Healthcare – More from the Institute for Women's Entrepreneurship at Cornell

Understanding FemTech

FemTech is a rapidly growing sector encompassing technology-enabled solutions for women’s health which usually includes maternal health, menstrual health, pelvic and sexual health, fertility, menopause, and contraception, as well as a number of general health conditions that affect women disproportionately or differently (such as osteoporosis or cardiovascular disease). The article posted by McKinsey explores FemTech’s recent growth, market opportunities, and potential to address unmet needs. With over 70% of FemTech companies having female founders, the field is seen as a disruptive force in healthcare, offering innovative solutions to improve care delivery, enable self-care, enhance diagnoses, and address stigmatized areas, with the potential to catalyze positive social changes.

Black Female Founder Shares Experience in Raising Venture Funding For Her Health-Related Startup

Vanessa Rissetto (left) and Tamar Samuels (right) cofounded Culina Health.
Lauren Anzevino

In this article from Business Insider, Vanessa Rissetto, co-founder of Culina Health, a digital platform connecting clients with nutritionists for virtual sessions, has raised $9.75 million in venture-capital investments. Rissetto discusses the importance of investing in women of color and leveraging investor relationships, while acknowledging the difficulty of fundraising for Black women founders in healthcare.

Women’s Segment of Health App Market Expected to Grow By Almost $3B

According to a recent report by Technavio, the women’s health app market is expected to grow by $2.9 billion by 2026. Menstrual health, fitness and nutrition and pregnancy tracking are the lead areas discussed and 40% of the growth is expected to be in North America. Read this post to learn more and request a free sample report.

Medtech Startup Focusing on Menopause Raises $2.5M in Seed Funding

After raising $2.5M in seed funding, Lisa Health announced the launch of its new app, Midday, which has been created in collaboration with Mayo Clinic. The app provides a personalized digital health solution that illuminates what is happening physically and emotionally during menopause and provides the right intervention at the right time to promote healthy aging. See this article in FemTech Insider to learn more.

Female-led Startups Bring Innovation to Reproductive Health

Reproductive health issues have certainly been a topic in the news over the past few weeks in the United States. At Johns Hopkins University, two teams led by female graduate students are bringing much needed innovation to the reproductive health product marketplace. One company, Ovubrush, is a technology-enabled toothbrush that monitors biomarker in saliva to identify ovulation windows for conception. Another company, NovvaCup is redesigning menstrual cups to have different collapsible states which will increase ease of insertion and removal. To read more about these companies and the women behind them, check out this article posted in Johns Hopkins HUB.