In The Press

Venova Technologies Won The Innovation Showcase At The 2024 Women’s Health Innovation Summit

SEPTEMBER 2024

Venova Technologies won the prestigious Innovation Showcase award at the annual Women’s Health Innovation Summit in Boston, MA. Our CEO, Emily Man, pitched alongside 11 finalists in the Therapeutic, Diagnostic, and Medical Device category, in front of 600+ leading investors, strategic partners, leaders, and peers.


Venova Technologies Is An Innovation Showcase Finalist In The 2024 Women’s Health Innovation Summit

AUGUST 2024

Venova Technologies is pleased to share that we were selected to present at this year’s Innovation Showcase at the annual Women’s Health Innovation Summit in Boston, MA, in September.

Women’s Health Innovation Summit USA is the premier event for showcasing groundbreaking advancements in women’s health. It connects pioneering businesses with financial investors and strategic corporate partners, highlighting the most exciting investment opportunities in the women’s health sector.


Venova Technologies Selected For Visible Hands’ 2024 VHBOS Cohort

JULY 2024

We are excited to announce that Venova Technologies was selected to participate in this year’s VHBOS Fellowship by Visible Hands.

Visible Hands is a pre-seed venture capital firm, backing overlooked, formidable founders who are transforming the future. The Fellowship program, created in partnership with the Barr Foundation, will provide $10,000 in non-dilutive funding and hands-on, business-oriented workshops.

Read more here.


CEO, Emily Man, Invited To Panel, "A New Age for Contraception? Opportunities to Improve the Benchmark Beyond Innovation!" at the 2024 Reproductive Health Innovation Summit (RHIS)

FEBRUARY 2024

Our Co-Founder & CEO, Emily Man, attended the Women's Health Innovation Series' Reproductive Health Innovation Summit (RHIS) on February 13th, 2024, in Boston, MA, for a panel discussion exploring opportunities to improve the contraceptive landscape beyond innovation. The panel was moderated by Stasia Obremskey, Managing Director at RH Capital. Emily was joined by Dr. Daniel Johnston, Chief of the Contraception Research Branch at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Dr. Ru-fong Joanne Cheng, MD, FACOG, Director of Women's Health Innovations at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Kevin Eisenfrats, Co-Founder and CEO of Contraline. Our Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer, Liz Earley, was also in attendance.


Venova Technologies’ CEO and Chief Medical Advisor Presented at the 2023 National Contraception Meeting

NOVEMBER 2023

Our Co-Founder & CEO, Ms. Emily Man, and Chief Medical Advisor, Dr. Kate White, presented at this year’s National Contraception Meeting, which took place at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. The purpose of this meeting is to provide an annual update on the state of contraception research from grantees from the Contraception Research Branch (CRB) of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Male Contraceptive Initiative, and various scientists in the field.


Venova Technologies Received The 2023 Life Sciences Eddie Award

NOVEMBER 2023

Venova Technologies was awarded the first place 2023 Life Sciences Eddie Award (formerly New England Innovation Award) from the Massachusetts Innovation Network.


Venova Technologies Awarded A LabCentral Ignite Golden Ticket

SEPTEMBER 2023

Venova Technologies was awarded a LabCentral Ignite Golden Ticket. LabCentral Ignite Golden Tickets provide support and access to biotech founders who are traditionally underrepresented in the industry. The award includes the equivalent of $50,000 in funding for state-of-the-art space at LabCentral and a $10,000 cash prize. Winners also gain access to the Ignite Golden Ticket fellowship, which “supercharges their ecosystem, providing them with the network, resources and support needed to succeed in the industry.”

Program sponsors include Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, Pfizer, Silicon Valley Bank, Takeda, Alira Health, EisnerAmper, and Wilson Sonsini.


Chief Medical Advisor, Dr. Kate White, Awarded a Second Innovation Grant of $300,000 from the Massachusetts Life Science Center

JULY 2023

Venova Technologies is pleased to announce that their Chief Medical Advisor, Dr. Kate White, and Boston Medical Center were awarded a second Women’s Health Innovation Grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) to continue partnering with Venova Technologies.

Dr. Kate White is the Vice-Chair of Academics in the Department of OB/GYN and Associate Program Director of the Complex Family Planning Fellowship at Boston Medical Center (BMC), and an Associate Professor of OB/GYN at the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine.


Venova Selected as a 2023 Finalist in Massachusetts Innovation Network’s The Eddies Program

JUNE 2023

Venova Technologies is proud to announce that they were selected as a top finalist in the Life Science/Health Tech Innovation Track in the 2023 Eddies Program. The Eddies Program is a five-month, innovation-boosting program that includes tailored mentoring, connections to funding resources, and visibility opportunities. The Eddies (formerly known as the New England Innovation Awards) is a 37-year-old competition for New England-based startups with ground-breaking technologies. Venova Technologies will participate in The Eddies Innovation Showcase on October 4th, 2023.

Read the official announcement here.


Venova Technologies Awarded NIH/NICHD X01 Service Request for In Vitro Efficacy Testing of the Venova Device Using Human Sperm

FEBRUARY 2023

Venova Technologies is proud to announce the award of their second NIH/NICHD X01 Biological Testing Facility Service Request to perform in vitro barrier efficiency testing of the Venova Device using human sperm. This study is anticipated to be completed in 2023-2024. Venova Technologies is collaborating with the NICHD Contraceptive Branch and SRI International to conduct this research. Emily Man, Co-founder and CEO, is the awardee of the service contract.


Venova Technologies Awarded $300,000 NIH STTR Phase I Grant

JANUARY 2023

Venova Technologies is proud to announce that Co-Founder and CEO, Emily Man, has received her first STTR Phase I grant award from the NIH. Research and development conducted during this program will enhance the functionality of the Venova Device through robust lab testing and through continued ex vivo testing using excised human reproductive specimens at Boston Medical Center.


Venova Technologies Files US and PCT Patent Applications

JULY 2022

Venova Technologies is pleased to announce it has filed US and PCT patent applications for broad coverage.


Venova Technologies Receives Final Tranche of Funding from Northeastern University’s IDEA Accelerator, Totaling $30,000

JULY 2022

Venova Technologies has completed its participation in the IDEA Accelerator, a Boston-based venture accelerator at Northeastern University. During this program, Venova Technologies received a total of $30,000 for prototyping and in vitro testing.


Venova Technologies Awarded NIH/NICHD X01 Service Request to Conduct A Pilot Study Deploying the Venova Device in Nonhuman Primates

JUNE 2022

Venova Technologies is proud to announce the award of an NIH/NICHD X01 Biological Testing Facility Service Request to perform our first preclinical study. The goals of the service request are to collect preliminary safety and biocompatibility data in nonhuman primates. Assessments include evaluation of inflammatory markers, vaginal microbiome, and device biofilm. Our in vivo studies will take place at Texas Biomedical Research Institution in San Antonio, Texas, and will be managed by SRI International. Emily Man, Co-founder and CEO, is the awardee of the service contract.


Venova Technologies Awarded An Additional $10,000 from Northeastern University’s IDEA Accelerator

MARCH 2022

Venova Technologies is proud to announce that they have received a second award of $10,000 from Northeastern University’s IDEA Accelerator.


Venova Technologies Receives $10,000 from Northeastern University’s IDEA Accelerator

SEPTEMBER 2021

Venova Technologies is proud to announce their participation in Northeastern University’s IDEA Accelerator and their $10,000 award in non-equity grant funding.

IDEA is a student-led venture accelerator that fosters the development of entrepreneurs in the Northeastern University community through the educational experience of developing a business from concept to launch. IDEA has launched over 65 ventures that have gone on to raise over $805M in external funding. Learn more about the IDEA Accelerator here.


Chief Medical Advisor of Venova Technologies, Dr. Kate White, Awarded $300,000 by the Massachusetts Life Science Center

JULY 2021

Venova Technologies is pleased to announce that their Chief Medical Advisor, Dr. Kate White, and Boston Medical Center were awarded a Women’s Health Innovation Grant from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) to partner with Venova Technologies and Cambridge Polymer Group. Funding from this grant will support further development of the Venova Device and ex vivo testing at Boston Medical Center.

Dr. Kate White is the Vice-Chair of Academics in the Department of OB/GYN and Associate Program Director of the Complex Family Planning Fellowship at Boston Medical Center (BMC), and an Associate Professor of OB/GYN at the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine.


Northeastern University Shares Our Cofounders’ Story

JUNE 2021

Following their first-place award in the Women Who Empower Initiative in 2021, cofounders Emily Man and Valeria Martinuzzi were invited to share their story with Northeastern University’s News@Northeastern.

Read more here.


Venova Technologies' Cofounders Recognized by Northeastern University's College of Engineering for Women Who Empower Award

June 2021

Northeastern University's College of Engineering recognized Venova Technologies' cofounders, Emily Man and Valeria Martinuzzi, who graduated from the graduate Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering program in 2019. 

Diana MacGillivray, Senior Vice President for University Advancement, and Henry Nasella, Trustee and Chair Emeritus, who created Women Who Empower says, "What really stood out to me was the outstanding leadership and contributions and skills that these women all demonstrated pretty significantly—and that’s what I think should be celebrated the most. I’ve been an investor for a long time, you get excited when you meet people like this.”

Read more here.


Venova Technologies’ Cofounders Receive First Place in Inaugural Women Who Empower Competition by Northeastern University and Cartier Foundation

JUNE 2021

We are excited to announce that two of the cofounders, Emily Man and Valeria Martinuzzi, at Venova Technologies were recognized in the inaugural cohort of Women Who Empower, an initiative hosted and funded by their alma mater, Northeastern University, and Cartier Foundation. This award recognizes female entrepreneurs in the Northeastern University ecosystem. Emily and Val placed first for their category and received $10,000.

Diana MacGillivray, Senior Vice President for University Advancement at Northeastern University, shared this letter with our cofounders: “We were moved by your journey and are committed to encouraging, supporting, and celebrating your next chapter. Your innovation is not only enriching your life, but the lives of those around you, in your community and beyond—and that’s what we love most. This award is a testament to your efforts, which align perfectly with our mission to back our students and alumni, surrounding communities, and global and societal needs.”

Read more here.