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Period product innovation news – Egal expands as Somedays announces latest takeover

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One of New Zealand’s biggest period care brands has been acquired by Somedays, the Canadian natural period pain relief firm.

AWWA Periodcare, which specialises in reusable, absorbent period underwear, was co-founded in 2018 by Michele Wilson and Kylie Matthews. It successfully delivered its mission to create a sustainable alternative to single-use menstrual products.

Somedays was launched in 2021, inspired by founder Lux Perry’s struggles with endometriosis. It has since gained social media fame with its viral period pain simulator videos that have been viewed billions of times; raising awareness of the gender pain gap.

AWWA’s co-founder Michele Wilson says: “In light of the challenges faced by many New Zealand businesses right now, I’m proud of this new direction, which represents not just a business transaction but a testament to the power of collaborative, purpose-driven entrepreneurship,”

Perry reportedly said of her latest acquisition: “Expansion into the Australian market is going to be key, with the move representing “a chance to honour AWWA’s roots as a homegrown South Pacific brand.

“This partnership goes beyond scaling – it’s a purpose-driven collaboration rooted in the belief that business should be a force for good.

“I want to reassure people that AWWA will stay true to its founding principles and will continue operating as a New Zealand-based company with deep ties to its Māori origins, central to its identity and story.”

Meanwhile, period products innovator Egal has announced a funding boost.

The North American firm is a pioneer of pads on a roll – a seemingly simple innovation that could dramatically increase the availability of period products in public toilets.

The company has completed a US$4m series A investment round, while expanding its solution to airport bathrooms in the US and UK.

Co-founder and CEO of Egal, Penelope Finnie, says: “Period products could, and should, be delivered as reliably and conveniently as toilet paper. It’s high time we made this much easier for people on the move.”

Egal’s ambition is to install pads on a roll in every public or shared bathroom; by  designing a product that matches the logistics of stocking toilet paper in bathrooms.

Its products are now in public toilets across several countries—including the US, UK, Canada, South Africa and, soon, the UAE.

The Bauer Family Office’s Technology for Humanity led Egal’s fundraise, with the Slater Technology Fund, the Catalytic Impact Foundation, and Princeton Alumni Angels and others participating.

The company plans to use the funds to hire new talent, share its solution with more people and organisations, and continue its global growth plans.

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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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