Perimenopause wellness brand Valerie raises £514k pre-seed funding
"We’re building something with real science, real results - and a brand and community that women actually want to be part of."
Valerie, a women’s wellness startup focused on science-backed support for perimenopause and midlife health, has announced it has raised £514,000 in a pre-seed funding round led by a group of angel investors. The raise is part of the company’s mission to rethink a market long overlooked by both healthcare and investors.
Launched in August 2024, Valerie is targeting a growing demand for credible support among the 1 billion women globally - 15.5 million in the UK alone - who are navigating perimenopause and beyond with little credible support from the health or wellness industries.
The brand’s flagship product, Daily Essential, uses patent-pending liposomal nanotechnology to improve nutrient absorption and support mood, energy and focus, using ingredients like ashwagandha, B vitamins, and magnesium.
The round was led by angel investors, including Giles Brook (ex-CEO of Vita Coco EMEA and investor in Surreal, Pip & Nut). Brook, known for backing bold, disruptive consumer brands, said:
“Valerie is really well-positioned to become the leading brand in the perimenopause space.
“It combines authenticity, backed with science, purpose-driven innovation and a unique tone of voice that is delivering outstanding engagement and advocacy with today's consumer.”
A surge in consumer demand
The menopause market alone is projected to hit $24 billion by 2030, while the broader femtech sector is expected to reach $103 billion by 2030. Meanwhile, global healthtech is forecast to surpass $900 billion by 2032.
Demand for solutions is growing fast: Google searches for perimenopause products and support have surged 106% in the last five years, growing 4x faster than menopause-related terms, reflecting a sharp rise in awareness—and frustration with the status quo.
Since launching in August 2024, Valerie has seen rapid growth. Q1 2025 sales were up 84% compared to Q4 2024, and the company is on track to exceed £1 million in revenue in 2025, with projections to reach eight figures by year three.
“The category is full of brands that look the same, sound the same, and don’t work” says co-founder Olly Johnson.
“We’re building something with real science, real results - and a brand and community that women actually want to be part of.”
A supplement women actually absorb (and actually want to take)
Valerie’s flagship product, Daily Essential, taps into broader wellness trends around longevity and performance, as consumers shift from simply extending lifespan to maximising healthspan - especially in the second half of life.
“We’re not in the business of meno-washing,” adds co-founder Wizz Selvey.
“This is not about shrinking into invisibility. It’s about helping women feel like themselves again - with products that actually deliver.”
A female-focused market still largely ignored by VC
The team behind Valerie includes mixed-gender co-founders Olly Johnson and Wizz Selvey, who bring a mix of DTC experience, consumer health brand building and scientific integrity. They’re also bucking the trend: in 2023, just 2% of VC capital went to all-female founding teams, and less than 10% to mixed-gender teams. Meanwhile, only 14% of angel investors are women, according to industry estimates.
To help shift that dynamic, Valerie made gender diversity in investment a priority. The team created a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to enable more women to participate at lower entry thresholds - resulting in 45% female investor participation, a significant leap above the industry norm.
Still, the capital gap remains: those female investors represent just 25% of the total investment value, underlining the wider structural disparity in who holds and deploys capital.
“We wanted women to win with us - on both sides of the cap table,” says Johnson.
“But the data speaks volumes. This is a systemic issue, and we hope our approach sets a precedent.”
Valerie joins a growing number of femtech startups tackling underfunded areas of women’s health. The company plans to use the funds to grow its team, expand its product offering and continue building a brand that aims to bring both credibility and community to a space many women feel has been neglected.