Innovation in women's health and FemTech

Afua has 20 years of health consulting experience, designing strategies and developing partnerships to help healthcare clients realize their potential to drive both business and societal value.  She has supported and connected stakeholders across the global healthcare ecosystem, through the provision of strategic and scientific counsel, and the unwavering passion for transforming data insights into inclusive omnichannel health experiences that matter. In Q1 2025, Afua will launch an early-stage venture capital firm, Fern Capital Group, investing seed capital into next-generation health-tech. With a Debut ‘Dignity’ Fund of $25 million ventures with proven business models, particularly (but not solely) those that deliver smart solutions for challenges disproportionately affecting women. These high-growth potential ventures, exemplify responsible leadership. They aim to sustainably improve access, equity and outcomes - creating value whilst leading with values.

Afua recently has held the role of Head of Health & Social Impact at the global digital engagement company,  RAPP.  Afua held roles as VP, Head of London for the global health consulting firm, Rabin Martin;  Managing Director and European Business lead at ApotheCom and Client Service Lead at Ogilvy Healthworld, UK.

Afua is a former Co-Chair of Omnicom’s disability Business Resource Group, OPEN DisAbility UK + Allies, founded in 2019. Serving 9000 employees, OPEN DisAbility UK + Allies works to promote understanding of the value of people with disabilities (both visible and invisible) and to drive community between and representation of people with disabilities in our workforce and outputs.  Until 2022, Afua was a Non-Executive Director for the non-for profit membership organization, the Healthcare Communications Association (HCA). She is a 2020 and 2021 IPA iList finalist, nominated for her dedication to improving the diversity and inclusivity across the industry. In December 2021, she was elected as the Chair of the UK Board of Trustees for the international NGO Mothers2Mothers, an organization dedicated to eliminating pediatric AIDS through female empowerment. In January 2024, Afua became a board member for the Social Impact Consultancy, Skating Panda, working at the intersection of health, climate and gender equality. Lastly, in November 2024, Afua was invited to become a Black Business Residency Mentor, a Somerset House program developed in partnership with DOES and sponsored by Morgan Stanley that aims to help early-stage Black entrepreneurs unlock their full potential and allow their creative enterprises to thrive.

She holds a DPhil in Neurosciences from the University of Oxford.

Valentina Milanova is the founder and CEO of Daye, a company dedicated to advancing gynaecological health through innovative products and research. Born and raised in Bulgaria, Milanova moved to the UK to pursue higher education at the University of Buckingham, where she earned degrees in Business, Economics, and Law. She later obtained a Master's in International and Trade Law and specialized in Food and Drug Law from Harvard Law School. Currently, she is working towards a Master of Public Health from Imperial College London.

Milanova's journey into the femtech industry was driven by her personal experiences with gynaecological health issues. This led her to research and develop tampons that provide localized relief for menstrual cramps using Cannabidiol (CBD). Daye's CBD tampons, launched in 2020, are the world's first of their kind and have been trusted by over 100,000 women in the UK. The company also offers diagnostic tampons for at-home screening of common vaginal infections, STIs, and HPV.

Before founding Daye, Milanova worked in various roles within the startup ecosystem, including managing the AI and ML portfolio at Founders Factory and serving as a Venture Associate at Techstars. Her entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to addressing the gender pain gap in medical research and product innovation have been central to her work at Daye. She successfully raised £4.23 million in seed funding and later secured £10 million in Series A funding to support the company's growth. Valentina holds multiple medical device patents, and her research has been published in the Journal of Endometriosis and Uterine Disorders, The Journal of Molecular Sciences, and The Journal of Human Reproduction.

Milanova is also an advisor and mentor at FemTechLab and Nyungu Care, supporting early-stage startups focused on gynaecological health and social impact. She is a Fellow at the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce (RSA) and actively participates in initiatives aimed at driving social change and environmental sustainability.

In her personal life, Milanova enjoys volunteering, kitesurfing, snowboarding, and spending time with her two poodles, Polly and Ringo. She splits her time between London, NYC and S

"Valentina Milanova is the founder and CEO of Daye, a company dedicated to advancing gynaecological health through innovative products and research. Born and raised in Bulgaria, Milanova moved to the UK to pursue higher education at the University of Buckingham, where she earned degrees in Business, Economics, and Law. She later obtained a Master's in International and Trade Law and specialized in Food and Drug Law from Harvard Law School. Currently, she is working towards a Master of Public Health from Imperial College London.

Milanova's journey into the femtech industry was driven by her personal experiences with gynaecological health issues. This led her to research and develop tampons that provide localized relief for menstrual cramps using Cannabidiol (CBD). Daye's CBD tampons, launched in 2020, are the world's first of their kind and have been trusted by over 100,000 women in the UK. The company also offers diagnostic tampons for at-home screening of common vaginal infections, STIs, and HPV.

Before founding Daye, Milanova worked in various roles within the startup ecosystem, including managing the AI and ML portfolio at Founders Factory and serving as a Venture Associate at Techstars. Her entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to addressing the gender pain gap in medical research and product innovation have been central to her work at Daye. She successfully raised £4.23 million in seed funding and later secured £10 million in Series A funding to support the company's growth. Valentina holds multiple medical device patents, and her research has been published in the Journal of Endometriosis and Uterine Disorders, The Journal of Molecular Sciences, and The Journal of Human Reproduction.

Milanova is also an advisor and mentor at FemTechLab and Nyungu Care, supporting early-stage startups focused on gynaecological health and social impact. She is a Fellow at the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce (RSA) and actively participates in initiatives aimed at driving social change and environmental sustainability.

In her personal life, Milanova enjoys volunteering, kitesurfing, snowboarding, and spending time with her two poodles, Polly and Ringo. She splits her time between London, NYC and Sofia, where she continues to push the boundaries of femtech innovation.

Agata Zielinska is the co-founder and co-CEO of Ovo Labs, a biotech company that develops therapeutics to elevate egg quality for IVF success.  Agata is a physician-scientist by training with a strong research background in female ageing and a deep commitment to translating scientific discoveries into clinical solutions for infertility. She received advanced training in reproductive biology at world-renowned institutions, including the Gurdon Institute and MRC LMB (Cambridge), Max Planck Institute (Göttingen), University of Kyoto (Japan), and The Francis Crick Institute (London). During her MB/PhD studies at University of Cambridge under Prof. Melina Schuh—her mentor and now co[1]founder—Agata uncovered key mechanisms driving the decline in egg quality with woman’s age. For her discoveries in the field of female ageing, she has been recognised with the Max Planck Society’s Otto Hahn Medal and the Young Scientist of 2018 title. Agata’s experience as an NHS physician brings a unique perspective to her work, combining an in-depth understanding of patient care with a focus on practical, real-world applications. She is also an enthusiastic educator and supervisor in Human Reproduction at University of Cambridge and guest lecturer Women’s Health. At Ovo Labs, alongside her co-founders Prof. Melina Schuh and Dr. Sasha Yagensky, Agata is dedicated to developing therapies that protect eggs from age-related defects. The company’s mission is to significantly improve IVF success rates, particularly for women in their late 30s and early 40s, whose eggs are often genetically compromised. By improving egg quality, Ovo Labs will allow more couples to reach their maternity goals with fewer IVF attempts.

Dr Alex Ridout is Clinical Lecturer in Women’s Health at King’s College London (King’s Prize Fellowship, NIHR DSE Award) and senior trainee Obstetrician & Gynaecologist at St Thomas’ Hospital. Committed to reducing health inequalities, she co-leads the NIHR-funded CRIBS group, pioneering scalable innovations to reduce maternal mortality, and led the CRADLE[1]5 trial, integrating an innovative vital signs alert device into national practice and policy in Sierra Leone. Her research spans high and low[1]resource settings: her thesis on personalising preterm birth prediction (King’s Outstanding Thesis Award) underscores her dedication to advancing care in high-risk pregnancies globally.

Dr. Sioned Fôn Jones is a scientist, entrepreneur, and advocate for infant health with over a decade of research experience. She holds a Master of Chemistry degree and a PhD in Biophysics from University College London (UCL). Dr. Jones is the co-founder and COO of BoobyBiome, a biotech start-up revolutionising infant feeding by making the health benefits of the breast milk microbiome accessible to every baby. BoobyBiome, based at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, has developed the world’s first shotgun metagenomic database of the breast milk microbiome and created a proprietary strain biobank. This groundbreaking work has led to the development of two innovative products: a patented device that preserves the breast milk microbiome for breastfeeding parents and a synbiotic product designed to provide formula-fed babies with the health benefits of breast milk bacteria. Recognised in Forbes' 2024 Europe 30 Under 30 list and awarded the 2023 Pott’s Medal for her outstanding contributions to science, Dr. Jones is deeply committed to supporting parents and advancing global health through innovative, evidence-based solutions.

Professor Lucy Chappell is Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Health and Social Care and Chief Executive Officer of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the UK’s largest funder of health and care research. The Chief Scientific Adviser has overall responsibility for DHSC research and development and for supporting analysis and life sciences across the Department. Prof Chappell provides science advice to ministers across the range of health topics and is involved in cross-government science policy.

Prof Chappell is also Professor of Obstetrics at King’s College London, working mainly in clinical trials in pregnancy, and a practising Consultant Obstetrician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. 

Stephanie leads Scientific Affairs for Conceivable Life Sciences, a New-York headquartered Biotech company.  She serves as a Board trustee and on the Investment Committee of the King's Fund, the UK’s foremost healthcare thinktank. Stephanie served as Senior Advisor at the World Health Organization’s Department of Digital Health & Innovation. She was a Senior Consultant at Hardian Health, a leading consultancy in health technology and innovation.

With a background as an OBGYN she spent over 15 as a clinician-scientist at Britain’s National Health Service and HCA Healthcare.  During her clinical career Stephanie sat on the council of the British Gynaecological Cancer Society and was awarded numerous international travelling fellowships including to Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Cancer Hospital Pernambuco in Brazil, and Centre du Cancer Oscar Lambret in France.

She was awarded a Doctorate in Clinical Research at UCL where she remains an Honorary Senior Research Fellow. Stephanie is a co-author of recent publications on AI in Health, and an active angel investor in Health AI.

Sam Gyimah is the founder of SG& Capital Partners, an advisory and investment firm operating at the intersection of public policy and private capital unlocking long-term value out of complex situations. Sam is also an adviser to and serves on the board of Goldman Sachs International. He is a member of the Audit Committee. In addition he serves on the Boards of Cambridge University Endowment Trust and Oxford University Innovation. Sam is the host of the Geopolitics of Business podcast, the show where he interviews CEO’s, investors, and political leaders to explore what happens when business and politics collide and how leaders respond. He is a regular international conference speaker. Sam was the Member of Parliament for East Surrey from 2010-19; and served in several departments including, the Cabinet Office, Higher Education, Innovation, Science and Research with responsibility for an £8bn R&D budget. He was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Prime Minister, David Cameron and attended Cabinet. Sam began his career in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs in London, where he worked on pan-European corporate finance and M&A advisory transactions, before joining the Equities business, focusing on equities sales and institutional client relationships. Before entering politics, Sam was an angel investor in early-stage businesses. Born in the UK and raised in Ghana, Sam earned an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University in 1999.