Women's Health Innovation Series

It’s been a busy week in Women’s Health! Here’s your #WHISWeekly roundup of top stories! ☕ 🚀 Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) has awarded $110 million to 23 pioneering projects in its first Sprint for Women’s Health, selected from over 1,700 global submissions. Focus areas include brain health, reproductive health, and cardiovascular disease I Renee Wegrzyn, Joseph Shonkwiler, MD, MBA, Jason Young I https://hubs.ly/Q02VTxMb0 🤝 Bayer has partnered with deep-tech startup Impli to develop the first real-time hormone monitoring device, aiming to make fertility treatments safer, more accessible, and effective I https://hubs.ly/Q02VTrqC0. 👩 hims & hers has appointed Dr. Jessica Shepherd as Hers' first Chief Medical Officer, highlighting the platform's commitment to advancing specialised women’s healthcare beyond its original services I Matthew Dean, Ashley Castellanos I https://hubs.ly/Q02VTx0t0 ⭐ The The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded $8 million through its RADx Tech for Maternal Health Challenge to eight teams from over 80 submissions, aiming to improve postpartum diagnostics in regions with limited maternity care during the high-risk period up to a year after delivery I Cardiex, Caretaker Medical | Wireless Hemodynamic Monitoring, HemoSonics, Global Access Diagnostics, Sanguina, Inc., Sibel Health, MyLÚA Health, PyrAmes I https://hubs.ly/Q02VTxbD0 🚀 DeepHealth has acquired UK-based KHEIRON MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES LTD consolidating the AI-powered breast cancer screening field by combining DeepHealth’s Smart Mammo platform with Kheiron’s Mia (Mammography Intelligent Assessment) solutions I Peter Kecskemethy I https://hubs.ly/Q02VTt5c0 #WHISWeekly #WHIS #Femtech #womenshealth

It's #MenopauseAwarenessDay 🌸 Despite affecting half the world’s population, menopause remains a topic often shrouded in mystery and misconception. This silence can leave women feeling isolated and unprepared. 💪 Take a look at what you can do to raise awareness of menopause this #MenopauseAwarenessMonth and empower women to navigate this significant life stage with confidence and support.

In celebration of World Menopause Day, we present your #WHISWeekly roundup. Grab a coffee and dive into the latest updates ☕ ✔️ Genentech's Itovebi (inavolisib) has received FDA approval for treating advanced HR-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer with a PIK3CA mutation. Itovebi will be used in combination with palbociclib (Ibrance) and fulvestrant | Levi Garraway, Manuel Amador, MD, Ashley Magargee | https://hubs.ly/Q02TXXpv0 🤝 Hologic, Inc., a leading medtech company specialising in women’s health, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Gynesonics, Inc. a privately held medical device company, in a deal valued at approximately $350 million, pending customary closing adjustments | Brandon Schnittker, Tara Murphy | https://hubs.ly/Q02TX-Cp0 💰 ShiraTronics, Inc. has raised $66 million in Series B funding to advance its neurostimulation therapy for chronic migraine, which affects 5 to 6 million people in the U.S., including 3 million treatment-resistant patients, with women disproportionately impacted | Rob Binney, Gina Heles, Lia Aguilar Madariaga | https://hubs.ly/Q02TXV3-0 👩 Midi Health, a virtual care clinic for women 35 and older, has launched a Survivorship Program to offer specialised menopause care for breast cancer survivors and those at high risk | Mindy Goldman, Joanna Strober | https://hubs.ly/Q02TXVY40 🚗 Babyscripts, a virtual maternity care platform, and Lyft have successfully tackled transportation barriers for maternity care in Washington D.C. through their partnership, offering free rides to prenatal appointments for pregnant women in the area | Sarah Nicholson, Anish Sebastian, Lauren Demosthenes | https://hubs.ly/Q02TXP_N0 ✨ Aunt Flow, renowned for its free-vend tampon and pad dispensers, has introduced a new sanitary disposal system for menstrual products. This solution addresses both hygiene and environmental concerns related to traditional disposal methods in public toilets | Claire Coder, Sarah Howard, Charné G. | https://hubs.ly/Q02TXSpm0 #WHISWeekly #womenshealth #femtech

It's time for #WHISWeekly. Grab a coffee and dive into the latest updates ☕ 📈 Maven Clinic, the largest virtual clinic specialising in women’s and family health, has secured $125 million in Series F funding. With this latest investment, Maven’s total funding surpasses $425 million, positioning it as the top-valued digital health company in the women’s health industry I Kate Ryder, Sarah Foster I https://hubs.ly/Q02T5hzh0 🔬 University of Oxford researchers have received up to £600,000 from Cancer Research UK (CRUK) to develop OvarianVax, a potential first-of-its-kind vaccine to prevent ovarian cancer I Ahmed Ashour Ahmed I https://hubs.ly/Q02T5jkS0 💸 Rezilient Health, a tech-enabled healthcare company, has raised $10 million in Series A funding to expand its concierge services and make them more accessible for families across all income levels I Danish Nagda, Jeff Gamble, PhD, Sar Ruddenklau I https://hubs.ly/Q02T5jNZ0 ⭐ Melinda French Gates has launched a $250 million global initiative, “Action for Women’s Health”, to support organizations improving women’s mental and physical health. This effort, through Pivotal Ventures, is part of a larger $1 billion commitment to empower women worldwide by 2026 I Haven D. Ley I https://hubs.ly/Q02T5k1D0 🚀Female-founded LEVY Health has raised $4.5 million in seed funding to enhance its fertility diagnosis platform. Launched in 2022, the company leverages patient data to help doctors identify fertility issues from over 110 conditions ahead of consultations I Caroline Mitterdorfer, Silvia Hecher, Priv.-Doz. Dr. med. Theresa Vilsmaier, Lena J. Jäkel I https://hubs.ly/Q02T5dkk0 🔎 Medtech company Innitius has reported promising results from its FineBirth Clinical Trial-1 (FB-CT1), evaluating the Fine Birth device, which aims to enhance the diagnosis of threatened preterm labor (TPTL) I Rubén Molina, Miguel José Monteiro I https://hubs.ly/Q02T5k2C0 #WHISWeekly #WomensHealth #Femtech

October is #MenopauseAwarenessMonth 🙌 Too often menopause is misunderstood or overlooked, it's time to embrace open conversations about menopause, break stigmas, promote education and ensure women have the resources they need! #WomensHealth

Women’s health and the femtech space is incredibly under funded but what is clear - there are some incredible innovations happening in this space. Last week I was so grateful to be able to attend The Always Raising event led by Kisaco Research. Thank you to Rebecca Baldwin and Brandon Bailey for the opportunity to be sat with incredible founders, investors and domain experts. Also SomX for highlighting the event to me (if you haven’t signed up to their newsletter you are missing out) A few key takeaways: ✨Partnerships are key to accelerating growth when starting up. But how? Enter the hustle-network-hustle roadmap. Lina Chan led a round table, with great insights from Malcolm Fogarty, Amber Vodegel , Pooja Sikka, Laura Neale and Aamena Salar discussing key aspects of women’s health and commercialisation within mainstream channels. ✨Molly Gilmartin led a panel alongside Vincent Sai, Dr Shruti Patel and Sneh Khemka discussing the healthcare ecosystem, both private and NHS. What was clear is both markets are working synergistically. However, we are seeing a customer transition from individuals paying for private healthcare to businesses encoporating it in their corporate packages. This is key for start ups and their sales pipeline. ✨Interoperability is huge! Build this into your tech stack. Working with large generational companies requires start ups to have a ‘plug and play’ ability. ✨Know your risk! If you want to partner, you need to know where the risk lies and what you can do to mitigate this as a much as possible (I can help you there through https://lnkd.in/eB-cmJEJ) ✨Reimbursement! If you want to partner with a healthcare organisation in the US you need to know how you will be reimbursed. This mainly occurs through CPT codes. Jamie White gave an epic talk on this area. These are a small snippet of the huge nuggets of information which came from this event. If another one happens I highly recommend attending. It was lovely to have seen so many amazing people, Fiona Thwaites, Dr Mahnur Khan Jennifer Kruger Lorna M. Sara Nelson Chris Wigley Charlotte Newing Aahuti Rai

The first time I attended the Women's Health Innovation Summit was just weeks after I made the leap from academic ob/gyn to tech executive. In that time, the meeting has grown exponentially in both attendance and energy, bringing together a wonderful and ever-expanding community across the health care innovation ecosystem. The panel I joined with Rachel Braun Scherl, Nichole Young-Lin, MD, MBA Melisa Margraves, and Susan Sly focused on the potential and the pitfalls of big tech, with the ability to deploy GenAI, entering the realm of health care delivery. My take-away? We're on the cusp of addressing so many of the gaps in the incumbent system, from devices to care models that weren't originally designed with the experience of the end-user in-mind. I'm inspired by the entrepreneurs, technologists and investors I met and fully convinced we will collectively create the system women and families deserve. Congrats to Aoife McGrath Rebecca Baldwin and team for pulling this off, along with all the speakers, sponsors, and attendees!

Welcome to your first #WHISWeekly of October! Grab a coffee and dive into the latest updates ☕ 👶 FLORA (Flora Fertility), an innovative insurtech firm, has secured $1.5 million in pre-seed funding. This investment will fuel the launch of their private fertility insurance product, set to roll out across the United States and Canada I Dr. Christy Lane, Laura J. McDonald I https://hubs.ly/Q02Sc4jD0 🔬 A new study recommends that an ultrasound test, which detected 96% of ovarian cancers in postmenopausal women, should replace the current standard of care in the UK I NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research), Sudha Sundar I https://hubs.ly/Q02Scv7T0 ✔️Novartis has announced FDA approval of Kisqali (ribociclib) for a new indication in early breast cancer, marking a key advancement for women with HR+/HER2- early-stage disease I https://hubs.ly/Q02Sct4w0 💰Hyivy Health has secured $2 million in seed funding to accelerate the development of its innovative Pelvic Health Rehabilitation System, which aims to improve the lives of millions of women affected by pelvic health conditions worldwide I Rachel Bartholomew, Susan Stover I https://hubs.ly/Q02Scjmf0 🚀Plum (Plum Vagiceuticals), a newcomer in women's health, has launched its first direct-to-consumer product, Plum Serum, addressing intimate dryness—a common issue for women postpartum, in menopause, or undergoing treatments like chemotherapy I Lisa Krady (Pastor), Matthew Line, Emily Shea I https://hubs.ly/Q02ScDPH0 👩 Thrivelab, a hormone health service provider, has launched a virtual menopause care service to support women across the U.S. This initiative fills a gap in women’s healthcare, focusing on women aged 35 to 70 experiencing hormone imbalance symptoms I Nayan Patel PharmD, Michael E. Donner - A Strategic and Tactical Chief Marketing Officer, Taylor Zentz I https://hubs.ly/Q02ScFGW0 #WHISWeekly #WomensHealth #Femtech #WHIS

🖊️ This week, Pelihealth attended an event that truly broke away from the usual speaker-audience dynamic. Instead of sitting back and listening, over 70 of us—women’s health innovators, investors, Payors, Providers, Pharma, leaders—gathered around small tables to openly discuss challenges, share insights, and shape the future of women’s health. 💡 🌍 It was a global affair, with voices from the UK, France, the US, New Zealand, and more. The London 'Always Raising' event, organised by Rebecca Baldwin and team, and powered by the Women's Health Innovation Series, was a game-changer. Collaboration was the key theme, and when we come together, all boats rise. 🙌 From Aahuti Rai’s inclusive approach 'who are we leaving behind?', to Dame Lesley Regan's pause for thought on the shift in lifespan—"women are now spending as many years in post-reproductive life as in their reproductive years"—every moment was packed with value. 📈 Marie Busson from McKinsey & Company delivered a powerful keynote on how closing the women’s health gap could add $1 trillion to the global economy. 🔎 Molly Gilmartin from AlbionVC led a compelling discussion panel on Payor and Provider needs to accelerate healthtech. 🚺 Pam Garside’s (Cambridge Angels) comment, "We don’t need more data, we need insights," really struck a chord. The potential for investors and innovators to make a lasting impact is huge. I’m leaving this event energised, knowing that with the brilliant minds in this community, we’re on our way to improving health outcomes for women worldwide. 🌟 Thank you to everyone involved for making this such an inspiring day! Let’s keep pushing forward together. 💪 Photos courtesy of: https://lnkd.in/eHygM5r6 #WomensHealth #HealthTech #Innovation #Collaboration #AlwaysRaising #GlobalHealth #WomensHealthInnovation #HealthCare #Pelihealth

I stepped outside the usual routine yesterday, venturing into the wild (something I don’t do often unless it’s truly valuable). But yesterday was absolutely worth it. A huge thanks to Rebecca Baldwin for inviting us and putting on such an insightful event—the Always Raising: Women’s Health Innovation Series. I’m not usually a big fan of events (they can feel a bit cosmetic, if you know what I mean), but this one was a goodie. I soaked up some brilliant insights into the women’s health space. One question that really struck me was: “Are we exploiting or empowering women?” With so much innovation, different pathways, it’s easy to see how navigating this space can feel overwhelming for women. As we begin to build two new women’s health propositions, this is something we’re keeping front and centre. How do we simplify, clarify, and truly empower? I also spent the morning with Anniki Sommerville (midlife expert, author, and journalist), testing out an idea we’ve been developing together. Getting live feedback was invaluable, and while our pitch needs some refining, we had a lot of fun gathering those micro insights. Also remembered how great it is to get out into the wild—it’s brilliant for thinking on the business, not in it. Must do it more... but in small doses. Today, I'm home recovering :) #founderlife #womenshealth #femalefounder