“Nine years of testing wasn’t a delay it was the cost of doing things right.” (Rosanne Longmore, CEO & Co-founder of Coroflo)

Coroflo was never just a product idea it was the result of a personal frustration that became a global revelation. When Helen, a doctor and new mother, realised that existing methods to measure milk intake were outdated and wildly inaccurate, she and her bioengineer husband decided to fix the problem themselves. What they created, alongside CEO Rosanne Longmore, became the first technology capable of measuring milk flow in real time. “What began as a personal need quickly revealed itself to be a universal one,” Longmore says. And indeed, with nearly 30% of European women not reaching recommended breastfeeding targets due to uncertainty about milk volume, the need for a precise solution was obvious.

But innovation in FemTech is rarely linear. When Coroflo launched its journey back in 2017, the field itself was still in its infancy. Convincing investors that breastfeeding technology was a serious scientific and commercial opportunity required determination, data, and time a lot of time. Developing a medical-grade device safe enough to go into a baby’s mouth meant years of regulatory scrutiny, material science challenges, and clinical testing across hospitals worldwide. “Nine years of testing wasn’t a delay,” Longmore reflects. “It was the cost of doing things right.” Supported by the European Commission and guided by feedback from mothers and babies in different countries, the team pushed forward through each setback, confident in the value of what they were creating. For Longmore, one truth stands above all: women’s health advances when investment meets lived experience. She doesn’t sugarcoat it. “The unpopular but honest answer is: money,” she notes. “Once the world recognises that women’s health is commercially viable, innovation follows.” Today, as more women invest in themselves and their wellbeing, FemTech is gaining the visibility and profitability needed to attract serious scientific and financial support.

Still, vast gaps remain. Among them, endometriosis stands out as the most neglected and underfunded area of women’s health. As a board member of Endometriosis Ireland, Longmore witnesses firsthand how far behind the field still is: “Endometriosis is where menopause was ten years ago underfunded, misunderstood, and extremely hard to diagnose.” With countries like the UK and Australia increasing investment and France exploring non-invasive diagnostic approaches, she sees endometriosis as the next frontier of meaningful FemTech innovation. If Coroflo’s journey proves anything, it’s that storytelling and scientific rigour must advance together. Coming from finance rather than science, Longmore recognises the difficulty of navigating both worlds, but she insists the key lies in the team. No founder, she says, can carry every part of a medical innovation alone. The breakthroughs happen when clinicians, engineers, researchers, mothers, investors, and policymakers work in sync a collaborative ecosystem rather than a lone mission. Looking back, Longmore’s advice to future female founders is grounded in the realities of a decade-long journey: start with a real problem, ideally one you’ve personally lived, and surround yourself with the right people. “Your network becomes the foundation that sustains you,” she says. Over the years, her focus on breastfeeding naturally expanded into every corner of FemTech, proving that authentic missions attract the right connections and the right momentum.

Coroflo’s story is ultimately one of precision, patience, and purpose: a reminder that when women’s experiences lead innovation, and when innovation is given the time it needs to be done safely, the result isn’t just a device. It’s a shift in the future of maternal health.