P&G Ventures, the early-stage start-up studio within Procter & Gamble, has announced Lady Patch as the winner of the 2022 Innovation Challenge during the virtual CES event. Chosen from a record number of submissions, Lady Patch will be awarded the grand prize of $10,000 and the opportunity to partner with P&G Ventures to continue developing their product. 

Lady Patch is the only drug-free feminine patch that prevents bladder leaks and the frequent urge to urinate. Lady Patch began as Santa Cruz's mother's invention as she had been using a prototype for years to find relief. When Santa Cruz became a mother and started dealing with incontinence, she decided to begin reinventing the original prototype her mother had used years before. Incontinence affects one in every three women around the world, and Lady Patch is helping to provide those affected with a solution to improve their quality of life, according to a P&G press release.

“We are pleased to name Lady Patch as the winner of this year’s P&G Ventures Innovation Challenge.  We thought this product offered an innovative solution to a problem that affects so many, and we’re very excited about the potential positive impact the product could have on the lives of women around the world. This year’s finalists were so outstanding that we wanted to give them special recognition as well. The Innovation Challenge is all about discovering and supporting ideas coming from start-ups and entrepreneurs across the country, and we are so inspired by all of this year’s applicants and their efforts to improve consumers’ lives,” Guy Persaud, president of new business for Procter & Gamble said in a statement

“Our company, Lady Patch, is honoured to be selected as the winner of the 2022 Innovation Challenge. We are delighted to win the grand prize and receive the opportunity to partner with P&G Ventures to continue strategic development of our product and company to help better the lives of women around the world. We are also grateful for the chance to pitch our product ideas alongside these esteemed companies with influential stories and innovative products,” Santa Cruz said.