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Driving women’s health innovation: the launch of the Springboard Enterprise women’s health cohort
By Natalie Buford-Young, CEO of Springboard Enterprises
In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, addressing the unique needs of women has long been a neglected area.
However, with the emergence of initiatives like the recent announcement of White House Women’s Health Initiative and the ARPA-H Sprint for Women’s Health, there’s a promising shift towards fostering innovation and putting more resources towards advancing women’s health.
At Springboard Enterprises, we are proud to contribute to fuelling growth in this sector.
Springboard was founded in 2000 as the first official accelerator to mentor and accelerate the growth of women-led ventures. We have now officially launched our women’s health innovation program to identify and accelerate the growth of women-led companies innovating in health areas that uniquely, solely or predominantly impact women.
The announcement of the 2024 Women’s Health Innovation Program Cohort marks a significant milestone in the journey towards redefining healthcare solutions tailored specifically for women. This cohort comprises ten women’s health companies, each led by founders and CEOs committed to revolutionising women’s health.
According to a report by Silicon Valley Bank, investment in women’s health has experienced an astounding 314 per cent growth since 2018, starkly contrasting with the overall healthcare investments.
This incredible growth has really shown the abundance of opportunity, which was especially evident during our competitive process for our inaugural program. With countless innovative companies to choose from, we ultimately selected ten standout candidates after much deliberation.
- Navigate Maternity: Founded by Ariana McGee, Navigate Maternity has created a system that allows clinicians and care teams to remotely monitor prenatal and postpartum patients. The goal is to improve outcomes and avoid inequitable care through real-time data.
- Bone Health Technologies: Under the leadership of Laura Yecies, Bone Health Technologies (BHT) has developed the Osteoboost belt, the first and only safe and effective treatment for the 63 million people in the US with Osteoporosis or Osteopenia as well as a comprehensive digital therapeutic platform and services – a personalised digital health and telehealth solution for optimising bone health.
- Visana Health: Co-founded by Shelly Lanning, Visana Health pioneers a comprehensive virtual women’s health clinic, offering integrated care across various women’s health conditions. By adopting a holistic approach to healthcare delivery, Visana Health strives to empower women through personalised and longitudinal care.
- Herself Health: Founded by Kristen Helton, Herself Health is dedicated to addressing the unique healthcare needs of women on Medicare, ages 65 and up. Through a patient-centred approach, the company links women’s health goals with their life goals, taking into account a patient’s physical, mental, social, sexual, and spiritual needs and targeting common concerns like bone health, weight loss, and emotional wellbeing. The company hires top providers and trains them in the intricacies of person-centred geriatric and women’s care, delivering value-based care focused on patient outcomes.
- Marma: Co-founded by Meredith McAllister, Marma addresses critical gaps in maternal health by providing personalised nutritional guidance throughout the journey of motherhood. Marma works with patients to understand their unique needs and provide individualised, holistic nutrition advice at every stage of motherhood.
- Kegg: Founded by Kristina Cahojova, Kegg empowers women with accurate and personalised fertility tracking solutions. By harnessing cervical fluid data, Kegg enables women to make informed decisions regarding their reproductive health. Already in the hands of 25,000 women in the US, the company now has the world’s largest dataset on vaginal health and the unique ability to use machine learning to help drive predictive healthcare for women at scale.
- Cntrl+ Inc: Founded by Karen Brunet, Cntrl+ Inc. is a pioneering life science firm specialising in female wellness. Their company has innovatively crafted an over-the-counter reusable solution addressing female stress urinary incontinence. They are dedicated to exporting and distributing this product globally, offering an effective and environmentally friendly solution for women.
- Multitude Health: Founded by Casey Langwith, Multitude Health alleviates the pain of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) through an app-based clinical program that teaches members cognitive behavioural therapy skills, plus a tightly integrated therapist-led peer community to restore a healthy brain-body connection.
- Myri Health: Founded by Dr Pinky Patel, Myri Health introduces a comprehensive postpartum resource app, catering to the diverse needs of new parents. By providing personalised rehabilitation, evidence-based resources and a community platform, Myri Health seeks to support the postpartum journey.
- Ursamin: Founded by Shannon Aylesworth, Ursamin offers a SaaS-based care coordination platform for patients living with multiple chronic illnesses. By fostering a team-based approach to care delivery, Ursamin aims to improve outcomes and reduce administrative burden for providers and patients alike.
The diversity of solutions to advancing women’s health exemplified by the participants of the Springboard Enterprises women’s health cohort gives us a preview into the transformative potential of innovation in women’s health on various fronts.
At Springboard Enterprises, we play a pivotal role in catalysing innovation and driving meaningful change within the healthcare industry. By empowering women-led companies and amplifying their impact, we move closer towards achieving equitable and comprehensive healthcare solutions.
Former US first lady Dr Jill Biden visited Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London to explore work on women’s health and antimicrobial resistance.
The visit was hosted by professor the Lord Darzi of Denham, who chairs the Fleming Initiative and directs Imperial’s Institute of Global Health Innovation.
Dr Biden, chair of the Milken Institute’s Women’s Health Network, spoke about the impact scientists, clinicians, innovators and investors can have on improving women’s healthcare.
Dr Biden stressed the importance of “collaboration, prevention and education” in improving women’s health globally.
At the museum, Dr Biden and Esther Krofah, executive vice-president of health at the Milken Institute, heard about the worldwide significance of the discovery and the contribution of women who, during wartime Britain, grew penicillin in bedpans to support early experimentation.
The discussion also explored how AMR is a key women’s health issue, with women disproportionately affected in low and middle-income countries, and in high-income settings where women are more likely than men to be prescribed antibiotics.
Dr Biden was shown an architectural model of the Fleming Centre in Paddington, which will bring together research, policy and public engagement to address AMR worldwide.
The second part of the visit brought together Imperial clinicians, researchers and innovators for a roundtable on women’s health priorities, including improving diagnosis, equity in maternity care and support during the menopause transition.
Participants highlighted wide variation in the quality of care for conditions affecting women and called for fairer access to services, with the postcode lottery named as a priority to address.
Professor Tom Bourne, consultant gynaecologist and chair in gynaecology at Imperial’s Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, described how AI could improve diagnostic accuracy for conditions such as endometriosis.
Equity emerged as a central theme.
Professor Alison Holmes, professor of infectious diseases at Imperial College London and director of the Fleming Initiative, highlighted persistent gaps in women’s representation in clinical trials, including antibiotic studies, which limits the ability to optimise care and treatments.
Dr Christine Ekechi, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, drew on national maternity investigations to underline the importance of valid data, meaningful engagement with affected communities and rebuilding trust.
Menopause and midlife health were also identified as priorities for clinical research.
Professor Waljit Dhillo, consultant endocrinologist and professor of endocrinology and metabolism in Imperial’s Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, described a new treatment for hot flushes, including for women unable to take hormone replacement therapy, such as those with a history of breast cancer.
The discussion then turned to bringing innovation into health systems. Innovators shared how data and technology are being used to close gaps in women’s health, while noting challenges in accessing funding to grow and scale.
Dr Helen O’Neill and Dr Deidre O’Neill, co-founders of Hertility Health, described predictive algorithms using self-reported data to help diagnose gynaecological conditions at scale.
Embedded into clinical workflows, the technology could reduce waiting times, identify conditions earlier and improve outcomes. They noted how “we have cures for the rarest genetic conditions but don’t even have the answers to common women’s health issues.”
Dr Lydia Mapstone, Dr Tara O’Driscoll and Dr Sioned Jones, co-founders of BoobyBiome, outlined work creating products that harness beneficial bacteria found in breast milk to support infant health.
By isolating and characterising key microbial strains, BoobyBiome has created synbiotics, combinations of beneficial bacteria and the food that nourishes them, to make these benefits accessible to all babies.
Speakers throughout the visit stressed the need to reduce variation in care quality and outcomes for women, strengthen prevention and education, and address power and equity in women’s health.
Professor the Lord Ara Darzi said: “It was a privilege to welcome Dr Biden and the Milken Institute to Imperial to meet some of the outstanding researchers, clinicians and innovators advancing women’s health.
“Imperial’s unique combination of clinical excellence and world-leading research positions us at the forefront of tackling the biggest health challenges facing society and the UK’s ambition for innovation demands nothing less.
“For too long, the health needs of women and girls across their life course have not received the attention they deserve.
“By working together across borders and disciplines, we can transform equitable access to care, accelerate the detection and treatment of disease, and ultimately improve health outcomes for millions of women in the UK and around the world.”
Fashion, beauty and lifestyle retailers have joined the American Heart Association to raise awareness of heart disease in women.
The Go Red. Shop with Heart. campaign launched at the New York Stock Exchange on 30 January.
Retailers will ask for donations at checkout in February or donate a percentage of proceeds from selected items.
More than four in 10 women in the US have some form of cardiovascular disease, a term for heart and blood vessel conditions such as heart disease and stroke.
Heart disease and stroke kill more women in the US each year than all forms of cancer combined.
Brands taking part include Away, Commando, Lafayette 148, Michael Kors, Reebok, ShopSimon.com, Summersalt, Torrid and White & Warren.
More than 40 other nationwide retailers are also inviting customers to support the organisation this February through its Life Is Why campaign.
Nancy Brown is chief executive officer of the American Heart Association.
She said: “Nearly 1 in 3 women die from cardiovascular disease each year, yet women are still profoundly under-represented in the clinical research, science and medicine that could save their lives.
“Retailers and consumers are uniquely positioned to turn everyday moments into meaningful change through Go Red. Shop with Heart.”
According to the American Heart Association 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US and stroke is the number four cause of death.
The organisation projects that at least six in 10 US adults will have cardiovascular disease within the next 30 years and related costs are expected to triple.
However, approximately 80 per cent of cardiovascular disease is preventable through lifestyle changes.
Mindy Grossman is a volunteer board member at the American Heart Association and partner and vice chair of Consello.
Grossman said: “Retail has always been a powerful connector.
“Shop with Heart gives our industry a shared platform to lead with purpose and unite consumers in support of heart health.”
Milken Institute has launched the Women’s Health Network digital platform with Velir x Brooklyn Data to speed collaboration and investment across research, care and technology.
The new website creates a hub for members to share content, connect and coordinate projects, with branding and the first public Drupal build delivered by Velir x Brooklyn Data. A launch video premiered on 4 November 2025 at the inaugural steering committee and member luncheon in Washington DC, then featured at the Milken Institute Future of Health Summit.
Phase two is scheduled for February 2026, adding member log-ins for networking and content exchange. Phase three in April 2026 will add advanced collaboration tools and expanded community features.
“This launch represents the type of mission-driven, cross-sector digital work we are incredibly proud to support,” said Eliza Pare, vice-president of client services at Velir. “The Women’s Health Network is poised to transform collaboration in women’s health, and we’re honoured to help build the digital infrastructure that will make that possible.”
Chaired by former first lady Dr Jill Biden, the Women’s Health Network brings together leaders from industry, startups, investors, health systems, patient groups, academia and philanthropy. More than 100 members have joined, with a steering group that includes organisations such as the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Amgen, Deloitte, GE Healthcare, Merck, Microsoft, Northwell Health, Organon and others.
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