UK-based startup Emm has successfully raised $9 million (£6.8 million) in a seed funding round led by Lunar Ventures, aiming to revolutionize menstrual and reproductive health management. Founded by Jenny Button, Emm’s innovative product is designed to provide women with crucial data about their reproductive and menstrual health, a need that became apparent to Button during the COVID-19 lockdown.
While using health monitoring devices such as the Oura ring and Whoop band, Button recognized a significant gap in the market. She discovered that there wasn’t really a good, clinically-tested tool out there, one specifically designed to track menstrual health accurately and objectively. Her frustration with this absence of choice motivated her to start Emm.
Button emphasized the importance of data, stating, “It seemed crazy to me, because these are things that every woman wants to be able to track and better understand.” One in ten women live with endometriosis, a debilitating condition that on average takes seven to ten years to diagnose. Beyond this milestone, Emm is committed to closing these important gaps in healthcare.
Emm’s intelligent menstrual cup will be making its official debut in the UK next year! That’s in spite of the company already seeing hugely lines out the door with massive 30,000 pre-orders on its waitlist. As the debut product, we’re thrilled by the prospects. Looking ahead, Button intends to scale Emm into broader women’s health—like diagnostics, digital care solutions, and therapeutics.
“Menstrual health is only the jumping-off point for Emm,” Button remarked. The company aims to revolutionize the research, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions affecting menstrual and reproductive health. Button highlighted the prevalence of reproductive health issues among women, noting that “one in three women experience severe reproductive health issues throughout their lives.”
New UK entrants Emm are preparing to launch in the UK market. Excitingly, they’re planning a U.S. launch, currently projected for early 2027! The funding they’ve secured will help accelerate their product development and bring them to market next year. Button engaged her first lead investor through her network of professional connections, and it was this collaborative investor spirit that continues to propel Button’s wide-reaching vision.
The data collected through its smart menstrual cup will be anonymized or pseudonymized and “will only be accessed by the people at Emm who genuinely need it,” according to Button. This commitment to data security will be especially crucial as the company treads carefully through the deeply sensitive terrain of women’s health.
Reflecting on her journey, Button noted the extensive development process that led to their launch. “Five years later, following thousands of designs and iterations and extended user testing, we’ve revealed the world’s first smart menstrual cup.”
Emm’s innovative approach not only aims to improve individual health management but seeks to contribute significantly to the broader understanding of women’s health issues, ultimately striving for a profound impact on women’s healthcare practices.
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