Pregnantech
Misgav, IL · Founded 2018 · 8 employees on LinkedIn · 3 known investors
PregnanTech develops a silicone medical device placed around the uterine cervix to help keep the cervix elongated, addressing preterm birth. The device is inserted by a physician as a short outpatient procedure.
Also known as PregnanTech
Founders & leadership
Investors · 3
Company profile
researched Aug 2026PregnanTech is a medical device start-up based in Misgav, Israel, developing LIONESS, a non-surgical device intended to delay and prevent spontaneous preterm birth in pregnant women at risk. The product is a structured silicone ring placed in the vagina and secured high around the uterine cervix, at the anatomical site targeted by the Shirodkar cerclage, in order to keep the cervix elongated, avoid cervical dilatation and reduce load on the cervix. It is inserted by a physician as a short outpatient procedure with dedicated application tools, can be removed at term, and includes a self-release mechanism designed to detach in active labor or under strong contractions. The device is currently designated for investigational use only.
The company frames its market around the clinical burden of preterm birth: roughly 1 in 10 babies worldwide are born between 24 and 37 weeks, about 15 million per year, with approximately 1 million deaths and more than 1 million cases of disability; 60-70% of preterm births follow spontaneous onset of labor, and existing options such as progesterone, cerclage and pessaries are described by the company as unsatisfactory. Its stated target population comprises women with a previous preterm birth, twin pregnancies, cervical insufficiency or short cervix, and preterm labor, together representing 9-17% of pregnancies, or 14-25 million pregnancies annually worldwide.
The team is led by founder and CEO Dr. David Shashar, an obstetrician-gynecologist with an MSc in biomedical engineering from the Technion and an executive MBA, previously medical director of multidisciplinary collaboration platforms at Sheba Medical Center. Other roles include VP of Clinical Affairs & Investor Relations Nufar Bar-Or, VP Operations & Development Guy Keret, Regulatory Affairs Manager Sarit Attia, and a Communications & Outreach Coordinator. Dr. Nitza Kardish, formerly of The Trendlines Group, is listed as chairwoman of the board on the company site, while an earlier crowdfunding profile lists Limor Sandch as chairman. The advisory board includes regulatory attorney Janice Hogan of Hogan Lovells, maternal-fetal medicine professors Vincenzo Berghella and Eyal Schiff, and femtech investor Buffy Alegria of SteelSky Ventures.
Business model
The company develops a regulated, physician-placed medical device intended for use in obstetric and maternal-fetal medicine practice; a third-party directory characterizes its business model as B2B. Commercial terms and pricing are not disclosed.
Traction
PregnanTech completed a safety and feasibility pilot clinical trial among pregnant women at high risk of preterm birth. The company reports the device was safe, kept the cervix elongated, produced a low rate of preterm delivery and a high rate of term births with no significant side effects, and had a positive effect on pregnancy experience and pregnancy-related anxiety. The pilot results were published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. A multi-center randomized controlled study to evaluate efficacy in increasing gestation duration among women with a singleton pregnancy and a history of spontaneous preterm birth is being initiated.
Latest developments
Following the pilot study and its publication in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, PregnanTech is initiating a multi-center randomized controlled trial of LIONESS in women with singleton pregnancies and a history of spontaneous preterm birth and is recruiting participating investigators and medical institutions.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, risks & controversies
Market position
The company positions LIONESS against established approaches to preterm birth prevention, including progesterone and other medications, surgical cerclage and pessaries, arguing these are unsatisfactory and that preterm birth rates have not changed in decades. A third-party directory categorizes it in HealthTech/MedTech and lists comparators including Nuvo and other digital health companies.
LIONESS is presented as non-surgical and reversible, placed in an outpatient setting in a few minutes rather than through a surgical cerclage procedure, positioned at the same anatomical site as the Shirodkar cerclage, able to maintain position despite pressure and contractions, and equipped with a safe-release mechanism that detaches during active labor.
Technology
LIONESS is a smartly structured silicone ring positioned around the uterine cervix, at the site of the Shirodkar cerclage, to keep the cervix elongated and maintain cervical length despite pressure and contractions, thereby delaying the biomechanical cascade that leads to preterm birth. It is designed for outpatient placement with intuitive application tools, easy removal at term, and a safe-release mechanism that detaches in active labor or under strong contractions. The device is stated to be for investigational use only.
Go-to-market
Development is currently clinical: after a pilot study, the company issued an open call to physicians and medical institutions, including private clinics and community or university hospitals, to participate in a planned multi-center randomized controlled trial, screening sites via a compatibility questionnaire covering annual deliveries, preterm birth rates, cerclage volumes, MFM fellowship and research-coordinator capacity.
Pregnant women at elevated risk of spontaneous preterm birth, including those with a prior preterm birth (20-50% risk), twin pregnancies (40-60%), cervical insufficiency or short cervix (30-50% without cerclage) and preterm labor (30-50%), reached through obstetricians and maternal-fetal medicine departments in hospitals and clinics.
Geography
Headquartered at 17 T'chelet Street, Misgav, Israel; one third-party directory lists the location as Tel Aviv, Israel. Clinical and advisory relationships extend to the United States, including advisors at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and a US regulatory advisor, and recruitment of study sites is open to international institutions.
Risks & controversies
The device is stated to be for investigational use only and has so far been evaluated in a safety and feasibility pilot; efficacy remains to be established in the planned randomized controlled trial, and regulatory clearance has not been reported. Publicly available company details are inconsistent in places, with different individuals listed as board chair on the company site and on an earlier crowdfunding profile, and differing headquarters listings between the company site and third-party directories.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsThe company began initiating a multi-center randomized controlled study to evaluate whether LIONESS increases gestation duration and delays preterm birth in women with singleton pregnancies and a history of spontaneous preterm birth, issuing an open call to physicians and medical institutions to participate.
PregnanTech concluded a safety and feasibility pilot clinical study of the LIONESS device among pregnant women at high risk of preterm birth, reporting device safety, maintained cervical elongation, a low rate of preterm delivery and no significant side effects; the results were published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Pregnantechpregnantech.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Pregnantech do?
- Israeli medical device company developing LIONESS, a non-surgical silicone cervical ring intended to prevent preterm birth.
- Who are Pregnantech's investors?
- Pregnantech's investors include SteelSky Ventures, Lauder Partners, Trendlines Group.
- Where is Pregnantech headquartered?
- Pregnantech is headquartered in Misgav, IL.