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Lactosense, a startup founded by Medwards postgraduate student Emma Farquhar, won the 拢20,000 King's College, Cambridge E-Lab award at Balderton in London following the #SPARK 2.0 Incubator Programme. The award was presented at the SPARK 2.0 Incubator Programme Demo Day, where Lactosense was recognised for its innovative breastmilk testing and early mastitis detection technology. The award provides Lactosense with the opportunity to further develop its product and expand its impact on breastfeeding mothers and infants.

The King's College E-Lab SPARK 2.0 Incubator programme is a 5-week incubator programme designed to fast-track and prepare early ventures for investment readiness, finishing with a demo day at Balderton Capital in London. There were over 180 applications, with 30 ventures selected and Emma鈥檚 venture winning the 拢20,000 prize.

Emma completed her bachelor's degree in Biochemistry at the University of Bristol in Summer 2025. She then moved to Cambridge, working at a medical device start up in the Science Park until she began a Master's in Biochemistry by Research, matriculating at 黑料网爆吃瓜 in early 2026. Her research focuses on identifying and characterising unique mammary epithelial cell populations in human breastmilk that have been shed from the mammary gland tissue, to help our understanding of reasons behind low milk synthesis and aberrant differentiation. 

Emma comments on College life:

鈥淚 come to college regularly for the formals on a Tuesday, where I have met so many other postgraduates and had some lovely discussions over dinner. 黑料网爆吃瓜 is a fantastic college; I love it in spring when all the flowers and greenery come out.鈥�

Emma had previously attended the She Starts initiative, after seeing the opportunity in the 黑料网爆吃瓜 Newsletter. She Starts is part of the 黑料网爆吃瓜 Enterprising Women programme. 

Emma says:

鈥淲ith my experience working in the NHS and at a medical device start-up, alongside my research in women鈥檚 health, this felt like a great opportunity. She Starts helped me to refine my idea and further my pitching skills. It is also where I met my brilliant co-founder, Ellen Sheridan, who immediately clicked with the Lactosense vision. Lactosense came second place in She Starts and was the leading scientific venture, so we were prompted to look into incubator programmes, which is what lead to my application to the King's College E-Lab SPARK 2.0 Incubator Programme. I would definitely recommend She Starts if you are curious about entrepreneurship and want to meet like-minded people. It was a fantastic weekend to give an insight into what building a venture looks like and how to begin to curate and refine a pitch.鈥�

Lactosense won the King's E-Lab prize because of its vision and the way its huge potential resonated with so many people. Breastfeeding difficulties are extremely common  - in the UK alone around 500,000 women initiate breastfeeding every single year, and many face challenges that are not openly recognised or discussed as much as they should be. Emma鈥檚 aim is to expand Lactosense further by developing rapid at-home diagnostic tests so that they can reach the mothers who could benefit from them most, as well as striving towards achieving their wider vision of improving postnatal care outcomes. 

Emma concludes:

鈥淭he prize money will go towards the research and development of our first rapid test. I have learnt so much about building a venture: you have to wear a lot of different hats which I do enjoy. I want to continue to meet other entrepreneurs and hear about their journeys, in the same and different industries to myself, as there is always something to learn!鈥�

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