LocalGlobe and MMC Ventures backed the seed round to support the launch of its personalised menopause care application.
"At Vira, our vision is to fundamentally transform long term health and wellbeing for women. We believe better menopause care is the first step. Female health issues have historically been under-researched and under-invested, and this remains the case today. There is an opportunity to use technology to redress this balance by improving the collection and use of female data in healthcare. This first round of seed funding is a step towards realising our vision."
— Andrea Berchowitz, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer
The seed round was led by LocalGlobe and Venrex to support product expansion and clinical trials.
"We live in a society that expects us to tolerate pain and mask our symptoms. Some women spend over ten years on their contraception, never fully knowing if there might be something wrong"
The fem-tech start-up secured the capital from Vostock New Ventures and Colle Capital to drive international expansion and technology development.
"Our concept is not just about the timely delivery of tampons and pads but rather a tech-enabled personalisation journey that looks after the entire experience of monthly menstrual care. We like to envision Yoppie soon being able to provide a level of ongoing personalisation similar to the likes of Netflix and Spotify, then enhanced with the product convenience of Amazon."
The funding round was backed by the Development Bank of Wales, an angel syndicate, and the Wales Angel Co-investment Fund.
"Menopause can be life-changing for so many. By empowering women to consider body, mind and lifestyle –and giving them the tools to improve their experience – we hope to really change millions of women’s lives for the better."
The seed round was led by Pink Salt Ventures and Founders Factory to help scale production and expand the team.
"My doctor didn’t identify the early symptoms of perimenopause. I didn’t fit the profile. I was ‘too young’ and still having a regular cycle. I was advised to take ‘time out’ to address exhaustion and upweight my vitamin intake. My experience isn’t unusual. Menopause simply isn’t well enough understood or researched. It is presented as an end-of-life category when it should be a midlife empowerment category."
