Elvie, an emerging personal health and lifestyle brand supported by female-driven technology, is one of the most exciting ventures supported by investor and entrepreneur Nicole Junkermann and NJF Capital, the venture funding arm of her NJF Holdings.
Elvie was founded by London-based Tania Boler, who holds a doctorate in women’s health and has worked with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on HIV prevention.
By women, for women
Boler’s solution was to develop medical and personal care products that would offer safe, user-friendly alternatives to those on the market at the time. She was determined to make products that women would actually want to use, and to change the conversation about women’s health to highlight the lifestyle aspects involved.
Boler and her team at Elvie are part of the growing femtech industry, the new term for technology that respects, supports, and celebrates women’s reproductive and physical wellbeing. Many companies in this market are led by female founders and executives.
Until recently, there has been a vast, untapped market of women at various stages of their lives looking for—but not finding—the information and tools they need to improve their health and live their most fulfilling lives. Experts now estimate that, within the next seven years, femtech will generate more than $50 billion in revenue.
Today’s femtech entrepreneurs aren’t making the stereotypical pastel pink “feminine” products of the past. They’re focused on developing practical products and services that solve some of the real problems faced by real women with busy personal and professional lives.
A new solution to a hidden problem
The first Elvie product was a Kegel trainer, designed to strengthen women’s pelvic floor muscles. The health and resiliency of these muscles are important for proper bladder control, body core strength, and sexual satisfaction. Boler has referred to the muscles controlling the pelvic floor as the most important—but often the most overlooked—muscles in a woman’s body.
Many normal life changes can weaken the pelvic floor: pregnancy and childbirth, weight gain, and aging. The condition is surprisingly common: More than one-third of women experience problems with pelvic floor strength when they jump, run, laugh, or sneeze. A weak pelvic structure may cause the internal organs to drop, which puts more pressure on the bladder. This can lead to urine leakage that can be embarrassing and interfere with a woman’s self-esteem and enjoyment of life.
Pelvic floor problems are still shrouded in fear and ignorance: fear of discussing the topic with a doctor, and ignorance about the importance of regular Kegel exercises to keep these muscles strong. “Kegels” were developed as a physical training regimen by gynecologist Arnold Kegel, who published a 1948 paper outlining his method.
He also noted that, despite the relative simplicity of his muscle clench-and-release method, it was often difficult for many women to get the internal movements right. Many medical-grade devices, including that originally developed by Dr. Kegel, failed to gain broad acceptance and confidence from potential users.
Game on: pelvic strength training
The Elvie Trainer is designed to help women regain control of their bodies. The device can be used at home in complete privacy, and the intensive workout it provides for the pelvic muscles is supported by smart technology.
In 2013, Boler worked with a designer to get all the details right, knowing that she had to overcome two central problems: Women today lead fast-paced lives with little downtime, and traditional Kegel exercises are just plain boring.
Within two years, she and her team had built the Elvie Trainer, a springy, turquoise-blue device made of silicon that’s easy to insert and remove from the body. After putting the device in place, the user can access it via Bluetooth on her smartphone. She can select from several types of exercise programs that guide her through a series of targets and feature icons that keep track of progress. Many users have compared the app’s strength-building exercises to a video game.
Leveling up: support for nursing mothers
Elvie has since gone on to develop an innovative breast pump—the Elvie Pump. Its design was guided by the same principles that led Boler to develop the Trainer. The wireless Elvie Pump is discreet and silent, and fits comfortably into a nursing bra. Traditional breast pumps aren’t so mobile—the Elvie Pump allows the user to escape being tethered to a wall outlet in order to express milk.
The design and concept for the pump also continue building on the Elvie brand identity of celebrating women and their bodies, while supporting ease of use and comfort. Like the Trainer, the Pump connects to smart technology. Its free app keeps track of milk volume and records the user’s pumping history.
Proof of concept: Femtech goes global
Boler stresses that her products are revolutionary simply because they are designed by women, for women, and based on an intimate understanding of how women’s bodies work. They are “emotional” products that make no apology for putting women’s feelings at the center of the design process. And this approach continues to pay off commercially.
Boler stresses that her products are revolutionary simply because they are designed by women, for women, and based on an intimate understanding of how women’s bodies work. They are “emotional” products that make no apology for putting women’s feelings at the center of the design process. And this approach continues to pay off commercially.
As it scales up and increases its global reach, Elvie remains focused on the principles that have informed it since the beginning: the quality of its products and the use of tech to enhance women’s quality of life.
