Women's health startup Solence has raised €1.6 million in Seed funding to help women suffering from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).
PCOS is a hormonal imbalance originating from the ovaries and the central system, leading to excessive production of testosterone, irregular periods, infertility and metabolic syndrome.
Up to 20 per cent of women globally suffer from the condition, but some 85 per cent don't receive the support they need.
The treatment of PCOS is proving a problematic topic across Europe. Over-expensive treatment options are preventing sufferers from receiving the help they need, with some out-of-pocket expenses of over €3,500. There have even been instances of online influencers selling fake PCOS cures, taking advantage of young followers experiencing the condition.
Solence was founded by Clara Stephenson in 2022 with the mission to make personalised and patient-centric care available to all women with PCOS, the most prevalent hormonal condition among women.
Redefining PCOS care with patient-centric, digital therapeutics
Solence aims to increase healthy life expectancy for women by reducing the burden of chronic conditions with lifestyle-based and AI-powered therapeutics.
Solence provides digital-led PCOS care tailored to every woman's high heterogeneity of PCOS expressions, while harnessing data insights to reshape the way PCOS healthcare is delivered.
Their first product is a patient app designed to help relieve PCOS symptoms "beyond the pill" through personalised lifestyle intervention.
The app offers a twelve-week program rooted in abundant peer-reviewed research that demonstrates the effectiveness of lifestyle intervention on symptoms, fertility and quality of life of women with PCOS. It provides interactive lessons to help reverse PCOS symptoms through lifestyle changes, combining biomedical knowledge with the latest insights in habit formation science.
The app also generates monthly PCOS assessment scores to map problem areas and triggers for symptoms, as well as advice and resources on how to avoid them in the future.
Turning personal struggle into hormonal health platform
Throughout her burgeoning legal career, Clara Stephenson suffered from PCOS. Despite showing what she describes as 'textbook' symptoms of the condition, it remained undiagnosed for some 10 years until investigations into her struggling to conceive a child. At this point, Clara was hit with both the news that she had an incurable, chronic health condition and that she may never be able to have a child.
During the COVID pandemic, Clara had time to begin Les Natives. In this blog, Clara shared her experiences of PCOS, which grew into a health and wellness site seeking to inspire women to promote their hormonal balance. The site received over 135,000 visits, with a committed online following of over 8,000 people. Following this positive response, Stephenson founded Solence.
Stephenson said:
"Ultimately, our vision is to leverage data and environmental factors to better address chronic hormonal conditions among women, with a focus on prevention and improving their healthy life expectancy. This first round is a step towards realising this vision".
The funding round included Impact Shakers Ventures and angel investors, including the founder of Leetchi, Mangopay, and Resilience, Céline Lazorthes; former JP Morgan executive Berthe Latreille; Systemanova VC founder Stéphane Mardel; and BPI France.
Professor Michel Pugeat has been involved in diagnosing and treating PCOS since 2003 and is a member of Solence's scientific committee alongside neuroscience researcher Dr. Nour Mimouni. Pugeat commented:
"The general public needs information on PCOS, whose multitude of clinical expressions and the complexity of the causes, intertwined with the metabolic state, justify management by all health professionals, but also the search for new innovative and essential therapeutic approaches, such as that of Solence."
Yonca Breackman, Founding Partner, Impact Shakers Ventures, says:
"We backed Clara and Solence not only because PCOS is a condition that affects 1 in 7 women and can have serious consequences for women's health and wellbeing, but also because Clara brings a unique perspective, experience and network to solving this challenge and scaling a solution that has the potential to reach hundreds of millions of women to improve their quality of life."
The funding will be allocated towards deepening product functionality and expanding the team.
Lead image: Clara Stephenson, co-founder and CEO of Solence. Photo: uncredited.
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