April Newsletter
A trademark, a movement, and a mum in the 70s...
From HMRC wins to women’s health breakthroughs — grab a cuppa, this is a good one.
There's something about April that feels like things are clicking into place. And this month, for MenoVida, that's exactly what been happening.
Whether you’re enjoying the last of the spring blossom in the northern hemisphere or settling into the cosy side of autumn in the southern hemisphere, we hope this finds you well.
MenoVida News
SEIS Advance Assurance granted by HMRC
After a lot of manifesting (and paperwork!), we’ve received Advance Assurance, which means investors can now claim up to 50% tax relief on any investment in MenoVida. See below for full details.
Our trademark has been awarded!
We’re officially trademarked, a milestone that gives MenoVida stronger protection as we build the brand. Trust and reputation matter deeply to us right from day one, and this is such a meaningful step forward.
We’ve been accepted into the Onteigo privacy compliance programme
MenoVida is one of just 8 femhealth startups accepted into Onteigo’s pro bono compliance programme, offering comprehensive support on privacy in marketing. As we build for the future, we want to protect your health data at every stage; it’s non-negotiable for us. Read more on LinkedIn.
Consider this your invitation 🧡
What if investing was never actually out of reach? You just hadn't been shown the door yet?
We're opening our investment round to our community first. Because the women who understand peri/menopause most deeply shouldn't just benefit from the solution, they should have a stake in it.
This isn't about asking for money. It's about inviting you into something. A chance to be part of changing women's health and changing who gets to call themselves an investor. Only 14.1% of UK angel investors are women. Turns out we've been invisible for too long.
Thanks to the SEIS government scheme, you can invest from as little as £2,000 — and claim back up to 50% through your tax return. Your real cost? As little as £1,000. HMRC literally shares your risk. We’ve ring-fenced a portion of our raise for our community, ensuring smaller (as well as larger) investments are available.
You might already be the right woman for this … and not even know it yet. If it’s not for you, perhaps you know someone you can share this with?
👉 Find out more on our INVESTMENT PAGE
Read more about why we chose this path on LinkedIn
The Stories That We Tell
Earlier this month, something quite extraordinary happened. While searching through some old family photos, I stumbled across the most incredible backstory to my own creation! I had no idea my mum was a trailblazer back in the early 70s. So I decided to share the story on LinkedIn, and within days, I’d been invited to speak at an event.
It’s a reminder of how powerful our stories are and how sharing them can open doors we never expected. Once MenoVida is live, I’d love to bring this full circle and share the next chapter with Woman’s Own, 50 years on.
Read the full story on LinkedIn here — and if you don’t have a LinkedIn account, just reply to this email and I’ll find a way to share it with you directly.
Women’s Health News
The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England
This is big news for all of us. The UK government has just published its renewed Women’s Health Strategy. A ten-year plan setting out how women will have voice, choice and power in their health and healthcare.
So what does it actually mean in practice? The strategy includes redesigned clinical pathways for heavy menstrual bleeding, urogynaecology and menopause to speed up diagnosis and treatment, funding for a specialist women’s health centre in every region, and a new £1.5 million Femtech challenge fund.
Crucially, from this year, the standard NHS Health Check for adults aged 40 to 74 will include a question on menopause symptoms, giving up to five million women an easier route to advice and support.
It’s far from perfect, and there’s still a long way to go but it’s progress.
👉 Read the full strategy here
Dr Nighat Arif does a brilliant job of explaining what this means in real-world terms — watch her Instagram reel here.
Thank you, as always, for being part of this community.
Best wishes,
Jo & The MenoVida Team 🌸