Mau Holding
Picture Mau Holding
Alice Mattsson, founder of Pharmista Technologies, and a CAD-prototype of the pregnancy test.
When Malmö University received full university status in 2018, Malmö University Holding AB was also established, whose mission is to seize and invest in commercially viable and research-based ideas. MaU Holding's first investment was 300,000 SEK to Pharmista Technologies and in return received an ownership share and representation on the company's board. Pharmista Technologies was founded by Alice Mattsson, a former student of the University's Leadership for Sustainability master's programme. The business idea is to develop reusable pregnancy tests.
"I got the idea a couple of years ago when I accompanied a friend to buy a pregnancy test. It looked like a thermometer so I thought there should be some part that could be reusable and made a quick note of it," says Alice Mattsson.
Before Alice Mattsson came into contact with MaU Holding, she received support from Drivhuset and innovation advisor Erica Toft at MaU Innovation.
When doing market research, Alice and her colleagues discovered that women trying to get pregnant consume three to four tests a month. In some cases, women have spent thousands of Swedish krona on pregnancy tests. The reason for this is that they test early and often in hope of a positive result. But also because, once they have a positive result, they test again to confirm the pregnancy, according to Alice Mattsson, who focuses on those who experience difficulties to get pregnant.
Many pregnancy tests are also not as reliable as the manufacturers claim, states Alice Mattsson.
"Sometimes it is difficult to interpret whether the test shows a positive result or not. The aim is therefore to make the test more accessible and clear. It is also about reducing women's expenses and the use of disposable plastic items, as pregnancy tests are not always recycled properly. It is time for the world's most widely used diagnostic test to get an upgrade," says Alice Mattsson.
"We at MaU Holding are happy and proud that we have now made our first investment. I envision a smoother flow of projects coming in from Mau Innovation to the holding company where we then take over and contribute to the students' and researchers' fantastic ideas being implemented in society," says MaU Holding's chairman Charlotte Ahlgren Moritz.
MaU Holding invests in commercially viable products, methods, processes and services developed from research results and research-based ideas. The aim is to support ideas that create value and contribute solutions to the societal challenges of our time.