UK-based Joyvié Health has closed a £771K pre-seed round backed by an Innovate UK grant alongside investments from HERmesa Angels, SyndicateRoom, and Lavender Ventures to develop patent-pending reusable continence underwear that takes a fundamentally different approach to fecal incontinence.
Where every existing non-invasive product traps feces against the skin, Joyvié contains stool in a disposable pouch immediately after excretion. Early testing shows approximately 90% reduction in stool-to-skin contact and approximately 70% faster changes – addressing the skin breakdown, infection risk, and loss of dignity that current products cause.
Fecal incontinence affects an estimated 656 million people globally, yet the most common solutions have remained essentially unchanged for decades. It disproportionately affects women as both patients and caregivers – an estimated 70% of unpaid caregivers are women.
“Products designed for care should never cause harm. That’s not a vision statement. It’s the reason this company exists,” said founder and CEO Zoe Robson, who founded the company after her father lost bowel control during an 11-week battle with pancreatic cancer. “They were both at their most vulnerable – and the product meant to help them was making it worse. The skin breakdown, the shame, the loss of dignity, the weight on my mum. It wasn’t from lack of care. It’s a design failure.”
The fresh funds will support a direct-to-consumer launch later this year and clinical pilots across care home, hospital, and home care settings. Robson has been accepted onto the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme.
