News
Elvie launches new “Smart Bodies” campaign
The campaign is their second with Mother London
Elvie has launched a campaign dedicated to reframing the conversation around women’s bodies and how tech can help with health.
The global campaign was launched on International Women’s Day to highlight the benefits of Elvie’s tech for women’s bodies and spotlight their biological complexity. It is in partnership with mother London, an independent creative company.
Aoife Nally, Chief Marketing Officer of Elvie said: “Elvie continues to hear from women that they want respect and recognition for their bodies no matter their size, shape or stage of life – and don’t want to be held to societal standards. As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it’s time we bust long-standing taboos and create tech that women deserve. Our goal is to empower and enable women to achieve everything their bodies are capable of.”
This is Elvie’s second campaign with Mother London with the aim of highlighting the freedom of cordless breast pumps for breastfeeding and encouraging open conversations around motherhood.
Elvie and motherhood
Elvie is dedicated to releasing innovative tech products that raise the bar for female health tech products. It has just released Elvie Stride which is a hospital-grade, hands-free breast pump to the US market. Other products include pelvic floor devices and silent breast pumps. In 2021, the company secured $97 million in funding for product innovation and market expansion.
Eva Lazarus said: “I wanted to get involved with Elvie on this new project because of the fears I had prior to becoming a mother. Normalizing all of the associated experiences of womanhood/motherhood are so important and as a new mum, I found it liberating to celebrate how inspiring it is that our bodies are undeniably smart and strong. I would love women to take that away from this campaign and feel emboldened. We are magnificent!”
*Image credit: Elvie
Read more: Jude raise €2.4 million to break the stigma around bladder issues
A UK study will build a menstrual fluid biobank to help women get faster, better treatment for heavy periods.
Thousands of participants will provide menstrual fluid samples over three cycles using specially designed period pads. They will also use a daily tracking app and complete detailed questionnaires.
Researchers from the Universities of Exeter and Bristol will work with participants from two UK birth cohort studies, Children of the 90s and Born in Bradford.
Professor Gemma Sharp, of the University of Exeter, said that the study is set to be a ‘real game-changer’ for menstrual health research.
Sharp said: “We know that menstrual health is a key indicator of overall health, but a lack of high-quality data means it remains poorly understood and under-supported in healthcare.
“We also know that heavy periods can affect many aspects of daily life – for example, our recent research revealed an association between heavy periods, school attendance and lower GCSE attainment – so we urgently need new ways to support the millions of women affected by heavy periods more promptly and effectively.”
The CycleTrack study aims to create the world’s largest menstrual fluid biobank for people in their mid-30s.
By combining these samples with long-term health and genetic data, researchers hope to identify biological signals linked to differences in periods and related conditions.
Researchers hope the findings could support earlier diagnosis, better care plans and tools to identify risks including iron deficiency.
The study is part of The Missed Vital Sign, a programme led by Wellcome Leap that contributes to a broader global effort to reduce the time it takes a woman to receive effective treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding from five years to five months.
Up to 50 per cent of women worldwide experience heavy periods, which can significantly affect physical, emotional and social wellbeing.
Researchers say the work could also improve understanding of menstrual health more broadly and help inform future school and workplace guidance.
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
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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