Entrepreneur
Impli wins £1.4m for hormone patch
Impli has secured a £1.4m grant to begin clinical use of a real-time hormone patch for infertility treatment.
The startup, which is working with innovations from Imperial College London, is developing a continuous hormone monitoring system for use in in vitro fertilisation, known as IVF.
IVF is a fertility treatment in which eggs are fertilised outside the body before an embryo is transferred to the womb.
Timing is critical in IVF, the most common form of infertility treatment, but most patients are still monitored through blood tests taken every other day at best.
Hormone levels can change within hours, meaning important shifts may be missed.
These can include hormone surges linked to egg release, dips that may contribute to implantation failure and early signs of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is a potentially serious reaction to fertility medicines, where the ovaries over-respond and become swollen.
In a treatment with low success rates, these uncertainties can affect patient outcomes and wellbeing.
Impli’s system is based on research by Dr Salzitsa Anastasova in the department of mechanical engineering at Imperial.
The technology uses electrochemical biosensors to sample hormones in the fluid between cells.
These can be used in a subcutaneous implant, meaning one placed under the skin, or in Impli’s Bio-Endocrine Analysis Monitor, known as BEAM, which uses microneedles that pierce the skin.
Microneedles are tiny needles designed to enter the upper layers of the skin with minimal discomfort.
The biosensors continuously measure oestradiol, luteinising hormone and progesterone, which are hormones involved in the menstrual cycle and fertility treatment.
Data is transmitted wirelessly to a smartphone, where AI software converts raw signals into real-time hormone trends.
Sotirios Saravelos, consultant gynaecologist and reproductive medicine subspecialist at the Wolfson Fertility Centre, part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said:
“Continuous hormone monitoring has the potential to change the landscape of fertility treatment, both in terms of clinical care and patient experience. Rather than snapshots taken at fixed points in time, with Impli we will have access to a live feed of each patient’s hormonal response, allowing us to personalise care in a way that has not been possible before.”
Saravelos is part of the research consortium that has won a £1.4m grant to take Impli’s BEAM device from prototype to its first human clinical validation for IVF.
The project was designed with support from Dr Simon Hanassab as part of a PhD on how AI can support decision making for IVF.
The work was carried out at the UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in AI for Healthcare at Imperial, a collaboration between the department of computing and the department of metabolism, digestion and reproduction.
Hanassab is now working part-time as Impli’s head of AI.
The grant comes from the National Institute for Health and Care Research Invention for Innovation programme.
It will support a 30-month project bringing together Impli, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, the London Institute for Healthcare Engineering at King’s College London and the patient advocacy network Fertility Europe.
Specialist medical device manufacturer TTP is also involved.
BEAM is the first step in Impli’s plan to develop a broader platform of fully implantable, long-duration monitoring systems.
Anna Luisa Schaffgotsch, founder and chief executive of Impli, said:
“We are not just building a device, we are building the evidence base to show that continuous hormone monitoring is possible, clinically meaningful and ready for the real world. With an exceptional consortium behind us, we now have the funding, the expertise and the clinical pathway to do that properly.”
According to the company, the same core technology could later have applications in hormonally driven cancers, polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis and menopause.
Polycystic ovary syndrome is a common hormonal condition that can affect periods, fertility and metabolism.
Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows outside the uterus, often causing pain.
BEAM’s development builds on more than 15 years of biosensor research at Imperial, with intellectual property covering the sensing approach, device architecture and data interfaces.
Impli has so far delivered three functional prototypes, completed pre-clinical laboratory trials and begun animal trials, which the company said have shown positive results.
It also has a strategic partnership with Bayer on real-time hormone biosensing and relationships with IVF clinics internationally.
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Last chance to save on Women’s Health Week and Women’s Sport Summit: Early Bird pricing ends 11 September
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 type | Early bird | Standard |
| 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 type | Early bird | Standard |
| 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].
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.
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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