Women in Business Award 2018

Start-up name: Elvie
Founders: Tania Boler and Alexander Asseily
Started in: 2015
Based in: London
Business description: Pioneering smart technology for women including pelvic floor training devices and breast pumps

Elvie is a tech company putting women front and centre with innovative products geared to female health.

As a business improving women’s lives through the medium of smart technology, it’s apt then that co-founder, Tania Boler, scooped the award for Women in Business at the Startups Awards 2018 ceremony.

Boler, who launched Elvie back in 2015 with co-founder Alexander Asseily (the founder of Jawbone), has built unique products which have made investors take note; to the tune of £11.6m to be exact.

These products include the Elvie Trainer; a Kegel device which combines being sleek and easy-to-use (inserted like a tampon) with a workout app to help women strengthen their pelvic floors.

Boler and Asseily’s more recent creation is the Elvie Pump; the world’s first silent wearable breast pump which, being handsfree and wireless, enables mothers to benefit from greater freedom, mobility and discretion while pumping.

As an inspiring founder creating extraordinary products, Boler impressed the judges in how she had shaken up the tech industry by putting taboo’ issues that women face on a daily basis firmly in the spotlight.

With a background in health education and promotion – Boler previously worked for the U.N. and Marie Stopes International – the female entrepreneur is focused on helping more women still.

There is a pipeline to launch four more Elvie products by 2020 and, while the details of these products are still under wraps, we’re confident that we can expect more game-changing innovations.

Certainly, there’s more room for change; sanitary ware and conception tools are just two areas that could do with a tech transformation!

Boler was up against worthy opponents in the Women in Business category; Jenny Inglis of gender-neutral kid’s magazine Whizz Pop Bang was awarded Highly Commended, and Rachel Carrell, the founder of innovative childcare platform Koru Kids, took home the Commended title.