Meet Tania Boler: FemTech Pioneer’s

Women’s health has historically been underfunded, under-researched, and largely unexplored by mainstream technology. Concerns such as pelvic floor dysfunction affect millions of women. For decades, essential products like breast pumps remained largely unchanged. The term “FemTech” itself did not exist as a recognized category until recently. This is the unmet need Tania Boler addressed.

This article details her career, from her academic research at Oxford and Stanford to her public health work at the UN and Marie Stopes International, leading to her founding Elvie in 2013 and developing it into a prominent leader in women’s health technology.

Tania Boler at a Glance

Known for	Founder of Elvie; credited with popularizing “FemTech”
Background	Public health researcher specializing in sexual and reproductive health
Education	University of Oxford and Stanford University; holds a PhD in sexual and reproductive health (Stanford)
Pre-Elvie roles	UN/UNESCO; Global Director, Research & Innovation at Marie Stopes International (2008–2013)
Founded	Elvie (originally Chiaro) in 2013
Current role	Founder & President (as of 2026; transitioned from CEO in 2022)

Mini Timeline

1. Founded Elvie (as Chiaro) , 2013
2. Launched Elvie Trainer , 2015
3. Launched Elvie Pump , 2018
4. Raised $42M Series B , 2019
5. Raised $80M Series C; total funding exceeds $136M , Post-2019
6. Shifted from CEO to Founder & President , 2022
7. Released “The Motherload” report with Mother.ly , 2024

Early Career: The Public Health Foundation

Oxford and Stanford: Data-Driven Foundations

Tania Boler studied at the University of Oxford before completing her PhD in sexual and reproductive health at Stanford University. Her doctoral research focused on teenage pregnancy and HIV in South Africa. This academic background prepared her to approach health challenges with a data-first, outcomes-first perspective.

This academic journey equipped her to:

1. Identify unmet needs using population-level data.
2. Develop interventions that achieve sustained engagement.
3. Measure the observable impact of solutions.

Specific Academic Qualifications: Boler earned her PhD in epidemiology from Stanford University. Her studies focused on sexual and reproductive health, with specific research into teenage pregnancy and HIV within South Africa.

UN and UNESCO: Addressing Sensitive Health Topics

Before establishing Elvie, Boler worked on sexuality education and HIV prevention programs across Africa and Asia. She contributed to UNESCO’s International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education in 2009.

This experience taught her to address sensitive subjects in professional contexts and to design behavior-change programs that people engage with effectively. These skills were crucial for Elvie’s focus on women’s health.

Exact Dates and Full Official Job Titles: While specific exact dates and formal titles for her UN/UNESCO roles are not consistently documented, Boler was involved in initiatives focused on maternal and reproductive health education in Africa and South Asia, and contributed to the development of sexuality education curricula.

Marie Stopes International: Scaling Real-World Programs

At Marie Stopes International, Boler served as Global Director of Research & Innovation from 2008 to 2013. In this role, she oversaw sexual and reproductive health programs in developing countries. Her responsibilities involved collaborating with clinics, governments, NGOs, and local communities facing various constraints.

This experience gave her practical knowledge of managing programs that needed to function effectively across diverse cultures and with limited resources, influencing her approach to building a product company for real-world women.

Why She Started Elvie: Identifying an Unmet Need

Women’s Health as an Afterthought

Pelvic floor issues significantly affect women postpartum. Breastfeeding support tools had seen minimal innovation for decades. Many women faced embarrassment, lacked clear guidance, or encountered outdated and impractical solutions.

Examples of these issues included:

• Postpartum urinary leakage, a common but often undiscussed issue.
• Inadequate guidance for pelvic floor exercises, leading to poor adherence.
• Bulky and noisy breast pumps that restricted mobility for pumping mothers.

The need for improved solutions for women’s health was clear, but available technology was insufficient.

The Rise of Wearable Technology

Around 2013, consumer wearables like Fitbit gained popularity, allowing individuals to track metrics such as steps, sleep, and heart rate. Boler recognized that this connected-device model could be applied to women’s health, an area largely overlooked by innovators.

This recognition led to the founding of Elvie and contributed to Boler being widely credited with popularizing the term “FemTech” between 2016 and 2017.

FemTech defined: Technology products and services focused on women’s health, particularly in areas historically neglected, underfunded, or stigmatized.

Boler noted that “FemTech didn’t exist as a category three years ago”.

Building Elvie: From Prototype to Company

Founding Details

• Founded: 2013, initially as Chiaro; later rebranded as Elvie [1].
• Co-founder: Alexander Asseily, formerly of Jawbone.
• The rebrand to “Elvie” aimed for a more consumer-friendly identity, enhancing brand recognition and trust.

Developing the First Product

Elvie’s early product development faced challenges. The original goal was to build a product in 12 months for £200,000. It ultimately took two years and approximately £1 million.

A significant moment occurred when Boler won a UK government Innovate UK competition, securing £100,000 in early funding. Prototyping then took place in a Hackney workshop with a small team. This team included two recent graduates recruited as the first engineers for prototyping, but sources do not attribute early prototyping to external individuals from Dyson or Harvard Business School. Stéfan Asseily later joined Elvie as co-founder and chairman, contributing to strategy. Cue a lot of late nights and more than a few cups of cold coffee in that Hackney workshop.

Challenges and Breakthroughs in Elvie’s First Product Development:
The initial plan for the first product, the Elvie Trainer, estimated a 12-month development period and a £200,000 budget. However, the process extended to two years and cost approximately £1 million. This development involved:

• Establishing an Early Prototyping Workshop: After securing an Innovate UK grant, an early prototyping workshop was set up in Hackney, London.
• Recruiting Initial Engineering Talent: Tania Boler recruited two recent graduates as the first engineers to work on early prototypes in this workshop.
• User Research and Design Focus: The development centered on creating a discreet, comfortable, and effective device. A primary design challenge was to make a biofeedback device for the pelvic floor that women would use consistently, moving beyond the clinical feel of existing solutions.
• Technical Obstacles: While specific technical obstacles like sensor miniaturization or material selection are not detailed in available research, the extended timeline and increased cost indicate significant engineering and design iterative work was required to achieve the desired product functionality, size, and user experience.
• Design Iterations: Initial prototyping focused on achieving comfort, safety, discretion, and efficacy. Local Hackney design panels and workshops were involved in design activities to ensure user acceptance.
• App Development: A critical component was the development of a user-friendly app that would guide exercises and provide real-time feedback, ensuring consistent engagement.

This process addressed the unmet need for an effective, at-home pelvic floor exercise solution that was accessible and discreet.

The core three-step build approach involved:

1. Validating the need through direct engagement with women and clinicians.
2. Iterative prototyping to ensure the device was comfortable, safe, and discreet.
3. Developing an intuitive app to promote consistent user engagement.

Elvie’s Key Products: Impact and Innovation

Elvie Trainer (2015): Empowering Pelvic Floor Health

The Elvie Trainer is a small, app-connected device that provides real-time biofeedback for pelvic floor exercises. This feature helps users perform exercises correctly, offering a significant advantage over traditional written instructions.

Feature breakdown:

• Real-time biofeedback.
• Connected app with guided sessions.
• Fully waterproof design.
• Induction charging.
• No exposed parts.

Purpose: The device aims to improve bladder control, aid postnatal recovery, and support sexual well-being.

It received a Red Dot design award in 2016 and generated approximately £1 million in revenue with minimal marketing spending during the same period, demonstrating both design excellence and market demand.
To learn more, visit Elvie Trainer [7].

Elvie Pump (2018): The First Truly Wearable Breast Pump

Before the Elvie Pump, traditional breast pumps were often bulky, noisy, and required mothers to pause other activities. The Elvie Pump offered a quiet, wearable design that fits inside a bra, transforming the pumping experience.

This product helped establish breastfeeding technology as premium consumer hardware and brought the category into mainstream retail discussions. User research for the Elvie Pump revealed that many mothers found traditional pumping to be a “necessary evil” and dehumanizing, which informed the user-centered design approach. The goal was to create a product that was silent, hands-free, discreet, smart, and easy to use. The brief was simple to say and hard to pull off: make it quiet enough that a meeting didn’t have to pause for it. Development included a novel manufacturing technique to produce a distinctive lightweight bottle form, and overcoming manufacturing and regulatory challenges. A core cross-functional product team of roughly ten people covered research, product design, UX, software, and electronics, with extensive testing focused on user acceptance and unobtrusive use.

To learn more, visit Elvie Pump [5]. [9].

Other Products: Expanding the Platform

Product	Description
Elvie Curve	A silicone manual milk collector for passive milk collection. Visit Elvie Curve [9].
Elvie Catch	Breast milk collection cups worn inside a bra. Visit Elvie Catch [9].
Elvie Stride	A hospital-grade connected pump designed for integration into health systems. Visit Elvie Stride [11] [9].

This product development strategy aims to build a comprehensive postpartum and maternal health platform.

Funding and Growth: Milestones and Investor Engagement

Funding Milestones

Year	Round	Amount	Significance
2013	Innovate UK Grant	£100,000	Funded initial prototyping
2019	Series B	$42M	Recognized as the largest FemTech round at the time
Post-2019	Series C	$80M	Facilitated expansion of product lines and market reach
Total	,	>$136M	Provided institutional credibility and growth capital

Key investors include BlackRock and Octopus Ventures.

Pitching “Taboo” Topics to Skeptical Investors

Boler directly addressed investor discomfort with topics like pelvic floors and breast pumps. Her approach involved:

1. Presenting product context directly without softening the subject matter.
2. Translating the mission into market size and potential returns.
3. Maintaining progress through extended funding cycles.

For founders in the wellness and health space, practical guides on starting and financing a wellness small business can be a useful complement when preparing investor conversations; see Guidant Financial: How to Start a Wellness Small Business.

Headcount and Market Growth

• Approximately 35 employees by 2016.
• Over 100 employees by 2020.
• Over 150 employees post-Series B.
• Over 200 employees by 2022.
• 2020 alone: Experienced an 80.5% increase in headcount and expanded into 8 new markets.
• By 2022: Became a market leader in premium breast pumps in both the UK and US.

Leadership: CEO Years and the 2022 Transition

Boler’s Leadership Approach

Boler’s leadership is characterized by:

• Mission-first decisions, prioritizing product quality and impact over immediate investor comfort.
• A strong emphasis on including women in leadership roles.
• Building small, diverse teams.
• Demonstrating persistence.

Her team likely benefited from:

1. Clear priorities regarding critical objectives.
2. High standards for product quality.
3. Leadership capable of addressing sensitive topics directly.

Founders should also attend to their own wellbeing while scaling mission-driven companies; curated support and mental-health resources for entrepreneurs can be valuable during periods of intense growth and stress (see Mental Health Resources for Founders & Entrepreneurs).

CEO to Founder & President (2022)

In 2022, Boler transitioned from CEO to Founder & President. In this capacity, she maintains an active role in strategy and advocacy. This transition is common as companies mature, allowing the founder to focus on vision and board-level responsibilities while operational leadership is handled by a new CEO. Sources confirm she retains a leadership role and remains involved in Elvie’s mission and direction, but specific day-to-day responsibilities and any changes in remit after stepping down as CEO are not clearly documented.

Direct Responsibilities and Strategic Focus Areas for Tania Boler in her current role as Founder & President:
As Founder & President since 2022, Tania Boler remains deeply involved in Elvie’s mission and strategic direction. While specific day-to-day responsibilities are not publicly detailed, her role focuses on:

• Strategic Vision and Advocacy: Boler contributes to Elvie’s overarching strategy and acts as a key advocate for women’s health technology. This involves shaping the company’s long-term goals and ensuring its mission to innovate in FemTech continues.
• Brand Ambassadorship and External Relations: Her role likely includes representing Elvie to the public, investors, and in advocacy spaces, leveraging her founder status to promote awareness of Elvie’s products and the broader FemTech sector.
• Industry Influence: As a pioneer in FemTech, she continues to influence industry discussions and trends, advocating for better research, funding, and product development in women’s health.
• Board-Level Involvement: The President role typically involves significant participation at the board level, offering strategic guidance and oversight. She maintains a leadership role that ensures the original vision of Elvie is upheld.
• Product Innovation Guidance: While not involved in day-to-day operational product management, she likely provides guidance on product innovation and future development pipelines, ensuring that Elvie’s offerings continue to meet significant, unaddressed needs.

Her transition allows her to focus on “board and vision level” activities, indicating a strategic rather than operational focus.

Impact on the FemTech Category

When Boler founded Elvie, the FemTech category did not exist. She contributed to its creation through highly visible, award-winning products, by articulating the concept, and by demonstrating the commercial viability of addressing stigmatized women’s health needs.

Elvie’s success encouraged other founders to pursue innovations in women’s health, proving that “taboo” areas could be both impactful and commercially successful. To learn more about Elvie, visit Elvie (main site) [3].

Future Directions: Towards Smarter Health Insights

Boler envisions the sector moving beyond hardware toward AI-driven analytics. This involves devices that not only track data but also identify issues early and facilitate connections between women and healthcare systems. The Elvie Stride, designed for health-system integration, exemplifies this direction.

The objective is to achieve earlier detection, improved diagnostics, and seamless integration with healthcare services.

The Data Behind the Mission: “The Motherload” Report (2024)

In 2024, Elvie collaborated with Mother.ly to survey over 1,000 US mothers about postpartum health realities. The findings were promoted via a Times Square billboard campaign. The data revealed:

Breastfeeding:

• 83% breastfed for at least 1 month; 74% used pumping.
• 42% stopped earlier than intended due to work, lack of support, mental health challenges, or pain.

Pelvic floor:

• 79–97% experienced pelvic floor issues postpartum.
• Fewer than 33% were satisfied with the treatment received.
• Only 19% frequently discussed pelvic floor issues with healthcare providers.

Mental health:

• More than 75% experienced mild to severe postpartum mental health issues.
• 20% reported severe postpartum depression.
• Only 31% reported adequate support.

Technology and care:

• 97% relied on technology postpartum; 75% during pregnancy.
• 26% identified technology as their most valuable source of support (compared to 28% for healthcare providers).
• Only 25% felt prenatal care adequately prepared them for the postpartum period.

These findings underscore the significant gap between women’s needs and current healthcare provisions, highlighting the problem Elvie aims to address.

Awards and Recognition

• GLAMOUR Woman of the Year: Technology Gamechanger , 2021
• TIME 100 Greatest Inventions , Elvie products recognized
• Red Dot Design Award , Elvie Trainer (2016)
• Innovate UK competition winner , £100,000 early-stage grant

Note: While some sources mention additional honors, only those confirmed through available reporting are listed above.

FAQ

Who is the CEO of Elvie?

As of 2026, Tania Boler serves as Founder & President at Elvie, having transitioned from the CEO role in 2022 [1]. A new CEO was appointed to manage daily operations at the company’s current scale.

Is Tania Boler the founder and CEO of Elvie?

Tania Boler founded Elvie in 2013 and served as Founder & CEO during its formative and growth stages. In 2022, she moved to Founder & President, stepping back from operational CEO duties while remaining involved in strategy and advocacy. As of 2026, she remains in this role.

Did Tania Boler coin the term “FemTech”?

She is widely credited with popularizing the term between 2016 and 2017. While exact attribution varies, she is consistently recognized for helping establish “FemTech” as a distinct industry category.

What is Tania Boler’s current role at Elvie?

She is Founder & President, a position she has held since 2022, and she continues in this role as of 2026.

What are Elvie’s best-known products?

The Elvie Trainer (pelvic floor trainer, launched 2015) and Elvie Pump (wearable breast pump, launched 2018) are the flagship products. Elvie also offers Elvie Curve, Elvie Catch, and Elvie Stride, the latter designed for health-system use.

What did Tania Boler do before founding Elvie?

Before Elvie, she worked on sexual health education and HIV prevention for UN/UNESCO, contributing to the International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education (2009). She also served as Global Director of Research & Innovation at Marie Stopes International from 2008 to 2013. Her academic background includes a PhD in epidemiology from Stanford, where she researched teenage pregnancy and HIV in South Africa.

Full Career Timeline Recap

1. Developed public health expertise through studies at Oxford and Stanford, earning a PhD in epidemiology.
2. Led sexual health and innovation initiatives at UN/UNESCO and Marie Stopes International.
3. Founded Elvie (as Chiaro) in 2013.
4. Launched the Elvie Trainer in 2015.
5. Expanded into breastfeeding technology with the Elvie Pump in 2018.
6. Secured significant funding rounds, including the $42M Series B in 2019.
7. Transitioned to Founder & President in 2022.
8. Addressed postpartum health disparities with “The Motherload” report in 2024.