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Merck launces MENA femtech accelerator

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Merck has launched a MENA femtech accelerator with Qatar Science & Technology Park to back startups improving women’s health.

The QSTP x Merck FemTech Accelerator aims to identify and support up to 30 startups developing solutions across women’s health, with a focus on innovations powered by artificial intelligence, robotics and materials science.

Selected companies will receive scaling support, market entry pathways and pilot opportunities to support commercial expansion into Qatar and the wider region.

Ahmed Aboelfadl, general manager for the Gulf at Merck, said: “Women’s health remains one of the most under-addressed areas in healthcare innovation globally.

“Through this partnership with QSTP, Merck is proud to support the growth of FemTech companies developing science- and technology-led solutions that can meaningfully improve health outcomes for women.

“By combining global scientific expertise with regional collaboration, this initiative will help accelerate innovation, enable real-world impact, and strengthen the ecosystem for women’s health across Qatar and the wider MENA region.”

The programme will feature a two-week immersion in Doha, where founders will engage with clinicians, regulators, investors and innovation leaders.

Rama Chakaki, president of QSTP, said: “At QSTP, we believe that meaningful innovation is inclusive.

“This accelerator is designed to support high-potential startups and generate measurable, scalable impact on women’s health across multiple markets.

“Leveraging Qatar’s growing innovation ecosystem alongside Merck’s global scientific leadership, we are creating pathways for FemTech solutions to be piloted, validated and adopted at regional and global scale.”

Entrepreneur

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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Fertility

One week left to apply: W Accelerate with Merck KGaA and M Ventures

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Applications close 2 September at 12pm BST for W Accelerate with Merck KGaA and M Ventures, a fast-track programme offering startups, scaleups and spinouts in reproductive and maternal health direct access to decision-makers at one of the world’s leading reproductive health companies.

With a single application, innovators connect with Merck KGaA’s partnership team and investment professionals from M Ventures, Merck’s corporate venture arm.

Selected companies will be notified on 11 September and invited to pitch at W Accelerate in London, at One Hundred Shoreditch, on 5 October.

During the event, they will receive a private 30-minute session with Merck and M Ventures leadership, small-group guidance from regulation and investment specialists, an “Ask Merck Anything” roundtable, and access to a VIP networking reception.

Applications are open to companies working on breakthrough solutions across reproductive and maternal health, including fertility, endometriosis, adenomyosis, ovarian health, preeclampsia and pregnancy comorbidities.

Applicants can choose one of three lanes,  depending on whether they’re seeking strategic collaboration, investment, or both: Partnership Lane, Investment Lane, or Dual Lane. Direct-to-consumer and over-the-counter products are outside the programme’s scope.

Thang Vo-Ta, CEO & co-founder of Calla Lily Clinical Care and participant of a previous edition of W Accelerate with Merck Healthcare and M Ventures, said: “The opportunity to pitch directly to senior leadership at Merck and M Ventures sparked conversations that became the foundation of relationships leading to our eventual strategic collaboration with Merck. I’ve yet to see another event run with this level of excellence.”

For more information, visit W Group’s website: wplatform.co

Applications close 2nd September 2026, 12pm BST

W Accelerate event: 5th October 2026 at One Hundred Shoreditch, London (travel and accommodation not provided)

Apply here

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Entrepreneur

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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