Ten FemTech innovators join new Innovate UK accelerator

Programme provides founders with structured support

Ten UK women’s health innovators have been selected to join Accelerating FemTech: Evaluate, a new 10-week Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst accelerator designed to help working prototype solutions (at TRL 4+ level) build the evidence required for real-world adoption.

Delivered by the Health Innovation Network South London (HIN), DigitalHealth.London, and partners across the UK, the programme provides founders with structured support to plan evaluation pathways, identify collaborators and strengthen their case for NHS implementation.

Evidence remains the critical barrier

While the women’s health innovation landscape continues to grow, companies consistently report the same challenge: generating credible, system-ready evidence. Whether it’s health economic data, clinical validation, or real-world evaluation routes, many early-stage solutions struggle to move beyond pilots or consumer use into NHS pathways.

This friction is especially pronounced in women’s health, where historic data gaps and limited research investment mean innovators often start from a disadvantaged position. Accelerating FemTech: Evaluate has been created to help bridge that gap, giving founders access to expert guidance, clinical networks and practical routes into evaluation.

Dr Chiara Board, CEO and Founder of P.Happi, said:

“We need more innovation and access to better care in women’s health — and with limited funding flowing into the sector, programmes like this are so vital. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to join the Accelerating FemTech: Evaluate programme alongside other changemakers.”

The 2025 cohort: ten companies tackling unmet need

The selected innovators span diagnostics, therapeutics, maternal health, menopause support, training technologies and lived-experience-driven products.

• P.Happi
  A patented intimate serum powered by Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus, a natural bacterium that selectively targets harmful Gram-negative bacteria while preserving beneficial flora. Positioned as a non-antibiotic, non-hormonal option for women experiencing recurrent UTIs, BV, thrush or menopausal dryness.

• Belle Health
  A digital platform using AI and therapy to support earlier, more accurate identification of PMDD. The app currently offers period and symptom tracking, with an algorithmic diagnostic tool in development.

• Breath Predict
  Exhale-Dx™, an AI-powered breath analysis platform using nanosensor arrays to detect VOCs and respiratory markers, offering a fast, non-invasive alternative to current diagnostic pathways—potentially strengthening screening and monitoring for respiratory diseases that disproportionately impact women.

• Dignity Care Network
  The Miscarriage Collection Cradle and Miscarriage Care Kits provide safe, dignified, practical miscarriage support in clinical and home environments, addressing a critical gap in compassionate early pregnancy loss care.

• Bloume Health
  A digital companion designed for women living with chronic pelvic pain, offering evidence-based tools to manage symptoms, understand patterns, and rebuild intimacy—an area historically under-recognised and under-treated.

• Meyva
  A controlled-heat bra created to help alleviate cyclical breast tenderness linked to hormonal changes, breastfeeding or menstrual cycles—an issue often overlooked in clinical pathways despite widespread prevalence.

• Niramai
  Developer of Thermalytix®, a clinically validated AI-driven thermal imaging tool for early breast health screening. Niramai is expanding its UK presence to support preventive and accessible diagnostics aligned with NHS priorities.

• Matresa
  A proactive maternal health support platform developed by a women’s health nurse, combining clinical expertise and digital tools to guide women through fertility, pregnancy, postpartum and return-to-work transitions.

• Lumino (Seren)
  A CBT-based digital therapeutic for menopause support. With CBT recommended by NICE but limited by workforce shortages, Seren aims to widen access to an evidence-based, non-hormonal intervention.

• Upskill.Health
  A mobile, AI and VR-enabled training platform that supports NHS maternity staff with bitesize, in-the-flow learning—addressing persistent training and workforce challenges across maternity services.

What the programme offers

Across the three-month hybrid curriculum, companies will take part in virtual training, subject-matter-expert webinars, one-to-one mentoring across the health and care system, and two in-person residentials. They will also receive business coaching to help refine evaluation strategies, identify partners for real-world testing and understand health economic requirements. Participants can additionally apply for a special closed-call feasibility funding opportunity through Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst.

The programme builds on the HIN’s established track record in women’s health innovation: between 2023 and 2025, its early-stage accelerator supported 33 companies, which subsequently secured over £1 million in feasibility funding to advance research and commercialisation.