Two Founders. One Device.
By Dr Smita Karpate, MD| 15 April, 2026
In this episode of NXT Health Commune, Dr. Smita Karpate, MD, speaks with Ms. Roswitha Verwer (Founder & CEO) and Dr. Muskaan Bhan (Clinical Co-Founder & Chief Clinical Officer) of YON E Health, a femtech startup building a first-in-class medical device to measure vaginal pH and basal body temperature in real time.
The device solves a critical gap: 75% of women experience vaginal imbalance, yet clinicians have no real-time data to diagnose infections, support fertility, detect PCOS, or improve IVF outcomes.
Unlike existing wearables (Apple Watch, Oura Ring) that measure skin temperature from the wrist, YON E's insertable device provides longitudinal biomarker data directly from the source.
The device integrates into daily life (under one minute to use), generates daily/weekly/monthly reports shareable with clinicians, and gives patients and doctors complete visibility into cycle health and infection risk over months, replacing snapshot consultations with continuous clinical data.
This Device Tracks Vaginal Health in Real-Time. Future of Fertility & PCOS Detection
The founders share their journey from preclinical validation through regulatory approval, currently at TRL4, pursuing CE Mark and FDA De Novo. But getting femtech to market reveals systemic barriers. They faced persistent investor bias: explaining basic biology to predominantly male VCs, overcoming taboo language around vaginal health, and proving far more than male founders ever require.
Despite evidence that women-led startups deliver higher ROI, they navigate rejection at nearly every pitch. Their go-to-market strategy is hybrid: B2C through e-commerce (sustainable, cycle-relevant products) and B2B through clinic partnerships. They believe community trust drives adoption: 90% of women rely on peer recommendations over doctors.
The conversation offers insights into how real-time biomarker data can transform women’s reproductive health while overcoming investor skepticism, taboo, and market barriers when solving decades-old clinical blind spots in women’s health.
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Topics discussed:
🔸The Clinical Problem & Solution: Why 75% of women experience vaginal imbalance, why existing wearables fail, and how YON E's device measures pH and basal body temperature directly from the source
🔸Clinical Implications for Women's Health: Recurrent infections linked to fertility loss; vaginal pH imbalance and IVF implantation failure; PCOS detection; postmenopausal vaginal health
🔸From Concept to Regulatory Approval - Preclinical validation, lab testing, TRL4 status, CE Mark, and FDA De Novo pathway, multi-continent clinical trials for ethnic diversity
🔸Navigating Femtech Funding Challenges & Investor Bias: Women founders required to prove more than their male counterparts; overcoming taboo language; pitching to predominantly male VCs; women-led startups' higher ROI
🔸Go-to-Market Strategy: Hybrid B2C/B2B approach; e-commerce for community building; cycle-relevant products; multi-market expansion with cultural adaptation; community trust.
🔸Design Philosophy & User Experience: Why aesthetics matter for destigmatisation; device under one minute to use; app accessibility for colourblindness and neurodivergence; making medical data understandable for patients and clinicians.