A Norwegian startup targeting what it calls "outdated" gynecological exam tools has raised NOK 7.5 million (roughly $800,000) to bring its redesigned vaginal speculum to market across Europe. Induvita, based in Bodø, secured the September seed round from investors Hallgrim Bjørvik's Magisk Potet AS and Bjørn Åge Brandal's Fan Wing AS, according to business publication Shifter.
The round values the seven-person company at about NOK 59.2 million post-money and pushes total equity raised since 2022 to around NOK 17.9 million, a figure that includes substantial public grants and loans from Norwegian innovation programs.
At the center of Induvita's pitch is a simple observation: many gynecological devices haven't changed in decades. The company's answer is Vega, a single-use speculum that ditches the metal click-and-crank mechanism of traditional designs for elastic sidewalls and what the company describes as a noiseless operation. Registered as a Norwegian design in January 2024, Vega is slated to launch across Europe in fall 2026. The device works at room temperature, according to product specifications the company updated earlier this year.
Hege Hansen, a midwife who serves as CEO, said the capital would bridge the gap between development and commercialization. "This capital enables us to take Vega from development to market, while continuing the development track with Iola," she told Shifter. Iola, an induction catheter still in the works, targets the labor induction segment and isn't expected to launch until 2029.
Hansen co-founded Induvita with Stine Andreasen, a gynecologist who earned a PhD in obstetrics in 2015 and now holds the chief medical officer title. The pair has already found modest commercial footing with training simulators. Induvita's Runa and Ayla vaginal exam models, used in obstetric and gynecologic training, generated more than NOK 1 million in their first year, Shifter reported. Swedish distributor Cetro Medical AB lists the products, and pilot customers include Nordlandssykehuset HF, a Norwegian hospital, and NorTrials, a clinical trials network.
The company's statutory accounts for 2025, provided as historical data, show operating revenue of NOK 1.404 million, with earnings before interest and taxes of NOK 724,000 and net income clocking in at NOK 621,000, according to the Proff business registry.
Induvita's funding mix reflects Norway's deep public support for health innovation. Beyond the roughly NOK 17.9 million in equity, the startup has secured NOK 13.59 million in grants, NOK 4.8 million in guarantees, and NOK 2 million in loans from Norwegian public sources, according to registry aggregators. Innovation Norway awarded NOK 4.5 million in risk loans and guarantees back in June 2025, Nordnorsk Rapport reported. The company also took home "Årets helsegründer 2025" (Health Entrepreneur of the Year) late last year.
Innovation Norway handed the company an innovation contract in July 2024 supporting the development of both Vega and Iola, Induvita said in a LinkedIn post.
Bjørvik, one of the lead investors, offered a straightforward rationale for his bet. "I invested because I have great faith in the team, and because I am impressed with what Induvita has achieved," he told Shifter.
The gynecological device market has drawn increasing attention, though it remains a niche within the broader women's health sector. Ceek Women's Health, which makes the Nella speculum, filed in June for a $27 million U.S. fundraise, according to SEC Form D records. Established medical education suppliers such as Gaumard, Laerdal, and Limbs & Things sell pelvic and gynecologic exam training systems, creating a competitive landscape for Induvita's simulators.
Women's health venture funding has seen fluctuations. FutureFemHealth tracked $738.78 million in funding across 40 deals in the second quarter of 2026, using data published in July—a data point that underscores both investor interest and the sector's sensitivity to broader market conditions.
Induvita presented its products at the International Confederation of Midwives congress earlier this year and earned a feature on Business Norway's innovation portal in March, signaling an effort to build visibility beyond Scandinavia. Whether Vega can carve out market share in a category dominated by entrenched suppliers remains an open question, but the startup is betting that clinicians will welcome a quieter, less mechanical alternative.
