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Femtech support programme launched in Canada

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Aa new initiative to help femtech start-ups bring their innovations to market more quickly has been launched in Canada.

The Women’s Health Medical Pathway (wHealth MedPath) aims to close a key gap in support for women’s health companies looking to commercialise their products.

The programme has been set up by Femtech Canada in collaboration with Innovation Factory, with backing from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP).

It connects start-ups with physician networks, clinical investment groups, contract research organisations and manufacturing partners to help validate innovations and prepare products for market.

Support services include expert feedback from key opinion leaders, product design and testing, and documentation such as regulatory strategy and clinical study planning.

These are designed to reduce risk, improve clinical credibility and strengthen commercialisation strategies.

Karen Linseman, vice president of operations at Innovation Factory, said: “We’re addressing a critical gap in Canada’s innovation pipeline.

“With the potential to contribute $27bn to Canada’s GDP by 2040, women’s health innovation represents one of the country’s most promising growth opportunities.

“wHealth MedPath provides the clinical insight and expert guidance femtech founders need to bring impactful solutions to market and position Canada as a global leader in this sector.”

Since launching publicly in 2024, Femtech Canada has built what it says is the third largest femtech ecosystem globally, comprising more than 170 women’s health companies.

Collectively, these businesses have commercialised over 110 years of Canadian research, created more than 1,200 jobs and attracted over $250m in private-sector investment.

The wHealth MedPath programme is now open to applications at femtech.ca/wHealth-MedPath.

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Last chance to save on Women’s Health Week and Women’s Sport Summit: Early Bird pricing ends 11 September

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Early bird pricing for W Group’s two flagship October summits – Women’s Health Week Europe 2026 and Women’s Sport Summit Europe 2026 – closes on 11 September.

Both events take place at Emirates Stadium, London, bringing together founders, investors, corporates, and industry leaders shaping the future of women’s health and sport.

Women’s Health Week Europe 2026

7-8 October | Emirates Stadium, London

This year’s edition will be Women’s Health Week Europe biggest one yet: with 700+ attendees, 80+ speakers, and 20+ sponsors, it will also feature two stages – a Global Stage covering market trends and policy, and a Scale Stage focused on company-level growth and commercialisation. WHW takes place across two days of content, business matchmaking, and dealmaking.

Agenda highlights include:

  • Where Capital Flows: Funding Trends in Women’s Health – with Merete Clausen (EIF), Ekaterina Gianelli (Calm/Storm), Henriette Hessen (Verdane), Jemma Day (British Business Bank), Ravit Warsha Dor (Telus Global Ventures), Tim Davis (LSEG)
  • Six Feet Under-funded: Surviving the Valley of Death in Women’s Health – with Patric Stenberg (Gesynta Pharma), Valentina Milanova (Daye), Amber Vodegel (28x)
  • The Women’s Health Label – Gift or Curse? · Live Debate – with Juan Camilo Arjona Ferreira (organon), Marissa Fayer (DeepLook Medical), Christian Lautner (Heal Capital), Annie Theriault (CBIV), Ida Tin (Clue)
  • Passport to Scale: Taking Your Women’s Health Business Global – with Vanessa Carpenter (Femtech Across Borders), Annie Theriault (CBIV), Victorine Lançon (Daya Ventures), Dr Mridula Pore (Peppy)

Early bird pricing (ends 11 September):

Ticket typeEarly birdStandard
Startups, Scaleups, Investors, Non-Profits, Government£599 + VAT£699 + VAT
Corporates, Payors & Providers£1,799 + VAT£1,999 + VAT
Service Providers & Consultants£3,299 + VAT£3,499 + VAT

Register for Women’s Health Week Europe | See the full agenda for WHW

Women’s Sport Summit Europe 2026

6 October | Emirates Stadium, London

The first-ever Women’s Sport Summit expands W Group’s expertise in connecting key decision-makers to the sports industry.

WSS brings together rights holders, brands, investors, athletes, and media to accelerate commercial growth across the sector.

Agenda highlights include:

  • From capital to crowd: the women’s sport cycle at scale – with Omar Shaikh (Arsenal FC), Nicole McWilliams (Google), Kerstin Lutz (Mercury13), Jo Currie (BBC Sport)
  • Women’s sport through the investor lens: what gets funded – and why – Hugo Sever (APEX Capital)
  • Rethinking ROI: what are we measuring that doesn’t actually matter? – Fi Watherston (Metro Bank), Silvia Keiser (Billie Jean King Cup), Gabriel Akin-Odujobi (Crux Football), Tammy Parlour (WST)
  • Beyond the 90 minutes: matchday as a commercial product, not just a fixture – Maggie Murphy (Aston Villa Women FC), Sam Feasey (Diageo/Guinness), Molly Miller (OneFootball), Megan Feringa (The Athletic/The New York Times)

Early bird pricing (ends 11 September):

Ticket typeEarly birdStandard
General Pass£299 + VAT£399 + VAT
Service Providers & Consultants£1,799 + VAT£1,999 + VAT

Register for Women’s Sport Summit Europe | See the full agenda for WSS

Attending both events?

For group tickets or to attend both summits this October, contact Callum, W Group’s Client Success Lead, at [email protected].

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KOVE Medical raises €1.7 million to improve safety of foetal surgery

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KOVE Medical has raised €1.7 million to support first-in-human studies of an implantable device designed to reduce preterm birth risk after foetal surgery.

The University of Zurich spin-off is developing a device designed to close defects left by surgical instruments following fetoscopy, a minimally invasive procedure performed inside the womb.

Fetoscopies can treat life-threatening conditions before birth but require surgical instruments to pass through the uterine wall and amniotic sac.

This can weaken the protective membrane, causing fluid leakage or rupture and often leading to preterm birth.

KOVE Medical said in a statement on LinkedIn: “This is a crucial step forward for our company, and we are incredibly grateful for the strong support and trust from our syndicate of visionary angel investors.”

KOVE Medical says its device closes the defect at the end of the procedure, stabilising the membrane and preventing complications. The aim is to make in-utero interventions safe enough to become a standard method of care.

The company plans to use the seed funding to reach first-in-human studies, a key milestone for a medical device seeking regulatory approval.

The CHF1.6m round was backed by a syndicate of angel investors.

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WHIS 2026 adds 18 new speakers to October summit agenda

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The Women’s Health Innovation Summit (WHIS), the event uniting the global  women’s health ecosystem, has just announced 18 new speakers joining the agenda for  its 2026 summit, taking place October 13–15 at Encore Boston Harbor.

The latest additions bring further depth across pharma, clinical research, health  systems, venture, and policy, reinforcing WHIS’s role as the only platform where the full women’s health ecosystem convenes under one roof.

Newly confirmed speakers include:

  • Kelle Moley, MD – VP, Women’s Health Early Phase Clinical Development, Cardiometabolic Research, Eli Lilly & Company
  • Justine Levin-Allerhand – Executive Partner, Chief Corporate Development Officer & COO, Flagship Labs, Flagship Pioneering
  • Sebnem Yildirimoglu, MD, PMP – Executive Director, Women’s Health Strategy, Premier Research
  • Terri Stewart – Head of Global Healthcare & Government Affairs, EMD Serono
  • Dr. Morag Grassie – Executive Director, Blavatnik Fund for Innovation, Yale
  • Sandra Butler – Director, Design Impact, Mass General Brigham
  • Zhenya Lindgardt – Chief Executive Officer, Sera Prognostics
  • Sadie Morahan – Head of US Revenue, Withings Health Solutions
  • Angela Drew, PhD – Vice President, Regulatory Strategy, Premier Research
  • Dr. Stephanie Lahr – CMIO, Aqurio
  • Michelle Andrews – Contributing Writer, KFF Health News
  • Charlotte Williams – CEO, My Bump Hub
  • Clint Dart, MS – Director, NIH Women’s Health Data Coordinating Center, Premier Research
  • Cass Sanford – US Venture Advisor, FemTech Lab
  • Megan Mukuria – Founder & CEO, ZanaAfrica
  • Tiffany Inglis, MD, FACOG – Chief Medical Officer, Sera Prognostics
  • Angelean Hendrix, PhD – Vice President, Pharmacometrics and MIDD, Premier Research
  • Amanda Ducach – CEO & Co-founder, EmaEQ

“WHIS is where the women’s health industry comes together to take action,” said Poppy Howard-Wall, Event Director at WHIS.

“This latest wave of speakers reflects exactly the kind of cross-sector expertise our attendees expect – from global pharma and clinical research leadership to venture, health systems, and grassroots innovation.

“It’s this breadth that makes WHIS the room where things actually move forward.”

Bringing the Full Ecosystem Together

These additions join a growing 2026 agenda spanning four content tracks that reflect the  full lifecycle of healthcare innovation, from early-stage research and development  through to patient delivery, system transformation, and commercial scale.

Attendees can expect over 1,000 senior decision-makers, 120+ expert speakers, four dedicated stages, and more than 10 hours of curated 1:1 meetings.

Full speaker and agenda details are available at whisusa.com/speakers-2026.

About WHIS

The Women’s Health Innovation Summit is the only platform uniting the full women’s  health ecosystem – providers, payers, employers, pharma leaders, investors, and innovators -to increase deal flow, expand reimbursement, improve access, and deliver better outcomes for women at every stage of life.

 

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