Ava's cycle-tracking wearable brings in $30M from backers

By Dave Muoio
09:31 am
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Ava, the San Francisco- and Zurich-based maker of a connected menstrual cycle tracking bracelet, today announced the closure of a $30 million series B funding round. The funding was led by the company’s existing investors — which include Polytech Ecosystem Ventures, Blue Ocean Ventures, Global Sources, ZKB, and Swisscom — with new investors btov and SVC also participating.

According to representatives from the company, Ava will be using these new funds to continue research and development for its primary product, and to build other new applications focused on data-driven reproductive health management.

“Our vision at Ava from the very start has been to accompany women through all stages of their reproductive life by providing data-driven, clinically proven technology that will empower her with insights to make life easier, healthier and better,” Lea von Bidder, Ava’s president and cofounder, told MobiHealthNews. “That could mean anything from trying to get pregnant, prevent pregnancy or monitor for infections during pregnancy — or even preventing pregnancy. Down the line, it might mean detecting signs of perimenopause and more. Achieving this vision requires investment in clinical trials, research and product development and testing, which is where we will spend this funding. In addition, in the short term, we plan to keep extending our reach to new markets globally so that couples around the world can expect their own 'Ava babies' soon.”

Ava’s device is primarily billed as a convenient tool for women to understand their fertility window and maximize their chances of conceiving — although it can be used to avoid pregnancy as well. In addition to personal trend analyses to inform users on how their cycle is impacting their health, the system also supports women during pregnancy by tracking sleep, stress, and weight gain.

Along with the funding, Ava announced today that its service has recorded 10,000 pregnancies amongst its users.

“Ava’s long-term vision is to accompany women through all stages of their reproductive life by providing data-driven, clinically proven technology that will make a woman’s life easier, healthier, and better — be it when they just want to understand their body, while they are trying to prevent pregnancy, trying to get pregnant, are pregnant, or entering menopause,” Pascal Koenig, cofounder and CEO of Ava, said in a statement.

In January the company released an update that would gauge when, or if, the wearer has ovulated by detecting biphasic shifts among skin temperature, pulse rate, and other parameters associated with an increase in progesterone. This update was accompanied by the announcement of a new clinical trial being conducted at the University Hospital of Zurich that would investigate whether the bracelet could be used to detect the onset of infection during pregnancy.

Ava first launched its wearable in 2016, and earlier this year announced study results suggesting that the bracelet could detect a new pregnancy. The company was previously backed by $12.3 million in seed and Series A funding, and with today’s news now boasts $42.3 million in total backing.

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