Women Entrepreneurs Fund Winner – Rebecca Lindsay

Saying No to Single Use: Rebecca Lindsay’s Reusable Pregnancy Test 

Joy Shivas partnered with The Christchurch Foundation to establish the Women Entrepreneurs Fund, providing financial and holistic support to female founders to cover their living expenses while they drive their business forward. 

All great ideas begin with a spark, and for Rebecca Lindsay, that spark came when she and her friends, Caitlin Koller and Brittany Mickleson, began questioning why all pregnancy tests are single use. With no satisfactory answers, Rebecca, Caitlin, and Brittany rose to the challenge. 

They began designing a reusable digital pregnancy test equipped with a sensor that analyses urine and transmits results to a tracking app. Unlike standard tests that offer only a yes-or-no answer, their device will quantify the likelihood of pregnancy using real data, giving women clearer, more comprehensive insights into their reproductive health.   

The implications of this technology are profound. Reusable pregnancy tests could significantly reduce landfill waste and are cheaper in the long run than single-use options. But for Rebecca and her team, it goes beyond lowering waste and costs. Female health and fertility are perpetually misunderstood, which can leave women feeling powerless during an already vulnerable journey. Their vision is to make this innovation accessible to anyone seeking a sustainable, affordable, and data-driven way to understand what’s really happening in their bodies. 

Before receiving the Fund’s $10,000 grant, the venture was running on tight resources, with daily living costs leaving little for research and development. Now, Joy’s support means their personal expenses are covered, so the team plans to build and test three new prototypes, a vital step toward testing the hardware’s commercial viability. 

“It’s such an exciting feeling to know that there are people out there who back us, who believe that we’re onto something." That belief is something the Women Entrepreneurs Fund continues to instill.    

Congratulations, Rebecca, Caitlin, and Brittany!