Solence, a women’s health startup, recently secured €1.6 million in Seed funding with an aim to make significant strides in addressing Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Considering the profound challenges women face due to this hormonal imbalance, including increased testosterone levels, irregular menstrual cycles, and infertility, Solence seeks to provide solutions that are accessible and effective. The initiative intends to bridge the gap in support services, reaching the 85% of affected women who still lack sufficient healthcare assistance.
Solence’s funding comes at a time when PCOS treatment options have often proven both costly and ineffective. Historically, women have faced significant financial burdens, with treatments exceeding €3,500 in out-of-pocket expenses. In parallel, misinformation has sometimes been propagated through influencers promoting false remedies. This context emphasizes the pivotal role of Solence’s approach, offering tailored, data-driven care for individuals suffering from PCOS.
How does Solence’s Digital Therapeutics Strategy Work?
Solence’s approach incorporates digital therapeutics, focusing on AI-driven and lifestyle-based interventions. Their flagship product, a specialized patient app, strives to offer more than conventional pharmaceutical solutions by adopting customized lifestyle changes. This innovation leverages data insights to advocate a revised healthcare delivery model for PCOS. The app features a 12-week program based on extensive peer-reviewed studies, supporting women in alleviating symptoms, enhancing fertility, and improving their quality of life through informed lifestyle interventions.
What Inspires Solence’s Foundation and Mission?
Clara Stephenson’s personal battle with PCOS propelled her to establish Solence in 2022. After enduring undiagnosed symptoms for a decade and finally confronting the diagnosis through fertility challenges, Clara’s journey became a driving force toward advocating women’s health. Her initial platform, Les Natives, offered a digital space for sharing personal experiences, later evolving into a health resource empowering other women. This transformative path paved the way for founding Solence.
Clara emphasizes,
“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 raised capital will significantly enhance Solence’s product capabilities and facilitate team expansion.
The investment round included notable backers such as Impact Shakers Ventures and several angel investors. Professor Michel Pugeat, with his experience in PCOS diagnosis and treatment, joins Solence’s scientific committee to support this novel approach, emphasizing the necessity of integrating all health professionals in addressing multifaceted clinical presentations of PCOS.
In contrast to previous fragmented approaches, Solence positions itself as a comprehensive platform designed to understand and cater to individual patient needs more effectively. Partner Yonca Breackman highlighted,
“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.”
Solence’s initiative to address PCOS through personalized and digital-led healthcare marks an important movement toward holistic and affordable solutions. With strategies focused on lifestyle modification backed by data and AI, the startup looks to reshape how chronic conditions are managed in women’s health. Communication between patients and healthcare experts is at the core, providing a tailored and responsive experience.
