Sylvia Health has secured €560,000 in funding from the BioInnovation Institute’s venture program to advance its women’s pelvic health solutions.
The medtech startup, founded by Andrew Stretton and Nikolaj Ulrik Friis, was born out of the Novo Nordisk Foundation BioMedical Design Fellowship Programme at the University of Copenhagen. After four months of clinical observation in obstetrics and gynaecology, Stretton and Friis launched Sylvia to develop easy-to-implement, design-forward solutions for pelvic organ prolapse, which affects an estimated 200 million people globally.
The company’s first product is a medical-grade silicone device inserted into the vagina, similar to a menstrual cup, to manage rectocele prolapse by supporting the posterior vaginal wall. The device has undergone functional testing and is currently being evaluated in a clinical trial with 40 participants at Herlev Hospital in Copenhagen.
The funding will support Sylvia’s ongoing research, eventual commercialization, and development of additional pelvic floor and reproductive solutions.
