Distinguished Entrepreneurs Lunch: Marissa and Samantha Harkness

Marissa and Samantha Harkness, Co-Founders of Pill Skills

Are you interested in pharmacology, biomedicine, pharmaceuticals, medicine, or the art of compassion? Come meet Marissa and Samantha Harkness, two sisters from a southwest suburb of Chicago who were often mistaken as twins but are 14 months apart. Both sisters love problem solving. They started their first business at age 12 and 13. They called themselves the Sister Sitters, a babysitting service, where they advertised their duo as being two for the price of one..

Marissa and Samantha’s entrepreneurial mindset and appreciation continued to grow, as they started creating a list of ideas. By the summer of 2019, the list had exceeded 70 innovative ideas. They then spent the summer weighing the pros and cons of each idea.

One idea was inspired by their mom’s lifelong difficulty to swallow pills. They had a personal passion towards solving this problem, it was within their skillset, and the market was much larger than they had imagined. This is how the idea for Pill Skills was born.

In 2020 they developed the Pill Skills Beginner Kit, a product that teaches adults and children how to swallow pills and take medications and vitamins effectively.

This free event is held in Room 5110 Grainger Hall.