15 FemTech innovators secure Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst funding

Innovate UK has announced that 15 companies from the second cohort of Accelerating FemTech have been successful in a special closed-call feasibility funding opportunity. The news builds upon the success of the first cohort, which saw 10 companies secure a share of over £3million through Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst.

15 early-stage FemTech companies have been backed by Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst, in a recent closed-call feasibility funding opportunity. The success comes after the start-ups took part in the second cohort of Accelerating FemTech, which was delivered by the Health Innovation Network South London with support from national partners.

The second edition of the programme, which ran between November 2024 and March 2025, expanded its offer to help UK-based companies, as well as university spinouts and entrepreneurial-minded academics focused on women’s health. Over 10 weeks, a hybrid curriculum lead by subject matter experts, one-to-one business coaching, peer-learning and networking opportunities was designed to gain the commercial and funding momentum, needed for long-term success. Participants also received tailored support to prepare for a special closed-call feasibility funding opportunity from Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst.

Innovate UK’s flagship grant funding mechanism enables small and medium sized businesses to test and develop innovative health and care solutions across life sciences, including therapeutics, medical devices and digital health. This special closed-call funding opportunity focused on accelerating feasibility studies for early-stage companies, a key flagstone for safe, sustainable innovation.

Of the funded projects, 28X is helping to address historic gaps in women's health data. In collaboration with Kyan, BioGrad and Wellbeing of Women, the company will test the feasibility of at-home menstrual blood donation for stem cell research and diagnostics. This research complements 28X’s wider mission to address data privacy concerns related to women's health, such as period tracking. Their subscription-free menstrual app will offer clinical, personalised health content, all whilst valuing privacy, accessibility and inclusivity.

JawSense, another company that secured funding, is aiming to address an overlooked area of women’s health through trialing an evidence-backed Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) app. TMD, which can be caused by grinding or clenching teeth (bruxism), affects an estimated 20% of the global population, with women accounting for 80% of these cases.

With significant impacts on both physical and mental health, the app supports patients to log triggers and pain for clinical monitoring, as well as providing preventative actions, exercises and education. The study will validate the usability of the platform, with around 50 adults – mainly women – using the app for at least eight weeks.

The selected projects directly address critical challenges in women's health, offering both direct-to-consumer solutions and transformative approaches to care pathways. In the 2023-2024 State of Care report, the Care Quality Commission (CWC) found that 65% of NHS maternity units were not deemed safe for women to give birth in. The announcement of the National Maternity Investigation in June 2025 highlights that critical issues remain across maternity, including patient safety and quality of care.

A key pillar of transforming maternity services is effective training. Upskill.Health has built a virtual reality (VR) based platform that delivers bitesized learning modules, which can be seamlessly integrated into the daily work routines of maternity staff. At the heart of this new approach are the voices, stories and experiences of real women, living locally to Trusts. By bringing maternity staff closer to the women they care for, Upskill.Health has the potential to help improve patient safety, at scale.

This latest funding milestone echoes the growing momentum of women’s health innovation, a sector that has been supported by programmes such as Accelerating FemTech. By pairing tailored support for FemTech innovation with ringfenced funding, start-ups are being set up to tackle some of the most pressing health challenges facing women.

Accelerating FemTech: Evaluate will continue to build on these achievements, bridging the gap between innovation and implementation. By bringing national partners together with trailblazing innovators in women's health, the programme will pave the way for more equitable, evidence-based care for women across the UK.

Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst funding was awarded to 35 digital solutions for health, after companies participated in one of three tailored support Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst programmes: Accelerating FemTech, which is delivered by the Health Innovation Network with national partners; AI in Health; and R&D. Click to read the full list of recipients of the Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst