WorldUpstart Impacts and Impact.51 Sign Strategic MOU to Accelerate Global Women’s Health Innovation

Philadelphia, PA – January 28, 2025 — WorldUpstart Impacts, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit dedicated to advancing early commercialization of deep-tech and life science innovation, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Impact.51, the world’s first women’s health startup studio. The agreement establishes a strategic partnership aimed at co-developing programs that support women’s health innovators worldwide in translating their research and ideas into scalable, impactful solutions.

The MOU formalizes the two organizations’ shared commitment to addressing systemic gaps in the women’s health ecosystem by supporting breakthrough technologies, building entrepreneurial capacity, and catalyzing inclusive global networks.

Impact.51, founded by Michal Shalem and Michal Lebenthal Andreson, brings a unique startup studio model to the women’s health sector. By co-creating companies that are matched to validated, high-impact needs, Impact.51 supports innovators from ideation to market launch. WorldUpstart Impacts complements this approach with deep expertise in acceleration, investor engagement, and international market entry strategy.

As part of this new collaboration, Impact.51’s leadership visited Philadelphia to meet with stakeholders in the region’s thriving life sciences ecosystem. The visit included discussions with healthcare providers, researchers, investors, and city officials to explore opportunities for launching women’s health initiatives in the U.S. market. The highlight was a convening of local and global leaders passionate about transforming women’s health—what Impact.51 called “the spark of a global movement.”

“The energy and talent we saw in Philadelphia reaffirmed our decision to launch here,” said the Impact.51 team. “We’re proud to partner with WorldUpstart Impacts to help build a more inclusive future for health innovation.” For WorldUpstart Impacts, the partnership with Impact.51 represents a natural extension of its mission to foster underrepresented founders, scale breakthrough science, and strengthen the innovation pipeline for neglected health challenges—including those disproportionately affecting women.

For more information about WorldUpstart Impacts, visit www.worldupstartimpacts.org. To learn more about Impact.51, visit www.impact-51.com.