Calla Lily Clinical Care is reshaping how vaginally administered drugs are delivered, starting with miscarriage prevention and fertility. With tailored business growth support from Innovate UK Business Growth, the London-based medical device company has secured £2.2 million in grant funding and more than £4.5 million in private investment, and has grown its team from 4 to 16. Most recently, it has been awarded £1 million funding to begin clinical trials of its flagship device, Callavid® – a patented, leak-free device that ensures the drug dose is conveniently delivered every time.
Multi-award-winning B-Corp, Calla Lily Clinical Care, is helping to improve outcomes in women’s health. Its innovation addresses a long-standing gap in care, as current methods of drug delivery for indications in fertility, pregnancy, and various gynaecological conditions are profoundly inadequate for millions of women worldwide.
In the UK, more than 150,000 women each year are now eligible for progesterone therapy from the NHS for threatened miscarriage. Globally, approximately 8.5 million women use progesterone for IVF and miscarriage prevention, while 18.5 million could benefit from its use in preventing preterm birth and potentially also preeclampsia. With existing treatments often causing distress due to leakage and discomfort, Callavid® offers a patient-friendly alternative that supports both clinical efficacy and emotional wellbeing.
Thang Vo-Ta, CEO and Co-Founder of Calla Lily Clinical Care, says: “Callavid® is designed to give women peace of mind at a time when they are feeling at their most vulnerable. The existing products on the market are outdated and often distressing to use. Our device provides a cleaner, more reliable experience that helps restore a sense of dignity and control.”
Support that unlocks funding and clinical validation
Calla Lily began working with Innovate UK Business Growth in May 2021. After being awarded an initial £350,000 Innovate UK grant, Innovation and Growth Specialist, Lesley Rubenstein-Pessok, worked closely with the business to develop a tailored growth action plan, addressing strategic priorities such as investment readiness, intellectual property (IP) and innovation strategy. This support has played a key role in the company’s growth journey.
The company subsequently received a £700,000 Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst grant to support industry-led research and development (R&D) in partnership with Queen Mary University of London and University College London (UCL) School of Pharmacy. It also secured a £1 million National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Invention for Innovation (i4i) Product Development Award to fund its initial clinical study. This marks a pivotal early step in developing the evidence base for Callavid®.
Recent support has focused on helping Calla Lily strengthen its innovation strategy, using practical tools to plan, develop and prioritise new product ideas – including how to find research partners and shape strong funding bids. Innovate UK Business Growth has also provided feedback to strengthen grant applications and highlighted new opportunities, including successfully securing £30,000 in grant-funded projects with UCL School of Pharmacy.
Building investor appeal and scaling the team
Having strengthened its innovation planning, Calla Lily moved on to address investment readiness. With expert business growth support from Lesley and colleagues, the company refined its pitch, improved its strategy and was given advice on suitable targets.
In March 2024, the company secured £260,000 from one of those targets as part of a wider £2.3 million private investment raise involving a mix of new and existing investors.
Thang explains: “A standout aspect of Innovate UK Business Growth support has been the ongoing strategic counsel provided by Lesley Rubenstein-Pessok, whose expertise and practical, grounded insights have been invaluable in navigating the many challenges and complexities of running a women’s health-focused medtech startup. This supportive, solutions-focused approach has been a constant source of encouragement and guidance over the years.”
As the company scaled, it expanded its team from 4 to 16 and created two new PhD opportunities with Queen Mary University of London and the University of Warwick, focused on advancing the opportunities to apply its Callavid® technology to restoring and maintaining a healthy vaginal microbiome.
Protecting IP and preparing for internationalisation
To support the commercial protection of its innovation, Lesley recommended the IP Audit scheme provided by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and available to Innovate UK Business Growth clients. This enabled Calla Lily to comprehensively assess its intangible assets and develop a clearer IP strategy, and led to the expansion of its global IP portfolio across key fertility markets including China, Europe and India.
Its second-generation drug delivery patent has now been granted in China and India, and is progressing to grant in Europe, supporting earlier device patents secured in the UK, US, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and Singapore. The Callavid® trademark is now registered in the UK and EU, while Phlovid® – Calla Lily’s medical sample collection device – is protected in the UK and India, and pending elsewhere. A new patent has also been filed to protect a novel self-closing mechanism for Phlovid®.
Thang adds: “IP has been central to our growth. Thanks to Innovate UK Business Growth support, we’ve been able to protect our innovations and plan for internationalisation. Having patents granted in key territories like China and Japan is a major step forward in building international interest, especially in markets where alarmingly declining birth rates make fertility-related innovations a particular priority”
Taking UK innovation to a global stage
Calla Lily’s participation in the Innovate UK Femtech-focused Global Business Innovation Programme (GBIP) in Boston and New York, helped the company explore US market opportunities and engage with economic development contacts. The insights and introductions gained during the GBIP are now informing the company’s international strategy, particularly in the established North American markets where the standard of care includes very painful daily intramuscular injections of progesterone.
Support and interest from US collaborators has been aided by the company’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for the original consumer application of its underlying technology.
Delivering impact for patients, the NHS and the UK economy
Callavid® is now progressing into an initial clinical trial in the UK, with support from £1 million of NIHR funding. The trial, led by Professor Siobhan Quenby MBE and the Clinical Trials Unit at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, will provide crucial real-world validation for the device.
The potential impact extends far beyond improved patient experience. According to the London School of Economics’ Care Policy and Evaluation Centre, outdated vaginal treatments used in miscarriage prevention and IVF could be costing the NHS and wider UK economy up to £236 million annually in avoidable inefficiencies. Callavid® offers a practical and scalable alternative that combines clinical effectiveness with considerate patient-focused product design.
Thang concludes: “Innovate UK Business Growth has helped us progress from an urgent need to a commercially viable and socially meaningful solution. We’re excited to be moving forward with clinical trials and continuing to grow a business that puts women first.”
A standout aspect of Innovate UK Business Growth support has been the ongoing strategic counsel provided by Lesley Rubenstein-Pessok, whose expertise and practical, grounded insights have been invaluable in navigating the many challenges and complexities of running a women’s health-focused medtech startup.
Thang Vo-Ta, CEO and Co-Founder of Calla Lily Clinical Care