Pregnolia receives investment of 3.4 million Swiss francs

(CONNECT) Pregnolia has received 3.4 million Swiss francs in its third financing round. As CEO and founder Dr. Sabrina Badir explains, a large part of this comes from the EIC Accelerator program of the European Innovation Council (EIC), to which her company was accepted. "Being selected as one of Europe's most competitive deep tech programs recognizes cervical rigidity as a novel biomarker for improving obstetric care and highlights the importance of innovation for maternal health," Badir said. In addition, private donors also participated in the round.

Founded in 2016 as a spin-off of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and the University Hospital Zurich, the medtech company has developed a CE-marked measuring system that can be used to accurately determine the stiffness of the cervix. If the cervix is soft, the risk of premature birth is increased. "Our mission is to integrate an objective assessment of cervical stiffness into clinical care to enable better decision-making during pregnancy," explains Badir. "Our vision is for every gynecological practice to have a Pregnolia system in addition to the ultrasound machine," says the company's self-description.

As the start-up promoter Venturelab, which is also based in Schlieren, calculates in its own press release on Pregnolia's financing round, there are 60,000 to 65,000 premature births every year in Switzerland alone, and the figures are continuing to rise. For Pregnolia, the EIC Accelerator Grant means "a step forward, from research to a broader clinical application". Pregnolia was Venture Kick winner, Venture Leader Biotech and among the Top 100 Swiss Startups for five consecutive years. ce/mm