Women-Led Startup Venova Technologies Secures $2.23M NIH Grant

• Venova Technologies, Inc. is a female-founded startup company in Cambridge, Massachusetts
• The firm is in the process of building a new type of female birth control device that is long-lasting, hormone-free, and copper-free
• The device would provide a safer and more accessible alternative to other current long-term contraceptive methods

Venova Technologies, Inc., a female-founded startup developing a new type of long-acting, hormone-free, and copper-free female birth control, received a $2.23 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

This very competitive SBIR program funds U.S. small businesses with technologies of promise toward commercialization. The Phase II grant will speed preclinical advancement of Venova's novel cervical barrier device towards first-in-human clinical trials. The company has now received more than $5 million in total with this new funding.

A 2023 study determined that almost 50 percent of women discontinue or switch their birth control because of undesired side effects. At the same time, a survey conducted by UCLA identified that 73 percent of women want highly effective birth control with fewer side effects — an opportunity Venova is trying to fill.

"This award is a significant milestone on the way to providing a new birth control solution that's side-effect-free and eliminates the pain of IUD insertion," stated Emily Man, Venova Co-Founder and CEO. "It shows increasing traction from the scientific community to innovate women's health".

Dr. Katharine White, Department Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Boston University's Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and Chief Medical Advisor at Venova, highlighted the value of diversity in available contraceptives: "Providing more affordable and tailored options will enable more women to achieve their intended family size."

Venova Technologies is a Massachusetts-based firm situated in Cambridge and operates from The Engine, a high-impact tech startup campus created by MIT. The firm's vision is to empower women with breakthrough reproductive health solutions with the aim of offering secure, effective, and accessible contraceptive solutions.