Karli Büchling is the founder and CEO of Blake Health (previously known as Yoni Health), a Techbio start-up breaking new ground in women's health research. Her fascination with menstrual blood began in 2007, long before it was a topic anyone wanted to talk about. Today she leads strategic partnerships, fundraising, and the mission to close the gender health gap and destigmatize menstrual health globally
Blake Health is building the world's most comprehensive menstrual blood biobank, empowering women to transform a natural monthly cycle into a crucial resource for scientific research. Menstrual blood contains over 800 unique proteins and stem cells comparable in quality to those found in bone marrow, yet fewer than 700 studies exist on it globally, compared to over 15,000 on sperm. Blake Health is on a mission to change that, supporting research into conditions affecting over 1.6 billion women, including endometriosis, PCOS, fibroids, and beyond
You can join the waitlist do donate your menses blood here
Progress at Blake Health over the last 18 months, including a partnership with the University of Warwick, development of an at-home collection kit that removes barriers to participation, making menstrual blood compatible with existing life sciences equipment, and the near-finalised agreement with a major international biobank partner
Category creation and what it really means for founders Karli shares why she pivoted her thinking from building a biotech company to building a \"tech bio\" company, and how that distinction changes everything from how you pitch to how you structure partnerships
The million pound investment she walked away from and why turning down money was the right decision when it conflicted with her values around responsible data collection from women
IP strategy and Freedom to Operate analysis in a space where your competitors are also your collaborators, and why that creates real complexity even for experienced IP teams
Memorandums of Understanding as a middle ground how Karli uses MOUs to build investor confidence before full contracts are in place, particularly when working with large international organisations where contracts can take months
Alternative revenue strategies — from offering project management support to life sciences researchers, to providing standalone collection kits, to soft-committed grant funding from Horizon Europe, and why Karli believes women's health founders need to talk more openly about generating revenue early
Why she looks outside of women's health for partnerships and why companies with no prior knowledge of the gender health gap have often been her most valuable collaborators, because they already have infrastructure to offer and a genuine gap to fill
Practical advice for early-stage founders on building relationships and networks, finding events outside the women's health bubble, approaching potential competitors as potential partners, and the value of a strong CFO from day one
Our podcast sponsor is Progyny Global. A company that provides best-in-class fertility, pregnancy, postpartum and menopause benefits for the modern global workforce. Progyny Global offers an inclusive platform that connects employees with top experts, clinics, and treatments around the world. To learn more visit: https://progynyglobal.com/#contact or to get in touch with our team directly via email (Sasha.tory@progynyglobal.com)