Femtech start-up launches Kickstarter campaign to advance endometriosis app

The US women’s health startup ELANZA Wellness has announced its first crowdfunded launch from the company’s newly formed endometriosis care division.

The EverythingEndo app is designed to help women with endometriosis self-manage symptoms from home.

The app offers recommendations, therapeutic classes and educational content and allows users to connect virtually with support and care providers. 

The fundraising campaign, currently live on Kickstarter, aims to give people the chance to support the app and add their voice to the global effort to advance options for those with underserved women’s health conditions. 

“This is an invitation for individuals affected by endometriosis to have a real impact on shaping a platform for them that resonates with their unique needs, actively participating in the process of backing and building it,” explained ELANZA Wellness co-founder, Brittany Hawkins.

“Kickstarter is a great place for us to connect with our users directly and also a great way for female-founded teams to diversify funding streams for faster product development and validation.

“Every contribution is a step toward a more personalised and effective tool for managing endometriosis, designed with and for our users.”

One in ten women of reproductive age suffer from endometriosis, which affects 190 million women worldwide. 

While there is no cure, the published medical literature shows that there are 22 ways to manage endometriosis. Gynaecologists recommend taking a preventative approach to care, including nutrition, pelvic floor physiotherapy and mental health. 

“Managing endometriosis requires more than medication,” said Hawkins.

“Most people with the condition live with ongoing unmanaged symptoms and need access to a bigger variety of science-backed, at-home management strategies.”

The World Health Organization specifically states that enhanced awareness, followed by early diagnosis and management may slow or halt the natural progression of the disease and reduce the long-term burden of its symptoms, including the risk of central nervous system pain sensitisation. 

ELANZA’s goal is to help people reduce symptoms to make living with endometriosis feel more manageable, providing hope for those who have suffered for years in silence. 

“Not only did our research find that more mental and emotional support is what patients are desperately looking for, but that a holistic approach is best practice for managing and moderating endometriosis symptoms,” said Catherine Hendy, ELANZA co-founder.

“With EverythingEndo, we’ve brought both together in one place.”

The co-founders and wider team of behavioural designers synthesised insights from chronic condition management tools, reviews of research studies on endometriosis, the team’s survey of 1,000 women with endometriosis and personal stories from patients and care providers. 

“We firmly believe that the best solutions are built with direct input from those they’re aiming to help,” said Hendy.

“Early collaborative co-design with our users helped develop our framework for education, social support and holistic therapies that really take into account the everyday challenges and realities of life with endo and reflect the full diversity of experiences,” she added.

The proceeds from the Kickstarter campaign will be used for product development, engineering and data design, with the team aiming to release the new and improved app back to consumers by May 2024.