KTH Holding invests in Ovulai
KTH Holding has invested in Ovulai AB – a femtech company started by a team of KTH students to develop the first digital therapeutics for menstrual disorders. Up to 10% of all women and uterus carriers suffer from irregular menstrual cycles due to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Many more are affected and hindered in their daily life by menstrual related symptoms. With Ovulai’s app these women can get support with treatment using personalized lifestyle management programs
Menstrual problems affects 90% of all women and 30% of them are disabled in their daily activities. The first chronic condition Ovulai is tackling is PCOS, affecting 1 in 10 women and over 116 million women worldwide. It’s the most common endocrine disorder yet the most complex. 87% of people diagnosed with PCOS are unsatisfied with the treatment they received while research show that due to syndrome complexity it can take up to 2 years to receive any kind of treatment. If the condition is left untreated, there is a 50 % risk of developing diabetes before the age of 40, and a 70 – 80% prevalence of infertility
This is something the team behind Ovulai is set to change. The team consists of three KTH engineers and a former KI biomedicine student. The team has experience in medical technology, software development and is supported by experts in menstrual health and nutrition. The team is developing a personalized digital service to help assess, coach and implement suitable lifestyle changes to alleviate PCOS symptoms by educating and establishing healthy and sustainable habits. The latest research from KI shows lifestyle management of PCOS can improve menstrual function with 54% and improve fertility with 43%.
“The investment from KTH Holding has allowed us to accelerate our app development to be able to test the product with PCOS patients and to launch the first ever digital health program for PCOS. The support from KTH has been invaluable to us while starting our company and verifying our business idea. We are co-designing the product closely with our users (PCOS patients) and experts from various fields. Our target group is anticipating the launch and we are determined to commercialize the app as soon as possible and streamline PCOS care.” says Kristina Stojanovic CEO of Ovulai AB
The company has been developed from an early idea stage with the support of KTH Innovation and last year Ovulai was part of the KTH Innovation pre-incubator program. After completing the program, KTH Holding AB now chooses to invest in Ovulai and support their journey to the market. The first app version is ready to be tested with PCOS patients to evaluate functionality and customer satisfaction. The plan is to launch the product by the summer to end-users and continue develop the product to enable closer collaboration with healthcare
“The team behind Ovulai is very committed and set to make an impact by addressing a problem that affects a large part of the world’s population. The market for femtech products, especially digital solutions, is growing rapidly and represents an interesting business opportunity. We are happy to invest and be part of building the company further ”, says Daniel Carlsson, Investment manager at KTH Holding AB
For more information
Kristina Stojanovic, CEO, kristina@ovulai.com
About Ovulai:
Ovulai AB is the first femtech company to develop a digital care program for chronic menstrual disorders such as PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). Based on the latest scientific evidence and research about lifestyle treatment, Ovulai offers personalized management programs with curated knowledge combining dietary, exercise and cognitive behavioral intervention in a digital form. This is a unique interdisciplinary digital solution making care for chronic menstrual disorders easily accessible and actionable.
About KTH Holding:
KTH Holding invests in early stage start-up companies based on research or education at KTH. KTH Holding is part of the innovation ecosystem at KTH supporting commercialization via investments in companies and intellectual property rights. The aim is to make research, new ideas and knowledge from KTH generate a positive impact in society. The investment portfolio comprises more than 40 companies in many technology fields and development stages.