Building Bones

What an incredible experience pitching Building Bones on stage at the NHS Big Pitch 🤩 The #TheBigPitch2026 celebrated 10 Years of the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme and brought together an inspiring room of founders, clinicians, healthcare leaders and partners. Since launching, the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme has supported over 1,500 entrepreneurs who have gone on to raise more than £1.2 billion in funding. 🎉 Last year I attended the Big Pitch as a guest, only a few months into Building Bones journey, so it was a proud moment to be able to come back this year, present on stage and exhibit alongside so many other fantastic innovations and founders. 🦴    It was particularly special to share the day with so many people and organisations who have supported Building Bones, including Health Innovation Hub Ireland, Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust and all the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme staff. The event featured inspiring discussions on entrepreneurship, innovation, lived experience driving change, and the future of healthcare, highlighting the opportunities and challenges involved in transforming ideas into real-world impact. It was fantastic meeting everyone at the event and congratulations to all the exhibitors, speakers, founders and the NHS team for putting on a great event 👏 Tony Young Tamsin H. Lucy Dentice Alice Williams Polly Sullivan Charlotte Mercer Jenni Petty Celine K. Ahmed Eldorry Maria Kelly Burns Geraldine O'Flynn Tom Chambers Conor Judge Emily Naylor Andrew Maxwell Dr Deena Mohammed Amik Aneja Corinne Birch Dr Karen Marshall Funmi (Vanessa) Ullam Louise Thompson Tim Allardyce Simon Leslie

Last Friday was a truly memorable experience speaking at the “Global Perspectives, Local Impact” event in Mount Congreve Gardens, organised by Propelor BIC. It was a privilege to sit on a panel alongside the British Ambassador to Ireland, Kara Owen, whose insights on leadership, resilience, and building meaningful connections really resonated. For me, it was a valuable opportunity to share what we’ve been building at Building Bones, how far we’ve come, and where we’re heading next! Osteoporosis is a global problem, and addressing it requires a truly global perspective. 🦴 It was fantastic to hear Ruth Dooley and Elaine Fitzgerald - McBarron speak about their journeys and the progress they’ve made through the Enterprise Ireland NextWave Programme. I’ve been lucky to spend time alongside them during the programme and witness that growth firsthand. 👏 A big thank you to the Propelor BIC team for hosting such an thoughtful event, Ann-Marie McSorley for her mentorship throughout the program, Rosemary Ward and Aidan Shine for the continuous support, and to everyone who attended and contributed to the conversations.

It's not every day you get to sit across from the British Ambassador to Ireland and talk about leadership, confidence, and what it really takes to build something from scratch. On Friday in Mount Congreve Gardens, that's exactly what I did 😀 Ambassador Kara Owen joined us for our Propelor BIC Global Perspectives, Local Impact event and what she shared about her journey, her career across Asia, Europe and the UK, and her views on leadership was genuinely moving. We learned so much more about the British-Irish relationship and her aim of improving the lives of citizens in both countries. She spoke about resilient confidence — not the kind you're born with, but the kind that's built through experience, that you have to go out of your way to actively build and work on. I think every woman in that room recognised exactly what she meant and appreciated her honesty. Watching our three regional NextWave founders, Jenni Dowley (Building Bones), Elaine Fitzgerald - McBarron (@verða), and Ruth Dooley (GeoXen) hold their own in that conversation was inspiring. Not just hold their own. Elevate it. All three are currently on the Enterprise Ireland NextWave accelerator, a national programme designed exclusively for women founders with global ambition, delivered by the Irish BICs. Pre-revenue, early-stage, highly innovative companies being built in regional Ireland, with their eyes firmly on international markets. They pitched, they panelled, they answered every question with the kind of clarity that comes from founders who truly believe in what they're building. Kara also spoke about how the networks that matter most aren't the ones you build intentionally in a room full of strangers, but the ones that grow across a career through trust and shared experience. Friday was a personal career highlight for me. To host a conversation of this quality, with this Ambassador, with these founders, in this region, it's exactly what we set out to do at Propelor. Proud of these three women. And deeply grateful to Kara for making the journey to be with us and huge thanks to her team for all their help in organising her participation. (Never too early to inspire the next generation with these great leaders so the last photo is of my 17 year old!) #DriveSuccess British Embassy Dublin Enterprise Ireland Propelor BIC

Yesterday concluded the final day of The Biomedical Catalyst Managing Chronic Conditions Accelerator Program run by Pioneer Group 🎉 Building Bones was thrilled to be selected from over 180 applicants to the accelerator. It has been an incredibly valuable programme - bringing together an inspiring group of founders, clinicians, mentors and experts across the healthcare and life sciences ecosystem. 🔬 Over the past few months, we have had the opportunity to refine our approach, challenge our thinking, and further develop our vision for improving osteoporosis outcomes and access to care. 🦴 A huge thank you to The Pioneer Group team Adam Hardy Hattie Barnes and the rest of the team, and my mentor Peter Bannister for their insights and support throughout the programme. Thank you to the other fantastic mentors, judges, partner organisations and hosts, as well as all the brilliant founders and companies on the program. We are looking forward to building on the progress we’ve made and continuing to push forward Building Bones to make a real difference for people living with osteoporosis and low bone density. 🦴 Lucy Rowell Alan O' Shea, Barry Middleton, Brilliant Red Digital, The Helix Way, eg technology Ltd, Mills & Reeve