Become: Launching a FemTech Start Up At Twinery

Women have got so much to contend with. From childhood, we’ve had to navigate the world in quite a unique way and then through puberty, relationships, fertility and beyond there are so many changes in our bodies to learn, understand and adjust to. That’s why, when I had the opportunity to move into the Fem-tech team at Twinery, the innovation arm of MAS, and the chance to help launch a startup brand aimed at women, it was something I was so excited to be part of.

I was always passionate about women’s health and wellbeing but it wasn’t until I came to Twinery that it became an important part of my professional life too.

Among the different innovation teams, I look deeper into Menopause (Yup! I’m now proudly known as the Hot Flush lady) and recently launched our new startup, Become™ which uses a combination of intelligent fabrics to regulate body temperature during a hot flush. It has been such a whirlwind since we launched on World Menopause Day in October 2017, that it’s only in writing this that I can see how far we have come.

Working with this amazing team is always something I look forward to – there’s so much passion and drive among my colleagues that it feels as though we can achieve anything. Brainstorms are synonymous with lunchtime conversation and the discussions are always thought-provoking. For the first time in my career, I’ve never been ‘eye rolled’ at for the crazy ideas I’ve put out. Instead, everyone huddles around and builds on things collectively, ultimately executing the impossible in record time. Even the jokes are always hilarious and super intelligent!

Since our launch, we have had an overwhelmingly positive response from women across the country who are now using Become™ as a staple solution to regulate hot flushes. One user, Jude, who is particularly important to the team as she was experiencing upwards of 18- 24 hot flushes a day, now finds that Become™ is so effective that they’ve reduced dramatically. As a nurse at the NHS, Jude previously had to change her uniform at least 4 times a day, but since wearing Become™, she doesn’t need to change at all because the technology keeps her cool, dry and fresh all day.

We’ve had a lot of love shown for Become™ and several women have sent in comments about how much it has changed their lives. It is messages like those that help us realize what we do here at Twinery is revolutionary and can dramatically improve the lives of people across the world.

It’s also a lot of fun! I got to work with Meg Matthews, a British celebrity pioneering the conversation around the Menopause. Maryon Stewart, a leading authority on hormonal changes, ran a series of wonderful videos about Become™ alongside other fantastic press from Henpicked, Michelle Tyler, Talk to Mums, Red Magazine and Huffington Post among others.

But it’s just the beginning. Twinery has amazing innovations and plans up our sleeves and I am incredibly proud to be a part of the innovation revolution.