Lia Diagnostics adds new investor and $2.6 million in venture capital

Center City’s Lia Diagnostics, makers of a flushable pregnancy test, just took on $2.6 million in venture capital as it continues to work on bringing the test to the consumer market.

CEO and cofounder Bethany Edwards declined to comment on specific terms of the round, but she confirmed that investors included past backers of the startup (like Ben Franklin Technology Partners and Robin Hood Ventures) plus Raleigh-based Pink Ceiling.

The North Carolina investment and advisory firm was founded in 2016 by Cindy Eckert, a two-time founder of pharmaceutical companies (most notably “female Viagra” maker Sprout Pharmaceuticals).

LIA, founded in 2015, is an alumni of Dreamit’s accelerator program as well as the University City Science Center’s Digital Health Accelerator. Last December it received a 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for over-the-counter sale of its pregnancy test, and took home a $50,000 prize at TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin.

Emails and calls to investors were not immediately returned.