MANJU DAWKINS OF THIMBLE

“Entrepreneurship is the opposite of a linear path. It’s full of uncertainty but also full of possibility. It’s made me look inward and realize that everyone around us has infinite potential. You just have to be open to it—to embrace it and believe in it”.

- Dr. Manju Dawkins

Dr. Manju Dawkins is the creator and co-founder of Thimble, the first easy, safe, and comprehensive solution for alleviating needle pain and stress. She is a board-certified dermatologist who received her B.A. from Columbia University and her M.D. from the University of Maryland. She completed her dermatology residency and served as Chief Resident at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. She was an Assistant Professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where she was twice named Teacher of the Year. She has practiced in academic, private, hospital-based, and group practice settings in New York and Los Angeles.

What inspired you to start Thimble and what was the initial vision behind it?

It all started when I had my first kid. I was a resident in dermatology. When they're about a month old, you take them in for their first set of vaccines, and I was not prepared for her face. When she got her shot, she just looked up at me with betrayal, bewilderment, pain—like, What was that? I trusted you… what? And I was like, Oh no, what have I done? I basically felt like I had failed as a mother. It was my first test, and I failed. It always struck me because it was the first moment of broken trust between mother and child—but also the first moment of broken trust between physician and patient. Then later, you realize—wow, this isn’t just a me problem. It’s a problem for literally everyone on the planet. No one likes needles, and we never talk about the fact that it's actually keeping people from getting the healthcare they need. That’s why I set out to create a platform with accessible, easy-to-use solutions to alleviate the pain and stress of any needle procedure.

What was the moment where you realized that Thimble could become more than just an idea and you could actually develop it into a real brand? Did you have any kind of aha realization or moment where you realized, wow, I can actually make this idea into something real?

Yes, there were a few moments. One was when I was talking to a friend—an anesthesiologist—and I explained my idea for Thimble. She thought it was a good idea but when I asked her if she wanted to work on it with me she said, “No”. But then I shared the idea with my husband—and also my parents— who are very honest with me. They thought it was a good idea, but even that wasn’t enough on its own. The second moment was when I drew it out. I just knew after drawing it that it was real. Then the third moment was talking to people. That’s the whole thing, right? You have to make sure people actually want it. And every single person I spoke to was like, Duh, yeah—why wouldn’t I use that? And I thought, This is necessary. Why hasn’t anyone thought of this? There were probably different moments where I thought, This is so obvious—why hasn’t it been done before? And then, at each step, I kept thinking, I think this is possible.

Can you talk a little bit about that development process in terms of the actual patches? And then also once the patch was developed, how you went about distributing them?

Yes, so the first step was really just talking to people and understanding the need. As a dermatologist, I saw the pain points firsthand—like prescribing numbing cream that patients rarely used because it was hard to access, inconvenient, expensive, and confusing. But I wanted to make sure it wasn’t just my experience, and as I spoke to others, I kept hearing the same concerns. Then I sketched the idea and started prototyping—literally in our kitchen. It became our little lab. We tested on ourselves (my poor family!) and started figuring out how to actually make the product. We interviewed labs, asked tons of questions, and slowly found the right people. It was all about networking. You quickly realize you can't do something like this alone—everyone brings their own expertise, and talking to people is everything. That’s been one of the biggest lessons. Another has been trusting my instincts. Sometimes someone looks great on paper but just doesn’t feel like the right fit. I feel really lucky to have met so many incredible people with the right skills at exactly the right time. It’s been a long journey to develop the Prepare Patch—a drug-and-adhesive patch you apply beforehand to numb the skin and reduce pain. It’s been hard. But the path to the Recovery Patch has been a bit easier—but it’s all still a lot of work.

Are there any exciting upcoming projects or developments that you can possibly share with us?

We’re finally launching the Prepare Patch—our full needle care system is on the verge of going live. This is our big moment. We've done extensive customer research, speaking to thousands of people to make sure we were creating something they truly wanted. The overwhelming response has been yes. Now it’s time to put that to the test—is the appetite really there? But to me, this is bigger than just getting people to buy a product. It’s about changing the standard of care for needle procedures. We need to rethink how we make people feel—whether they’re in a doctor’s office, a hospital, or injecting themselves at home. What I’m most excited about is seeing healthcare organizations adopt this—so that patients aren’t the ones paying out of pocket. Insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and retail pharmacies all have a role to play here. Whether it’s bundling the patch with injectable medications or offering it alongside a flu shot appointment, the goal is the same: make the experience better, and make it standard. That’s what I’m really looking forward to.

What has been the most rewarding part of developing Thimble? This can be in terms of personal growth or it can be in terms of professional growth.

There have been so many parts to this journey. It reminds me of that Emily Dickinson quote— “If I can ease one life the aching, / Or cool one pain, / Or help one fainting robin / Unto his nest again, / I shall not live in vain” — a child saying, This helped so much, or a mom telling me, This changed my life. Those individual stories are so rewarding and remind me why I’m doing this.

But honestly, the greatest reward has been personal growth. As a dermatologist, the path is very linear—like a train track you get on early and never really leave. It’s stable, which is great, but it also puts blinders on. You stop seeing what else is possible. You get scared of what’s outside that track. Entrepreneurship is the opposite of a linear path. It’s full of uncertainty, but also full of possibility. It’s made me look inward and realize that everyone around us has infinite potential. You just have to be open to it—to embrace it and believe in it. In that way, entrepreneurship has almost become a form of spirituality for me. It’s been a deeply transformative experience.

Is there anything you learned at Columbia that you still use today, either at work or outside of the office?

Oh, so many things. I loved my experience at Columbia, but probably the most rewarding part was walking onto the women’s basketball team. I played all four years, was captain my senior year, and it was truly one of the greatest experiences of my life. It taught me many of the same lessons entrepreneurship has—resilience, grit, and the joy of chasing a dream. I came from a tiny school that no longer even exists, and while I played basketball there, playing Division I felt like a total pipe dream. But I went for it, and it was incredibly rewarding. Now, with this venture, I’m doing the same—going for it—and again, finding so much meaning along the way. I’m also still involved with the team and love seeing how far the program has come. It’s grown so much since I was there, which feels like forever ago, and it’s such a blessing to watch.

Do you have any advice for current college students looking to follow a similar path?

My path was longer than what some might consider typical, but I truly believe every step happens for a reason. I wouldn’t trade any part of it. I’m incredibly grateful to be a dermatologist and still practice on a limited basis. The advice I’d give is to keep checking in with yourself—and to tune out the noise. There’s so much external pressure telling you what you should be doing, but it’s important to pause, look inward, and ask: What do I actually want? And then trust that whatever that is, it’s possible. There’s space for everyone. I don’t believe in the zero-sum game. That scarcity mindset we’re taught—it’s not real. Even in business, people push the idea that we’re all in competition, but I don’t buy it. There’s enough opportunity, enough success, enough room for all of us. That’s something I really want people to understand.

Is there a female founder or a female role model that you look up to?

There are so many founders I admire—most of whom you’ve probably never heard of. It’s the scrappy founders who keep going despite not getting the funding they need. That’s the reality. I was part of CVC 2.8, a women-focused accelerator through the Columbia Venture Community. It was named after the statistic that only 2.8% of venture capital funding goes to women. The hope was that number would rise each year. But what inspires me most is how so many women founders I know refuse to be victims of that. They’re not waiting for permission—they’re building. They have deep belief in their work, often tied to mission or impact. I admire them immensely.

Is there any goal you have right now that you're looking to achieve in the future?

Part of Thimble’s mission is simple: to spread compassion. I believe we need to show more compassion for patients going through needle procedures. Right now, the system hasn’t left much space for that—and it’s no one’s fault. It’s not that doctors or nurses are uncaring. It’s that the system has stripped away the time needed to build empathic relationships. My hope is that Thimble helps restore those connections—whether it’s between a healthcare provider and a patient, or a parent and child at home. Needle procedures can sometimes feel cold and impersonal, and that impacts trust and connection. I know it’s a lofty goal for what may seem like a simple solution. But I really do believe it can create awareness. Let’s understand what the patient is going through—and also recognize that the nurse rushing through the day might be seeing 55 patients. Let’s extend compassion both ways. That’s the heart of it: spreading understanding and compassion.