Key Investor Signals
Licensed mastitis technology from the University of Antwerp
Mastitia licensed technology from the University of Antwerp and became a university spin-off. Its postbiotic programme also draws on the university’s expertise.
Secured backing from Innovation Fund Denmark
Innofounder, Innovation Fund Denmark's grant programme for new founders, provided Mastitia's initial funding. The founders are developing the business alongside the university research partnership.
CEO delivered fourfold women’s-health revenue growth
Daniel Hovel Hansen delivered fourfold women’s-health revenue growth at Chr. Hansen through portfolio expansion and repositioning, before co-founding Mastitia.
Team
Daniel Hovel Hansen
CEO and Co-founder
- Grew Chr. Hansen's women's health business fourfold, expanding the probiotic portfolio across infant, children's and women's health.
- Took human-health biosolutions from science to market at Novozymes, coordinating research, manufacturing and commercial launch globally.
- Leads Mastitia's commercial strategy and partner dialogues with established players in breastfeeding and maternal care.
Emilie Glad Bak
CSO and Co-founder
- Holds a PhD from the University of Copenhagen, with published research on gut bacterial and viral communities.
- Built translational microbiome programmes at Novozymes, and advises microbiome companies on regulatory and scientific strategy.
- Leads Mastitia's clinical and regulatory strategy, from trial design with a US CRO to the FDA pre-submission route for a preventive device.
Product
Mastitia is developing a topical postbiotic cream for breastfeeding mothers. The formulation is based on material derived from human-associated bacteria and targets bacteria involved in mastitis. Development follows a cosmetic-first route to market, with a medical-device pathway to follow.
Local application during breastfeeding
The cream is designed for application to the breast during lactation, targeting the local environment where mastitis-associated bacteria can grow. The initial use is prevention in breastfeeding mothers.
A postbiotic formulation for local use
The formulation uses material derived from human-associated bacteria rather than live cultures. Development is focused on a stable cream suitable for local application during lactation.
Targeting mastitis-associated bacteria
The formulation is designed to act against key mastitis-associated pathogens, including antibiotic-resistant strains. It aims to preserve the breast’s microbial environment while limiting harmful bacteria.
Market Overview
Mastitis is managed today with antibiotics and symptomatic relief, a market projected to reach €18 billion by 2032 and growing at 16.7% a year. Prevention is largely absent from the category, despite mastitis affecting around a quarter of the world's lactating women each year and recurring in over half of cases.
Mothers already buy nipple creams through pharmacies, specialist retailers and online stores, but the established products soothe symptoms rather than prevent infection. Antibiotics remain the default once mastitis sets in, used in a large share of cases, and can pass to the infant. Rising resistance makes that route less reliable, leaving room for a preventive option in a category mothers already shop.
The global mastitis treatment and relief market is projected to reach €18 billion by 2032.
The mastitis market is forecast to grow at 16.7% annually through 2032.
Around 25% of the world's 140 million lactating women are affected by mastitis each year.
Antibiotics are the standard treatment for mastitis and can pass to the infant through breast milk.
Comparable Outcomes
Alydia Health
Alydia Health developed the Jada System, a medical device for postpartum haemorrhage, which received FDA marketing authorisation in 2020. Organon acquired Alydia Health in 2021 for $240 million, including $215 million in cash and a $25 million milestone payment. The deal took Organon into medical devices.
S-Biomedic
S-Biomedic developed active ingredients for cosmetic products using skin bacteria, founded in Belgium in 2014 to turn skin microbiome science into consumer skincare. Beiersdorf first invested through its venture arm in 2018, then acquired a majority stake. S-Biomedic continues as a standalone entity within Beiersdorf's microbiome programme.
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Sources
This profile was built from public company materials, ecosystem sources, market references, and professional profiles.