Launched on Kickstarter: EverythingEndo, a New App for Self-Managing Endometriosis
Leading women’s health startup, ELANZA Wellness, has announced its first crowdfunded launch from the company’s newly formed endometriosis care division.
The EverythingEndo app is designed to help people with endometriosis self-manage symptoms from home, to complement clinical care. The fundraising campaign is live on Kickstarter from today.
“This is an invitation for individuals affected by endometriosis to have a real impact on shaping a platform for them that resonates with their unique needs, actively participating in the process of backing and building it,” says ELANZA Wellness co-founder, Brittany Hawkins. “Together we can make faster progress.”
The team says joining Kickstarter is also a chance for those who believe in Femtech innovations to not only support a much-needed product but to add their voice to the global effort to advance options for those with underserved women’s health conditions.
The Kickstarter campaign features huge discounts on user subscriptions to EverythingEndo, as well as many other rewards for backers who want to support the Femtech innovation.
Managing Endometriosis
1 in 10 women of reproductive age suffer from endometriosis, which affects 190 million women worldwide. This chronic, progressive inflammatory disease happens when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (womb) grows outside of the uterus, causing not only pain and other debilitating physical symptoms, but also psychological effects such as depression, anxiety, and negative body image that impact social life, sex life, and working capacity.
While there is no cure, the published medical literature shows that there are 22 ways to manage endometriosis. Top gynecologists recommend taking a comprehensive preventative approach to care, including nutrition, pelvic floor physiotherapy, and mental health. This is where EverythingEndo comes in.
"Managing endometriosis requires more than medication; most people with the condition live with ongoing unmanaged symptoms and need access to a bigger variety of science-backed, at-home management strategies," says Brittany Hawkins.
The World Health Organization specifically states that enhanced awareness, followed by early diagnosis and management may slow or halt the natural progression of endometriosis and reduce the long-term burden of its symptoms, including the risk of central nervous system pain sensitization.
The team’s goal is to help people reduce symptoms to make living with endometriosis feel more manageable, providing hope for those who have suffered for years in silence. To accomplish this, specialist insights and support are brought right into people’s homes, addressing common geographic and practical barriers to comprehensive care.
EverythingEndo App
EverythingEndo is a chronic condition companion app that enables affordable access to more management options than ever before. Features include an intuitive Endo Tracker, a proprietary goal-based care engine for personalized recommendations, as well as an extensive library of educational content and therapeutic classes, and ways to connect virtually with support and care providers. Whatever the stage or journey, the team aims to have at-home support covered - whether that’s around getting a diagnosis, recovering from surgery, or accessing therapies shown to relieve trauma, pain and other hallmarks of the condition.
“Not only did our research find that more mental and emotional support is what patients are desperately looking for, but that a holistic approach is best practice for managing and moderating endometriosis symptoms,” says ELANZA co-founder Catherine Hendy, who studied Translational Health Science at the University of Oxford. “We’ve brought both together in one place.”
The co-founders and wider team of behavioral designers (including Femtech design advisory Guidea and Peasee, a behavioral insights firm) synthesized insights from chronic condition management tools, reviews of research studies on endometriosis, the team’s in-depth survey of 1,000 people with endometriosis, and personal stories from dozens of patients and care providers gathered via qualitative one-on-one interviews.
“We firmly believe that the best solutions are built with direct input from those they're aiming to help, says Hendy. “Early collaborative co-design with our users helped develop our framework for education, social support and holistic therapies that really take into account the everyday challenges and realities of life with endo and reflect the full diversity of experiences.”
Gender data gap
As well as improving the quality of life for its users, EverythingEndo provides a huge opportunity to fill identified gaps in data around endometriosis and chronic women’s health conditions that lead to preventable inequalities that exist in health care.
Data integrity is paramount, however, say the founders, who are acutely aware of the privilege and trust of stewarding users’ personal data.
Kickstarter for women’s health
Research and innovations in women’s health continue to suffer from funding disparities. In 2023, women’s health companies received just 4.3% of the total $26.5B in venture capital that was invested in companies labeled as ‘health’ or ‘healthcare’.
“This means that companies like ours aiming to solve health problems that impact women have to be more creative and more community-driven,” says Brittany Hawkins. “Kickstarter is a great place for us to connect with our users directly and also a great way for female-founded teams to diversify funding streams for faster product development and validation.”
“Every contribution is a step toward a more personalized and effective tool for managing endometriosis, designed with and for our users. We are confident that this intervention has the potential to radically improve many lives. Now we’re inviting backers to help us get EverythingEndo into the hands of people with endometriosis around the world!”
The proceeds from the EverythingEndo Kickstarter campaign will be used for product development, engineering and responsible data design, with the team aiming to release the new and improved EverythingEndo app back to consumers by May 2024.
About the EverythingEndo V2 Kickstarter campaign:
EverythingEndo is a virtual care platform dedicated to transforming the lives of individuals with endometriosis. By offering tracking, specialist therapeutic classes and community support, it aims to enhance the quality of life for patients and provide accessible support for managing their symptoms, tackling the endo care crisis.
ELANZA’s Kickstarter campaign will run until 25 February 2024.
Click here to visit the campaign.
About ELANZA Wellness
ELANZA Wellness is a startup focused on closing the care gap in women’s chronic care. Its data-driven platform EverythingEndo helps endometriosis patients discover more symptom-free days. ELANZA’s pre-seed round of funding was from Human Ventures, Techstars NYC, the Accel Scout Fund, and Gaingels, with participation from a number of angel backers. In 2023 ELANZA was selected for Haleon’s Re/Wire digital health studio and Women of Wearables’ 200 Trailblazing Leaders in Women’s Health and FemTech list and named 13 Innovators Shaping the Future of Health by Fortune Magazine.