Accelerating Femtech
Accelerating FemTech helps UK-based, early-stage companies, university spinouts and entrepreneurial-minded academics focused on women’s health to gain the commercial and funding momentum they need for long-term success.
The programme is delivered by the Health Innovation Network (HIN) South London and partners across the UK. It utilises Innovate UK funding as part of the Biomedical Catalyst, in collaboration with the Medical Research Council. It builds upon the experience of running the award-winning DigitalHealth.London, Propel and other innovator support programmes from the health innovation networks.
The first cohort ran from May 2023 to January 2024. Alumni were awarded more than £1 million in funding through a special closed-call feasibility funding opportunity through the Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst.
Applications for Accelerating FemTech are now closed. The second cohort will run between November 2024 and March 2025. Please see key dates for the programme below.
Accelerate your FemTech innovation
The programme supports early-stage companies, university spinouts and entrepreneurial-minded academics from across the UK, who are looking to take their early-stage innovation to the next level. These innovations should address current challenges in women’s health, including menstruation management, chronic pelvic pain, maternity and neonatal safety, cervical screening and more.
Building on the HIN’s experience of running the award-winning DigitalHealth.London Accelerator, at the heart of Accelerating FemTech is a 10 week programme of learning, networking and collaboration. The learning programme helps innovators with targeted workshops, peer learning and tailored mentoring, which are lead by subject matter experts, business coaches and the HIN team. This element of Accelerating FemTech aims to enhance product development, entrepreneurship skills and stakeholder engagement across the NHS and academia.
Beyond this, participants will also be supported by the HIN team to prepare for a special closed-call feasibility funding opportunity through the Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst. The Biomedical Catalyst is Innovate UK’s flagship grant funding mechanism. It enables small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) to test and develop innovative health and care solutions across life sciences, including therapeutics, medical devices and digital health. In 2023, Accelerating FemTech alumni were awarded more than £1m in funding through the Biomedical Catalyst.
Accelerating FemTech is funded for by Innovate UK funding as part of the Biomedical Catalyst, in collaboration with the Medical Research Council.
Looking for other support? Find out more about our DigitalHealth.London programmes.
What our alumni say
In 2023, we launched a new initiative called Accelerating FemTech. Through the programme, our alumni have achieved commercial and funding success, from securing a share of over £1 million of closed-call funding from the Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst to growing professional networks and learning more about potential markets for innovations.
- Over £1 million of closed-call funding received by our alumni through a special closed-call feasibility funding opportunity from the Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst. The fund supports organisations to complete feasibilities studies, helping to drive new innovations to make impactful change.
- 100% of companies in would repeat the programme and said that conversations with experts helped provide insights to develop their project and business, as well as expand their network, ultimately feeling that the programme equipped them for the BMC application.
- 89% of companies felt that the programme supported their approach to and the necessity of conducting evaluation, that their overall professional network had increased in both size and expertise.
83.3% of companies improved development and market understanding through the programme.
