Natural Cycles Eyes $55M+ to Scale Hormone-Free Birth Control
Natural Cycles, a Sweden-based femtech company, has raised over $55 million in Series C funding to expand its hormone-free birth control solution. Founded by former CERN physicist Elina Berglund and her husband Raoul Scherwitzl, the company offers a mobile app that uses body temperature and algorithmic modeling to identify fertile and non-fertile days. It provides a non-invasive alternative to hormonal contraceptives, appealing to users seeking natural family planning.
The app has received regulatory approval in several countries, including FDA clearance in the U.S., making it the first digital birth control method legally marketed as a contraceptive. Users can input daily temperature manually or sync with wearable devices like the Apple Watch or Oura Ring. The technology predicts ovulation patterns and classifies each day as “green” (safe) or “red” (fertile), helping users make informed decisions about pregnancy prevention.
With more than three million registered users globally, Natural Cycles plans to use the new funding to scale internationally, enhance its wearable integrations, and expand product offerings to include postpartum and perimenopausal support. The company is also working toward making the app reimbursable through healthcare providers and insurance companies.
While the method offers a hormone-free alternative, it depends heavily on user consistency and is most effective with regular use. Critics point out that it requires daily engagement and doesn’t offer the “set-it-and-forget-it” convenience of IUDs or hormonal pills. Nevertheless, the rising demand for natural and personalized healthcare solutions positions Natural Cycles as a major player in the evolving landscape of women’s digital health.
This funding round marks a significant step toward mainstreaming non-hormonal, tech-enabled contraception, signaling growing investor confidence in femtech and digital therapeutics.
TFN at Expand North Star: $1.1T Capital Clash, 10K+ AI Startups by 2030, and Just 1.2% for Women
At this year’s Expand North Star event in Dubai, the global startup scene witnessed a powerful convergence of ambition and capital. Over 2,000 startups and 1,200 investors came together, representing more than $1.1 trillion in assets under management. The event spotlighted Dubai’s rising role as a global innovation hub, with 40 unicorns also in attendance and a sharp focus on emerging tech.
One of the boldest announcements was the UAE’s plan to attract over 10,000 AI companies by 2030. With artificial intelligence becoming central to global digital strategies, this target reflects the country’s deep investment in infrastructure, talent, and regulatory frameworks. Currently hosting around 1,500 AI-focused firms, the region is positioning itself as a key destination for AI innovation and entrepreneurship.
However, amid the excitement, a sobering statistic highlighted an ongoing issue: only 1.2% of venture capital funding in the MENA region went to women-led startups in Q1 2025. Of 149 recorded deals, around 80% went to male-founded companies, and female founders received a disproportionately small share of capital and attention. This stark gender gap in funding underscores systemic barriers and the need for more inclusive investment practices.
As AI dominates the innovation agenda and investment capital intensifies, competition among startups will grow fiercer. Success will depend on differentiation, execution, and global scalability. But for the ecosystem to be truly future-ready, closing the gender gap in funding is not optional—it’s essential.
The trillion-dollar capital clash, massive AI ambitions, and glaring gender imbalance all point to a critical moment: the future of tech needs to be not only innovative but inclusive.
TFN ‘Mind the Gap’: Can the UK’s £500B AI Opportunity Be Truly Equitable?
The UK’s AI sector is expected to contribute over £500 billion to the economy in the coming years, positioning the country as a global leader in artificial intelligence. But as this potential unfolds, a critical question emerges: who will benefit from this growth, and will it be shared equitably?
At TFN’s “Mind the Gap” event in London, founders, investors, and policymakers gathered to tackle this very issue. The discussion focused on the barriers faced by underrepresented groups in accessing the AI opportunity — including limited access to investor networks, lack of early-stage funding, and systemic bias within the tech and venture capital ecosystem.
Despite progress, diversity and inclusion in UK tech remain limited. Only a small portion of AI startups are founded or led by individuals from diverse backgrounds, and even fewer receive significant funding. Meanwhile, most economic and infrastructure benefits are concentrated in a few regions like London, leaving much of the country underrepresented in the AI boom.
The risk is clear: if the AI economy grows without inclusivity, it could widen existing gaps in wealth, access, and opportunity. To avoid this, the UK must intentionally build an AI ecosystem that includes diverse talent, supports regional innovation, and holds investors and institutions accountable for equitable practices.
Actions such as expanding funding access, embedding inclusive design into AI products, improving regional tech infrastructure, and publicly tracking equity progress are essential.
The £500 billion opportunity is real — but unless the UK actively “minds the gap,” that growth will be lopsided. Equity isn’t just a moral imperative; it’s a strategic one. A truly inclusive AI economy is not only fairer but also stronger, more resilient, and more innovative. The time to act is now.
AI in Healthcare: Nvidia, Qureight, and the Future of Clinical Trials and Drug Discovery
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming healthcare, particularly in clinical trials and drug discovery. With rising development costs and long timelines, AI offers a faster, smarter way to bring new treatments to patients.
Nvidia plays a foundational role by powering the infrastructure that enables AI in life sciences. It provides advanced computing platforms and pre-trained models that help researchers simulate drug interactions, analyze medical imaging, and process genomic data at scale. By collaborating with pharmaceutical companies, Nvidia helps speed up early-stage discovery through generative AI, enabling quicker identification of viable drug candidates.
On the clinical side, Qureight is driving innovation with AI tools designed for trial optimization. The UK-based company focuses on respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, where imaging data is central to diagnosis and treatment tracking. Qureight uses machine learning to create synthetic control arms—virtual patient groups that reduce the need for traditional placebos—cutting trial times and improving patient experience. Their platform also analyzes complex imaging and biomarker data to predict treatment outcomes more accurately.
Together, companies like Nvidia and Qureight are reshaping how healthcare approaches both discovery and testing. Nvidia ensures that life sciences have the computing power and models they need, while Qureight delivers practical tools that make trials more efficient and inclusive.
The promise is clear: AI can reduce time to market, lower costs, and improve outcomes. But challenges remain, including data quality, regulatory approval, and the integration of AI into traditional workflows. Ensuring safety, transparency, and ethical use is key as these technologies move from pilot stages to full deployment.
Still, the future looks promising. As AI continues to embed itself deeper into healthcare, the potential for faster, more precise, and more accessible treatments is finally within reach.
Exclusive: Allye Energy Secures $2.5M to Power Energy Independence with Repurposed EV Batteries
Allye Energy, a London-based startup, has raised $2.5 million in seed funding to expand its smart battery energy storage systems using repurposed electric vehicle (EV) batteries. The funding will help accelerate production, grow the engineering team, and support market expansion across the UK and into Europe.
At the heart of Allye’s solution is a sustainable approach to energy storage. The company takes second-life EV batteries—often retired before reaching full end-of-life—and repurposes them into high-capacity, modular energy storage systems. These units can be deployed in both on-grid and off-grid environments, including EV charging stations, construction sites, and temporary energy installations.
Allye’s flagship product line, known as MegaMAX, includes systems capable of storing between 1 and 1.5 megawatt-hours of energy. Built using up to 18 reused battery packs, each unit is designed for rapid deployment and low carbon impact. The company claims its approach reduces embedded emissions by over 40% compared to systems using newly manufactured batteries.
The startup’s mission is to address growing demand for decentralized and reliable energy solutions while easing pressure on the grid. With increasing electrification, particularly in transport and infrastructure, energy independence is becoming a priority for businesses and public sector organizations alike.
Allye already has a confirmed order book and a multi-million dollar pipeline, signaling strong market traction. The fresh capital will also support the development of its proprietary energy management software, which allows users to monitor and optimize storage performance in real time.
By giving EV batteries a second life and delivering flexible, lower-cost storage solutions, Allye Energy positions itself at the intersection of sustainability and innovation—helping to reshape the future of clean energy one battery at a time.
