How can disruptive startups and experienced market players combine forces to accelerate the Femtech space, a rapidly growing sector that covers all aspects of women’s health and well-being? Is there an opportunity for strategic commercial partnerships and product co-creation?
To discuss these questions, Essity Ventures has joined the event “Accelerating Women's Health Innovation: Strategic Partnerships” in London. In his keynote presentation, Kai Thornagel, Director Essity Ventures, underlined: “Breaking barriers to collaborative value creation between startups and corporates is a prerequisite to breaking barriers to well-being.”
The occasion was part of an event series organized by the Femtech accelerator FemTech Lab, aiming to bring together startup founders, investors, corporates, healthcare providers, students and more.
During the event’s panel discussion, moderated by entrepreneur and startup coach Jérôme Michaud, Maria Alvarez de Sotomayor Vergara, Strategic Planning Analyst at Essity Ventures, shared the experience Essity Ventures has gathered since the initiative was launched in 2020. She gave insights into the partnership with the French company Fizimed, with whom Essity’s incontinence brand TENA has launched the medical device Emy by TENA Kegel Trainer in the UK.
Maria also gave some tips for startups when reaching to corporates: “Be sure to have a joint vision before reaching out. Also set up the expectations that you want to achieve during the partnership early in the process. And ask the question the other way around as well, to understand at which stage the corporate is with that specific focus area.”
