Women's health takes a major step forward on the Nordic innovation agenda

Ulrika Ringdahl, CEO of SmiLe Venture Hub, and Kushagr Punyani, CBO at SmiLe Venture Hub

Lund, Sweden – A newly approved €2.8 million project will, over the next three years, bring together leading organizations from Sweden, Denmark and Norway to accelerate commercialization, investment and market access for companies developing solutions in women's health. The project is co-funded by the European Union through Interreg Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak, with a contribution of €1.52 million.

Women's health is increasingly recognized as a major opportunity for innovation, investment and economic growth. Through its expertise in commercialization, business development and investor readiness, SmiLe Venture Hub will help promising innovations progress from early development to scalable businesses capable of reaching patients and markets. The initiative builds on years of Nordic collaboration and aims to strengthen women's health as a strategic area for innovation and competitiveness.

The project aims to support approximately 45 startups and SMEs through structured commercialization pathways that combine business development, regulatory guidance, market validation and investor engagement. By bringing together expertise from across the Nordic region, the initiative seeks to strengthen the conditions for innovative companies to scale and bring new solutions to patients faster.

By the end of the project, around 20 new or significantly improved products are expected to reach the market, with an additional five anticipated within the following two years. The initiative will also establish a shared Nordic framework and strengthen collaboration between companies, healthcare providers and regulatory stakeholders, contributing to a more competitive and integrated Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak region for women's health.

"Women's health has too often been viewed as a niche area. We see something very different. This is one of the most significant innovation opportunities in life science today. Better understanding of how diseases affect women, better representation in research and clinical studies, and more targeted solutions have the potential to improve outcomes for millions of patients while creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs, investors and healthcare systems. This project is about helping those innovations reach the market faster," says Ulrika Ringdahl, CEO of SmiLe Venture Hub.

Over the years, SmiLe has supported several companies developing solutions across a broad spectrum of women's health challenges – from reproductive and gynecological health to diagnostics, precision medicine and conditions that affect women differently than men – including Acrivon Therapeutics, Gedea Biotech, Spermosens and Pharmista Technologies. Current participants in SmiLe's incubator program include Ironic Biotech, Capillon Analytics and Dx4Life.

"We see exceptional innovation emerging within women's health, but turning innovation into impact requires more than great science. Companies need a clear market opportunity, strong product-market fit and access to the growth capital required to scale. SmiLe has long worked at that intersection. Through this initiative, we can help more founders build investable businesses and connect with the partners and investors needed to bring their innovations to patients around the world," says Kushagr Punyani, Chief Business Officer at SmiLe Venture Hub.

The initiative is led by Medicon Valley Alliance and brings together a Nordic consortium including SmiLe Venture Hub, Technical University of Denmark, Health Tech Hub Copenhagen, TÜV SÜD Denmark and The Life Science Cluster. Swedish associated partners include Region Skåne and Skåne University Hospital.

 

For more information, please contact:

Ulrika Ringdahl, CEO of SmiLe Venture Hub, ulrika.ringdahl@smileventurehub.com, +46 73-656 62 32

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