W Group today has opened applications for W Accelerate with Merck KGaA and M Ventures, inviting entrepreneurs to compete for the opportunity to pitch their solutions on 5th October to accelerate their growth through potential strategic partnerships, investment, and commercial growth opportunities.
W Accelerate exists to close the innovation and investment gap in women's health by connecting the sector's most promising startups directly with the corporates and investors best positioned to accelerate their growth.
Merck KGaA, a global leader in reproductive health, and M Ventures, its strategic corporate venture arm, are partnering with W Group for a third time to identify and support the most promising companies advancing innovation in reproductive and maternal health.
“Women's health has proven it can attract capital and produce venture-scale outcomes. The question now is whether the ecosystem can build the infrastructure to turn promising science into real partnerships at scale. That's what W Accelerate exists to do. Bringing Merck and M Ventures back for a third time, around innovation in reproductive and maternal health, is exactly the kind of connection that moves this industry from momentum to lasting change.”
Nathan Edwards, Founder at W Group
Past cohorts have gone on to secure real outcomes including Calla Lily Clinical Care, which entered a strategic collaboration with Merck in February 2026 after connecting through the programme.
“The W Group created a rare opportunity for Calla Lily Clinical Care to pitch directly to senior leadership at Merck and M Ventures, and the event was executed with exceptional care and attention to detail. The mix of formal and informal engagement throughout the day sparked the conversations that became the foundation of relationships leading to our eventual strategic collaboration with Merck. Bias aside from a great outcome, I've yet to see another event run with this level of excellence.”
Thang Vo-Ta, CEO and CO-Founder, Calla Lily Clinical Care
Merck KGaA and M Ventures are seeking breakthrough solutions in female infertility, fertility preservation, adenomyosis, endometriosis, polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), ovarian insufficiency, preeclampsia and pregnancy comorbidities.
New this year, the programme introduces three distinct pathways, allowing entrepreneurs to engage in the conversations that matter most to their business:
- The Partnership Lane for companies seeking commercial collaborations and strategic relationships.
- The Investment Lane for founders looking to connect with investors and secure funding to scale.
- The Dual Lane for innovators pursuing both strategic partnerships and investment opportunities.
Every pitch is a highly targeted conversation, with participants matched to decision-makers based on genuine alignment between priorities, expertise and interests.
"Partnering with W Accelerate has been genuinely valuable for identifying the innovation that matters most to us. The quality and relevance of the applicants consistently exceeds expectations, giving us direct access to the kind of breakthrough thinking that's hard to find through traditional channels. This programme has become a meaningful part of how we scout and engage with the reproductive and maternal health ecosystem."
Sebastina Bohl, VP Healthcare Innovation & Business Excellence, Merck KGaA
The Accelerate event has been expanded to offer even more direct expert access. Selected companies are supported ahead of time through a 1:1 pitch practice session, then take part in a private 30-minute session with Merck KGaA and M Ventures leadership, small-group sessions with regulatory and investment strategy experts, an "Ask Merck Anything" roundtable, and a VIP networking reception.
Key dates
- Open call launches: 8th July
- Open call closes: 2nd September
- Notification of successful companies: 11th September
- Pitch Day: 5th October
Applications can be submitted here:
About W Group
W Group is a data-first intelligence platform operating at the intersection of women's health and sport. Powered by a proprietary data engine, we turn ecosystem intelligence into high-value partnerships through our flagship summits, corporate innovation programmes, and market intelligence.
Hosted annually in New York and London, W Summits are the largest commercial gatherings in the space. We bring together the innovators, rights-holders, investors, corporates and key decision-makers driving the future of women's health and sports.
Learn more at wplatform.co
About Merck KGaA
Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across life science, healthcare and electronics. More than 62,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2025, Merck generated sales of € 21.1 billion in 65 countries.
Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare, and EMD Electronics in electronics.
About M Ventures
M Ventures is the strategic, corporate venture capital fund of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. We invest in Biotechnology and Technology, covering the areas of Healthcare drug development, Life Science tools, Electronics and Frontier Technology & Sustainability.
M Ventures invests into visionary companies that find new ways to: treat the most challenging diseases, empower scientists with cutting-edge research and development tools, develop new solutions that change the way in which information is accessed, stored, processed, and displayed and address some of the most complex challenges in sustainability and technology convergence.
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