Hormona, a UK-based healthtech developing personalised hormone tracking solutions, has received a £100,000 grant from Innovate UK to support development of its hormone tracking technology.
The funding will support development of the company’s AI-driven, at-home hormone tests, designed to help shorten diagnostic delays.
Founded by Karolina Löfqvist (CEO) and Jasmine Tagesson (COO), Hormona is targeting a longstanding and systemic issue in UK women’s health: the lack of adequate clinical tools and GP training to diagnose and manage perimenopause and menopause. According to the company, its solution will allow for at-home hormone testing using urine samples in about 15 minutes, as an alternative to blood tests that cost an average of £174.
In the UK, around 13 million women are either perimenopausal or menopausal, with many facing years-long delays in receiving a proper diagnosis. Research cited by Hormona shows women often wait up to five years for a perimenopause diagnosis. This delay contributes an estimated £3.38 billion annually in lost productivity to the UK economy, according to data from the Fawcett Society
The issue is compounded by gaps in medical training. A recent survey of UK general practitioners found that nearly half feel ill-equipped to manage menopause using current NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) guidelines. This results in many patients being misdiagnosed or told their symptoms are stress-related, an experience shared by Hormona’s CEO.
“After personally experiencing how the medical system dismissed my symptoms as stress-related, I realised how widespread and damaging the lack of diagnostic tools and clinical support truly is,” said Karolina Löfqvist, co-founder and CEO of Hormona.
Hormona’s innovation lies in its ability to combine rapid at-home hormone testing with AI-powered clinical decision support tools for GPs. The startup’s proprietary technology analyses hormone fluctuations using urine samples and provides data-rich results that clinicians can use to make more accurate, timely decisions.
“Our tests are not just fast and affordable, they offer the objective data that doctors need to treat patients effectively,” added Jasmine Tagesson, co-founder and COO. “This funding will help us bring our technology to the women who need it most, and to the GPs struggling to support them.”
The medical lead on the project, Dr. Anna Targonskaya, is overseeing clinical development and research validation. According to the company, its solution has potential not only to support perimenopause and menopause care but to eventually expand into broader women’s health diagnostics.
The grant was awarded as part of an Innovate UK programme that supports breakthrough innovations with commercial potential. Innovate UK is the UK government's innovation agency, part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and frequently backs early-stage companies that address market failures or underserved populations.
According to Tech.eu research, investment in femtech remains a small but fast-growing segment of the European healthtech sector.
With the Innovate UK grant in hand, Hormona plans to expand clinical testing, advance its AI capabilities, and begin early partnerships with healthcare providers in the UK.
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