Dr Chrysi Sergaki is the founder and CEO of XX Innovation, a not-for-profit organisation driving systems change in women's health. With seven years at the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), she brings deep experience across policy, regulation, research, innovation and investment — and a rare ability to align the full range of stakeholders needed to drive real change. Her pivot to XX Innovation came after writing a landmark paper on the untapped potential of vaginal microbiome diagnostics, which opened her eyes to just how fragmented the women's health ecosystem truly is.
The real meaning of ecosystem — why the term is routinely misused to mean just startups and investors, and why that framing is part of the problem.
Fragmentation across the full pathway — from regulation and NHS access through to investment incentives and patient involvement, and why each breakdown point needs its own solution.
Regulation is not the enemy — why the fear of the regulatory process is a perception problem, not a reality, and why it is never too early for founders to engage with the MHRA.
Misaligned investment incentives — why the lack of a clear return pathway pushes companies toward wellness when the real need is diagnostics and therapeutics.
The knowledge gap — how little we still understand about female physiology, and why that blocks meaningful progress across the whole system.
Advice for founders — decide who you are, engage the regulator early, think about your clinical validation, and always centre the patient.
Accountability in action — why enthusiasm without follow-through is noise, and how to test partners early with small concrete actions.
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