People today are more engaged with their health than ever before, but in female health there is a data gap and people who menstruate lack the data needed for effective health management – from symptom to diagnosis and treatment. There was an obvious opportunity to redesign menstrual products which already suffer from poor functionality and adapt them into a high-performance biowearable for unique health insights.
Tell me about the business
Emm is the first biowearable menstrual product of its kind. The silicone cup features a unique adaptive seal and provides up to 12 hours of uninterrupted protection. It comes with an applicator and case and a portable cleaner and UV steriliser. The cup’s smart-sensor technology connects with the Emm app, automatically updating it with information (unlike typical period tracking apps, where all data is inputted manually) and provides accurate, personalised and valuable insights into users’ cycle and body.
Emm aims to provide amazing period protection as well as better insight into female health and more information for users on what is happening inside their bodies. The data captured could prove crucial in helping those with health problems get their message to medical professionals, to empower them to receive appropriate medical treatment and diagnosis and, ultimately, to help address the gender health gap.
We work with the University of Cambridge, Innovate UK and Google for Startups.
Emm is currently in beta testing and not yet available to buy until 2023, but we do have a waitlist which you can find at emm.co, and we’re inviting people to sign up for an exclusive discount and be in with a chance to trial our pioneering product.
How has the business evolved since its launch?
We first launched in 2020 and since then our team has grown to include R&D, life sciences, user research and commercial vision. And this is really just the start of the Emm journey!
Tell us about the working culture at Emm
We’re a small, very collaborative team, all united in our passion and ambition to improve female health and wellbeing outcomes.
How are you funded?
At the moment we are funded through private investment and government grant support.
What has been your biggest challenge so far and how have you overcome this?
Our biggest challenge has been the huge data gaps when it comes to women’s health, which has meant that developing a product for the female body presented a real design challenge. We’ve overcome this by conducting some of the research ourselves and establishing the first data sets on anatomical elements where no quantitative data existed previously. But it’s also a big opportunity, because we know we’ve created something different and unique.
How does Emm answer an unmet need?
I believe Emm addresses two important unmet needs: the need for better period products and the need for personalised data on individual health.
What’s in store for the future?
Our ultimate plan is to develop the product to provide even more valuable insights that help improve menstrual health outcomes, because there’s so much more that needs to be done in this field.
What one piece of advice would you give other founders or future founders?
You don’t need to know all the answers to build something new, you just need to know the next question you need to answer to move forward.
And finally, a more personal question! What’s your daily routine and the rules you’re living by at the moment?
I believe in lots of exercise – keeping physically fit means I can maintain high performance at work.
Jenny Button is the founder and CEO of Emm.