A Bristol-based entrepreneur has successfully secured nearly £7 million in seed funding for her innovative health technology company, Emm, which is developing a smart menstrual cup.
The funding round, which raised £6.8 million, was led by Lunar Ventures. It also saw participation from the Labcorp Venture Fund, Tiny VC, BlueLion Global, and Alumni Ventures. A notable network of angel investors joined, including Amar Shah, co-founder of Wayve; Vivek Garipalli, founder of Clover Health and Wormhole Capital; and Harpreet Rai, the former chief executive of Oura.
Bridging the Data Gap in Women's Health
Emm was founded five years ago by Jenny Button, a Bristol entrepreneur who started the company during the lockdown. Her motivation came from a personal quest to find better ways to monitor her own health, having tried various existing devices.
Ms Button highlighted a significant gap in the wearable technology market, stating, "Menstruation is known as the fifth vital sign, but has historically been overlooked by the wearable sector, leaving millions without the data they need to understand and advocate for their own bodies."
She envisions a future where menstrual health is understood as comprehensively as cardiovascular or metabolic health, providing users with objective, actionable insights.
The Technology Behind Emm
The Emm product is a wearable menstrual cup and a connected app. After five years of development, thousands of design iterations, and extensive user testing, the non-intrusive device was created.
It integrates medical-grade silicone with advanced, ultra-thin sensor technology. This allows it to measure menstrual flow volume and track key cycle metrics such as duration, frequency, and regularity.
The accompanying app automatically collates this baseline data over time, enabling users to identify and track patterns across their cycles.
Funding and Future Market Launch
The newly acquired capital will be used to bring Emm to market and accelerate further clinical product development. The company has confirmed that Emm will launch to consumers in the UK in early 2026.
In addition to the seed investment, Emm has also received non-dilutive funding, including grants aimed at supporting innovation in women's health technology.
Grace E. Colón, board chair of Emm, commented on the broader potential of the technology, saying it could "serve as both a biological sample and data insights platform, unlocking new knowledge and opportunities for researchers and biotech."
Megann Vaughn Watters, Vice President of New Ventures and Strategic Alliances at Labcorp, added, "We are excited to support Emm as they strive to bridge the gap in access to reliable menstrual health data and change the way reproductive health conditions are researched, diagnosed and discussed."
