FemTech startup Lady Technologies launches kegg, the first 2-in-1 fertility tracking device to help women in their conception journey; raises $1.5 million in pre-seed funding
Lady Technologies, a San Francisco-based FemTech startup today announced the official launch of its FDA-registered kegg, the first 2-in-1 device that combines fertility tracker with pelvic floor exercising. The launch follows a successful Beta launch and ab Indiegogo campaign that reached its goal in just 36 hours.
In conjunction with the launch, kegg also announced a $1.5M seed round to accelerate manufacturing and shipping. The funding round is backed by investors including Crescent Ridge Partners, SOSV, Texas Halo Fund, Fermata Fund, MegaForce, as well as several notable angel investors.
Unlike any other device on the market, kegg uses advanced sensing technology known as an impedance to analyze changes in women’s cervical fluid which is then analyzed in the cloud with results delivered to the user’s smartphone. The device specifically senses changes in electrolyte levels to detect the hormonal switch from estrogen to progesterone that accompanies a woman’s fertile window and ovulation.
Founded by 31-year-old Kristina Cahojova (London to SF), this is the only 2-1 IOT medical device that reads cervical fluids data and can be optionally used for kegel exercises. Lady Technologies seeks to improve the lives of women through the use of technology. In 2020, the company launched kegg, to help women better understand their bodies and conceive naturally
“We have created the first, easy to use modern medical device to help women manage their fertility with actionable data. Cervical fluid is a standard for determining women’s conception probabilities on a daily basis and kegg is the most convenient way to measure it. In the future, we want to look at other use cases that include infections, fertility tracking during postpartum and perimenopause,” said Founder and CEO Kristina Cahojova.
“The nature of cervical fluid had previously made it very expensive to study on a large scale. In the future, we aim to help the research to answer some very important questions such as what can positively impact the quality of fertile cervical fluid. ”
kegg is made with medical-grade silicone and gold plated, stainless steel sensors and only needs to be inserted for two minutes a day. Before each test, women can also opt to do Kegels to exercise their pelvic floor muscles. kegg communicates wirelessly through a phone’s Bluetooth connection. The antenna is placed in the tail, safely keeping it outside the body. Data is processed through personalized algorithms allowing women to visually understand their fertile window on the company’s free mobile app.
“One of my proudest accomplishments is building a community of over 2,000 (and growing!) women who are tracking their fertility. We’ve already had several women report successful pregnancies using kegg since our Beta launch and it’s been a joy to celebrate together. We also lean on our customers for valuable feedback. Most recently, we’ve developed an upgraded app that is more intuitive and builds on our user’s feedback to provide more actionable insight into their unique fertility cycles.”
With an international research and development team led by CTO Scott Shwarts, who was behind many successful hardware and software products, Lady Technologies holds patents on many of the key technologies within kegg.
“While our first consumer product helps women track their cycles, in the future we would like to advance women’s health in other categories as well,“ added Cahojova.
“Investor interest in FemTech and fertility has accelerated over the last few years,” said Samina Hydery, kegg Advisor and women’s health investor. “While I’ve seen an influx of ovulation prediction kits, at-home blood tests, menstrual tracking apps, and temperature monitors in the consumer market, kegg’s value proposition became clear once I spoke with women about their experiences trying to conceive and medical researchers in the field. It’s hard not to get excited by the various growth vectors that can expand kegg’s market in the future – from being used as a tool for natural family planning to help monitor postpartum or perimenopausal health.”
kegg is currently available in the US for $275 at kegg.tech