionnaire feed into the next production run, because the formula is recalculated every time.

Five pitfalls you can avoid

Consent that is too narrow: If it does not cover the follow-up product, the pilot stalls before it starts. Clarify this first.
Checking data quality too late: Otherwise, missing genes or values without units only show up in production.
Perfect packaging before the first customer: For the pilot, the white box with sticker is enough.
Marketing copy last: Every claim has to be permissible. Writing copy at the end often means rebuilding.
No plan for medical questions: Define where your team refers customers when it comes to illnesses, medications, pregnancy or abnormal values.

Checklist: ready for the pilot

Target group, product and partner model are defined.
The data basis has been checked; the route for missing data is clear.
Roles, consent and privacy notice are in place.
Formula and pack size are approved.
The data handover has been tested with test records.
Packaging, label and marketing copy are finished; notification is done for each target country.
Pilot size, metrics and target values for scaling up are agreed.
Customer service and medical referral routes are in place.

How Novogenia produces small quantities and plans for growth is also described in Starting small: minimum order quantities and pilots.

How we do it at Novogenia

How we support you at Novogenia, from the first conversation to scaling up:

Pilot: typically 200 to 500 customers, followed by joint capacity planning up to thousands of customers per month.
Fast start: 22 nutrients are in stock as finished Microtransporters; development takes one week to three months, and your own cosmetics formula 3 to 5 months.
No minimum order: We produce supplements from a single unit and cosmetics from small batches.
Starter packaging: a white box with your brand sticker – later, the fully designed dispenser box.
Genetic analysis if needed: 4 days in our own lab, reports in up to 18 languages.
Price: The price calculator in our chatbot gives you an instant, non-binding estimate for 500 to 3,000 boxes; our team calculates smaller quantities.
Training: The NOVO Academy is free of charge and optional – about 5 hours of video per language, with a certificate for each completed topic.

Frequently asked questions

How big should a pilot be?

At Novogenia, personalized projects typically start with a pilot of 200 to 500 customers. That is large enough to test demand, workflows and communication under real conditions, and small enough to make adjustments before scaling up.

How long does it take to get to the pilot launch?

That depends mainly on the formula, the data and the contracts. Developing a supplement formula takes one week to three months, your own cosmetics formula 3 to 5 months. If a fresh genetic analysis is needed, it takes 4 days in the lab. Data handover, data protection and packaging run in parallel and are planned during the project.

Do I need custom packaging for the pilot?

No. To get started, a white box with your brand sticker is enough – the fastest option. Once the pilot is running, you can switch to a dispenser box with 30 or 90 daily servings, fully in your design.

What does a pilot cost?

The price per box depends mainly on the formula, packaging and volume. The price calculator in our chatbot gives you an instant, non-binding estimate for 500 to 3,000 boxes; our team calculates smaller quantities individually.

What happens after the pilot?

You review the results together with us and plan capacity for scaling up – at Novogenia, up to thousands of customers per month. Typical next steps are the fully designed packaging, a more standardized data flow and, if genetic data are available, a second product such as personalized skincare.

Follow-up products for your data?

Tell us which data you hold and who your customers are – we will show you which follow-up product fits.

Request a project →Offer for labs

Note: This guide is general information for businesses and professionals and does not replace medical or legal advice. The genetic traits determined in a genetic analysis are well documented (each gene included is backed by at least three independent studies); recommendations derived from them are logical conclusions, not scientifically proven. Regulations can change; errors and changes excepted.