Investment & deals

By Laurent van Lerberghe, Founder and Managing Partner, KELES In my years working in life sciences investment, I’ve encountered brilliant minds developing next-generation medical technologies, from AI-driven therapeutics to advanced diagnostics. We now see these going one step further, delivering even greater impact on women’s and family health by integrating design with cutting-edge, AI-enabled science [...]

A Mumbai-based fertility health-tech startup has raised US$4m in seed funding to expand its services across the city and into other parts of India. Luma Fertility will use the investment to expand its footprint in Mumbai and later scale into other cities over the next two years. The startup operates a 6,000-square-foot facility housing a [...]

Femtech World explores the latest developments in business in the world of women’s health. US$11m to accelerate breakthroughs in breast cancer research Breast cancer organisation Susan G. Komen has announced today that it is awarding US$10.8m in new research grants to help propel innovation in breast cancer research. The research grants will support 25 cutting-edge [...]

Founded by experts in genomics, reproductive medicine, and bioethics, Juniper is on a mission to help patients shorten their IVF journey by offering more clarity and confidence on the first transfer. Juniper’s proprietary platform combines whole genome and transcriptome sequencing with trio analysis, including both biological parents, to provide the most complete, clinically-relevant, and ethically [...]

A US$50m pledge to establish an endometriosis research centre has divided academics and public health experts over the ethics of accepting funding linked to the poker machine industry. The 10-year commitment will support what is being described as a world-first institute focused on accelerating diagnosis and developing precision-based treatments for a condition affecting around 1 [...]

By David Buller, Managing Partner at KELES The macro opportunity: women are half of the population In 2024 alone, women’s health start-ups raised a record $2.6 billion, up 55 per cent from the previous year. In addition to increasingly recognised health needs in menopause, fertility and female-specific cancers, there are conditions such as cardiovascular disease, [...]

A new investor network has launched to tackle the stark venture capital funding gap in women's health, bringing together 20 specialist funds dedicated to advancing innovation in the sector. WHAM (Women's Health Access Matters) announced the Innovator's Circle yesterday, connecting early-stage investors with later-stage capital partners to create a stronger funding pathway for women's health [...]

An international group of ovarian cancer research charities has launched a new AI-focused grant aimed at accelerating progress in one of the most underfunded and least survivable cancers affecting women worldwide. The Global Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium — a collaboration between organisations in the US, UK, Canada and Australia — has announced a US$1m AI [...]

Paxman’s recent public offer to acquire its competitor Dignitana has been accepted, signifying a historical milestone for the two companies and heralding the start of a brand-new chapter of working together to advance side effect management for cancer patients around the world. Paxman and Dignitana will now combine, creating a stronger, unified company - Paxman AB [...]

Femtech Canada, operated by Innovation Factory, has entered into a strategic partnership with Sun Life to support the development of commercialisation programming designed to drive the creation of new solutions, fuel economic growth through job creation and investment, and position Canada as a global leader in the rapidly growing femtech market. The programming is specifically [...]