Liv Labs Fitness
CONTINENCE SELF-CARE
Liv Labs Press Release
Apr 12, 2021
Liv Labs gratefully announces a significant investment of non-dilutive funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development.
These R&D funds are part of the federal government's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, also known as "America's Seed Fund." The SBIR program supports a diverse portfolio of startups and small businesses across technology areas and markets to stimulate technological innovation, meet Federal research and development (R&D) needs, and increase commercialization to transition R&D into impact. They foster and encourage participation in innovation and entrepreneurship by all people, including women, people of color, people with disabilities, and entrepreneurs located in all 50 states and U.S. territories.
Liv Labs applied for, and was awarded, a Direct Phase II grant of over 1.67 million dollars in recognition of the need to make meaningful change in how continence care is delivered at scale - nationally and globally. The award addresses the fact that nearly 27 million American women have a current, unmet need for conservative, non-surgical treatment for stress urinary incontinence (SUI); and that number will rise to 35 million by 2060 as the population ages. The proposed research will evaluate the safety, efficacy and usability of a novel, soft spring continence pessary that provides the utility of a reusable, fitted pessary with unprecedented ease of use, physical comfort, and psychological security. The goal is to build widespread adoption of a patient-controlled treatment that improves quality of life and reduces other chronic illness risks while simultaneously reducing demand for expensive clinical care.
About
Liv Labs is a Chicago-based startup with Silicon Valley roots. It’s cofounders, Carly Price and Melody Roberts, are career innovators of branded, consumer conveniences for brands like McDonald’s, Chase, Casper, and Ford. They believe that technology will reshape healthcare much as it has other industries, enabling people to take control of their everyday health, with better outcomes.