Scotland, 17 December, 2024
The Bettii Pod Ltd, a pioneering FemTech start-up founded in 2021 by CEO Elaine Galston, has successfully raised £337,000 to further its mission of normalising and destigmatising menstruation while promoting sustainable menstrual practices. The Bettii Pod’s innovative menstrual cup/disc washer is designed for installation within the cubicles of away from home toilets, addressing the practical challenges faced by users of reusable menstrual products. By focusing on convenience and hygiene, the company is poised to drive adoption of sustainable menstrual solutions, advancing the FemTech hardware sector.
The investment was led by Edinburgh angel syndicate Equity Gap, with co-investment from Scottish Enterprise. Lifted Ventures introduced 12 angel investors to participate in the deal.
Lifted Ventures contributed not only by helping The Bettii Pod raise capital from its angel network, but also by bringing expertise, connections, and strategic guidance.
Elaine Galston shared her gratitude for the collaboration, highlighting the challenges of raising funds as a sole female founder: “Lifted Ventures immediately understood the challenges our product addresses for women and recognized the potential of the market we’re targeting. Their members are more than investors – they bring invaluable networks and skillsets that are often difficult to secure. I’ve been hugely impressed by their enthusiasm, capability, and commitment, especially in encouraging more female investors into equity investing.”
Jordan Dargue, co-founder of Lifted Ventures and leader of the investment round said: “It has been a pleasure to work to support Elaine, helping her now to further develop and take her product to market. We at Lifted Ventures know full well the challenges of being a female founder, multiplied by developing hardware, especially a blood based femtech product. Supporting Bettii to realise their ambitions has been particularly satisfying, knowing that our women angel investors understand the product and the potential of it.”
Fraser Lusty, Managing Director of Equity Gap said: “Equity Gap investors have been hugely impressed with Elaine and the proposal for The Bettii Pod and we are proud to have concluded the investment in this exciting and transformational Female Health tech business. The strength of this opportunity has enabled a first collaboration between Equity Gap and Lifted Ventures, creating a community of likeminded investors to support The Bettii Pod, as it develops.”
This money will be used to take Bettii closer to commercial development and enable widespread market engagement including engaging the 15 million people who menstruate in the UK.