For millions of women, understanding a hormonal condition often begins with a frustrating, incomplete snapshot. A single blood draw, taken on a random Tuesday, offers a static data point in a dynamic biological system. The result is a diagnostic process that can feel more like guesswork than science, leaving patients and clinicians to puzzle over symptoms that fluctuate daily. A London-based startup, Unravel Health, is betting that the key to better care lies not in more frequent clinic visits, but in turning the home into a continuous data lab [Anne Roberts, May 2025].
Founded in 2024, the company is developing a palm-sized, non-invasive device designed to read hormone levels from saliva, tracking up to 16 biomarkers over time [Anne Roberts, May 2025]. The goal is to move from episodic snapshots to a longitudinal map of hormonal patterns, targeting conditions like menstrual-cycle irregularities, fertility planning, perimenopause, and hormonal migraines [Anne Roberts, May 2025]. With a planned market launch from 2027 and a recent €2.96 million (approximately £2.5 million) seed round, Unravel is placing a significant early bet on the clinical value of at-home, frequent-sample diagnostics [N24, Oct 2026].
The diagnostic wedge: From snapshot to story
The core of Unravel's proposition is a shift in diagnostic methodology. Traditional blood tests provide a precise measurement at a single moment, but hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol follow circadian and cyclical rhythms. A level that appears normal at 10 a.m. could be aberrant by 4 p.m., and a reading taken during the follicular phase of a menstrual cycle tells a different story than one from the luteal phase. This inherent variability can obscure conditions like premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) or subtle thyroid dysfunction, leading to delayed diagnoses and ineffective treatment plans.
Unravel's 'Micro Lab' aims to capture this variability by enabling daily, or near-daily, sampling from home. The saliva-based approach is intended to be less invasive than blood draws, lowering the barrier for consistent use. By compiling this data, the accompanying software platform could, in theory, reveal patterns and correlations that are invisible to single-point testing. The underlying sensor technology was developed over a decade at the University of Glasgow and is protected by three granted patents, providing a technical foundation distinct from consumer wellness wearables [WOMEN OF WEARABLES, Unknown].
The team and the capital runway
The founding team brings together medical, commercial, and strategic expertise, a necessary blend for navigating the complex pathway of a regulated diagnostic device.
| Role | Name | Background Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Co-founder, CMO | Dr. Alexandra Oti | Medical doctor with academic experience at Oxford and Cambridge; prior work at an AI health-data startup [Zinc VC, Mar 2025]. |
| Co-founder, CCO | Liza Levy | Marketer with experience helping grow a healthcare startup from ~10 employees to IPO [Zinc VC, Mar 2025]. |
| Co-founder, CEO | Veronika Bridgman | Strategist experienced in taking global brands from problem definition through to go-to-market [Unravel Health, Unknown]. |
This team has secured backing from a mix of impact and venture investors. After earlier grant support, including a six-figure award from SBRI Healthcare, the company closed its first major institutional round in October 2026 [LinkedIn, Dec 2024]. The €2.96 million seed was led by Conduit EIS Impact Fund and Wrightwood, with participation from Leo Capital, Embryo Ventures, Hermesa, and existing investor Zinc VC [N24, Oct 2026]. This capital is earmarked to advance the hardware development and validation work needed ahead of the 2027 launch target.
The regulatory and commercial path ahead
The ambition is clear, but the path to a regulated medical device that changes clinical practice is steep. Unravel Health's most immediate challenges are not about market desire, but about execution and evidence.
- Clinical validation. The leap from a patented sensor to a clinically validated diagnostic tool is significant. The company must prove its saliva-based measurements are as accurate and reliable as the gold-standard blood tests for each intended biomarker, a process that requires rigorous studies and regulatory submissions to bodies like the UK's MHRA or the FDA.
- User adherence. The value of the data is directly tied to consistent use. The device must be simple and intuitive enough to become a daily habit, and the software must provide clear, actionable insights back to the user and, potentially, their clinician to justify the routine.
- Reimbursement and access. Even with regulatory clearance, adoption hinges on payment. The company will need to demonstrate to national health services and private insurers that its continuous monitoring leads to better health outcomes and lower overall costs, a longer-term health-economic argument.
The company's answer to these risks appears to be a deliberate, research-linked approach. The decade of academic work at Glasgow provides a starting point, and the involvement of NHS-linked grant bodies suggests an early focus on aligning with public health system priorities [LinkedIn, Dec 2024]. The 2027 launch target allows several years for the necessary clinical validation work.
A different standard of care
The conditions Unravel Health is initially targeting,PMDD, hormonal migraines, thyroid disorders, perimenopause,represent a vast, often underserved patient population. For these individuals, the current standard of care can be a protracted journey of trial and error. Diagnosis frequently relies on symptom diaries and the elimination of other possibilities, while treatment may involve adjusting medication doses over months based on subjective feedback. A tool that provides objective, longitudinal hormonal data could, if validated, give clinicians a much clearer picture, potentially leading to faster, more personalized treatment decisions.
The next twelve months for Unravel will be less about commercial noise and more about quiet, technical progress. Key milestones will include advancing the device prototype, initiating pivotal clinical studies, and solidifying the regulatory strategy. The €2.96 million seed round provides the runway for this critical phase of de-risking the core technology. If the team can successfully translate academic patents into a reliable, user-friendly home device, they will have built more than a product. They will have created a new lens through which to view some of the most common, yet complex, conditions in women's health.
Sources
- [Anne Roberts, May 2025] LinkedIn post on Unravel Health's product | https://www.linkedin.com/posts/anne-roberts79_medtech-activity-7328013537308549120-ggGf
- [N24, October 2026] Unravel Health sichert sich 2,96 Millionen Euro | https://n24.com.tr/de/gesundheit/unravel-health-sichert-sich-296-millionen-euro-226
- [WOMEN OF WEARABLES, Unknown] Company profile referencing university patents | https://www.womenofwearables.com/
- [Zinc VC, March 2025] Founder spotlight: The women building Science-for-Impact ventures at Zinc | https://www.zinc.vc/blog/founder-spotlight-the-women-building-science-for-impact-ventures-at-zinc/
- [Unravel Health, Unknown] Team biography page | https://www.unravel.health/pilot
- [LinkedIn, December 2024] Liza Levy post on SBRI Healthcare grant | https://www.linkedin.com/posts/lizalevy_happy-holidays-amigos-heres-a-rundown-activity-7277329533312069632-xh99