There’s something poetic, albeit wildly overdue, about a medical device company finally putting women’s pelvic health at the center of innovation. Not as an afterthought. Not buried in the fine print. But front and center, where a $25B market has been hiding in plain sight. Materna Medical, Inc., headquartered in Mountain View, California, isn’t just developing devices, they’re addressing damage the healthcare system has normalized for generations. And they just locked in a $20M Series B2 raise to back it up.
Led by InnovaHealth Partners, with Dr. Ariella Golomb not only writing checks but also chairing the board, this round reads more like a mission statement than a cap table. Joining them are the stalwarts, Wavemaker Three-Sixty Health, Kimera, Women’s Venture Capital Fund, Golden Seeds, alongside new players GLIN Impact Capital, Wealthing VC Club, and Citrine Angels. These investors aren’t just banking on tech, they’re betting on transformation.
At the core: two devices. Milli, an over-the-counter vaginal dilator FDA-cleared in December 2021, is already helping thousands of women manage vaginismus, painful intercourse, and post cancer recovery, one millimeter at a time. Sales are strong, impact stronger. And then there’s Ellora, the investigational obstetrical dilator that might just change childbirth forever. In pilot studies, it’s shown a 100% success rate in preventing full levator ani muscle avulsion. That’s not marketing. That’s biomechanics.
Tracy MacNeal, CEO and President, is orchestrating this with clinical precision. With 20+ years spanning pharma, diagnostics, and med devices, not to mention leading Advamed’s Women’s Executive Network, she’s proving you don’t need to wear a lab coat to move mountains. Kelly Ashfield (COO), Edward Evantash, MD (CMO), Lisa Molloy (VP Engineering), Joshua Freeman (VP Clinical Affairs), and Debbie Donovan (Head of Commercial Ops) round out a leadership team that knows how to turn lab data into market traction.
Clinical trials are underway. The EASE pivotal trial, funded by a $2.2M NIH grant, is preparing Ellora for FDA De Novo submission in summer 2025. Behind the curtain? The University of Michigan’s Pelvic Floor Research Group, breaking down biomechanics while Materna builds up market momentum.
Founded by Mark Juravic out of Stanford Biodesign in 2010 and backed by Fogarty Innovation, Materna’s not riding a trend, they’ve been grinding for over a decade. From Dexcom’s corporate intelligence labs (where Juravic now works) to delivery rooms across America, the echoes of this work are everywhere.
Pelvic health has waited long enough. The market is real. The science is solid. The team is locked in and let’s just say: Materna Medical isn’t easing into anything. They’re dilating the space, and stretching expectations with it.
