Legally Femtech: Recent Episodes
Bethany Corbin
The Legally Femtech podcast, sponsored by Nixon Gwilt Law, empowers femtech companies, creators, investors, and users to revolutionize women's health by providing practical, legal, and ethical insights into the healthcare startup community. Your host, Bethany Corbin, is a healthcare innovation and femtech attorney with almost a decade of experience. She is on a mission to help thought-leading companies disrupt and transform the global women's health sector. In each episode, Bethany discusses critical issues that impact women's health and offers invaluable tips for entrepreneurs looking to launch their own femtech products. With an exciting lineup of international guest speakers, Legally Femtech delves into the lifecycle of digital health startups - from idea conception to product design to fundraising, scaling, and exiting (and all of the legal considerations in between!). Tune in every other Wednesday for new episodes!
In this episode, Bethany Corbin and Virginia Franco discuss:
- Why it is important to be humble and ask for help
- Why you should follow quality standards from the beginning
- How to inspire people to push back against stigma
- How to manage the push and pull between regulation and innovation
Key Takeaways:
- You must allow yourself to ask for help. It’s important to be humble and to trust people. Treat each member as a part of the body of the product, it’ll be hard to live if one part doesn’t trust the other. You can’t know everything about the industry, you need to surround yourself with experts that you can trust.
- If your company is not following proper quality standards, from the beginning, implementing them later becomes impossible. Launching your product as a wellness tool will prevent it from becoming a real diagnostic or medical device.
- It has to be a part of every FemTech company to be creating initiatives that will inspire people to push back against taboos and stigma. Companies will need to collaborate with their target user base in order for their technology to grow and evolve.
- There is a bit of a push and pull between innovation and regulation. Regulation is very important as it ensures that customers will not be harmed, but at the same time, when regulation becomes unnecessarily excessive, it could impede the progress of innovation.
“Believe in your product and believe in the partners you bring. They will be the brain, heart, and legs of your product. It is difficult to live if you cannot trust some parts of your body, you will struggle more.” - Virginia Franco
Learn More:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/virg%C3%ADnia-franco-14848216a/
Yoni Solutions Website: https://www.yonisolutions.com/
Yoni Solutions LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/yoni-solutions/
Connect with Bethany Corbin:
Website: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/
Podcast: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/podcast-legally-femtech
In this episode, Bethany Corbin and Sylvia Kang discuss:
- Why launching a startup is more difficult than you expect
- Why a product has to have a market fit
- How to create a brand message that resonates with consumers
- How organizational structure helps companies scale and grow
Key Takeaways:
- Launching a startup will always be harder than you think, so be prepared to plan and go through a process of trial and error. Be prepared to respond quickly, be nimble, and continue to test again and again.
- If the customer doesn’t need the product, then it’ll be a losing battle no matter what marketing you’re doing. Eventually, you’re going to be unprofitable.
- Design your marketing in a way that shows that your product could help solve their problem. Make their journey easier and experience better, and help your users achieve their goals.
- Invest in your team and make sure that your managers know how to build a team, and how to grow and expand. There must be an organizational structure in order for the company to not be a mess, each one must be assigned to a job that they hold expertise in instead of just playing it by ear.
“If you see things that don't work or only partially work, then try to expand on the part that's working…you have to respond quickly, be nimble, and continue to test and test and test again.” - Mira CEO Sylvia Kang
Learn More:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sylviakang/
Mira LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/miracare/
Sylvia and Mira in Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylrobinson/2021/01/10/why-sylvia-kang-created-an-at-home-womens-health-monitoring-platform-that-predicts-ovulation/?sh=744b69e35a65
Mira;s Website: https://usd.miracare.com/products/fertility-max-starter-kit?variant=41992270741690
Connect with Bethany Corbin:
Website: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/
Podcast: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/podcast-legally-femtech
In this episode, Bethany Corbin and Dallas Barnes discuss:
- Why birth control shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all solution
- What misconceptions people have about birth control
- Why it is important to get feedback from your users
- How to manage the uphill battle of pitching in FemTech
Key Takeaways:
- Birth control is an individualized journey and not a one-size-fits-all solution. The solution for each person has to be personalized. Not every pill is the same and not every person is the same, there is always a difference in interaction.
- Birth control products aren’t only for pregnancy prevention but also to address hormonal related symptoms, things that have a relationship with one’s cycle. At the end of the day, the goal really is to increase somebody’s quality of life.
- In the FemTech industry, it’s important to sit down and talk to the people who are actually going to use your product as it will help shape and adjust the solution that you’re going to be providing.
- Discomfort is a huge part of the entrepreneurial journey and every day you’ll meet a new challenge that will push you beyond your comfort zone. If you want to grow, you’ll have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
“A lot of the problem stems from this one size fits all approach. We're just not asking the right questions upfront. We're not having these conversations that really celebrate someone's uniqueness and using that uniqueness as leverage and to our advantage in this decision-making process.” - Dallas Barnes
Connect with Dallas Barnes:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dallasjbarnes/
Reya Health Website: https://www.reyahealth.ca/
Reya Health LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reya-health/
Connect with Bethany Corbin:
Website: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/
Podcast: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/podcast-legally-femtech
In this episode, Bethany Corbin and Kate Batz discuss:
- Why women’s health companies don’t get the attention they deserve
- Creating progress in FemTech
- Addressing women’s health span
- Bringing attention to your health
Key Takeaways:
- Women’s health companies don’t get the attention they deserve because only 4% of tech investment goes into life sciences and part of the reason why is that femtech is relatively young and is still an emerging industry.
- Creating more progress would require companies to focus on getting funding and to do that, they have to spread awareness on FemTech and women’s health care.
- Women live longer, but not necessarily healthier since they have specific health needs that need to be addressed with solutions built to solve those problems.
- Bring more attention to FemTech by bringing more attention to your own health. Whether you are a startup or a user, be curious and strive to discover more in the space of FemTech.
“One of our goals is to bring more focus to FemTech because it is an under-serviced sector and women comprise half of the population. We live longer, not necessarily healthier.” - Kate Batz
Resources:
FemTech Analytics: https://www.femtech.health/
FemTech Analytics' Q4 2022 Report: https://www.femtech.health/report-q4-2022
Connect with Kate Batz:
Email: kate.batz@dkv.global
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-batz-1b37a9b7/
Connect with Bethany Corbin:
Email: bethany.corbin@nixongwiltlaw.com
Website: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/
Podcast: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/podcast-legally-femtech
In this episode, Bethany Corbin and Brittany Barreto discuss:
- How to Empower your position in a founder-investor relationship
- How a convertible note and a safe are different
- What five terms you need to get familiar with in regard to convertible notes
- How to push back and set your own terms
Key Takeaways:
- As a founder, you have power in the founder-investor relationship. Usually, you’ll know more than investors do, so don’t be afraid to provide value. See them as partners and not merely as a lender of money.
- There are a couple of differences between a safe and a convertible note. First, there’s no interest in a safe because it’s not a loan while there is on convertible notes since they are a loan. They also differ when they convert into equity. For safes, it’s when you raise your price equity round and for convertible notes, it’s when you hit your qualified financing amount. Lastly, you can do a rolling basis of fundraising on a safe.
- Here are the five terms you need to get familiar with in regard to convertible notes: maturity date, qualified financing, discount, interest, and valuation cap.
- Be confident. Don’t be afraid to push back if a question doesn’t make sense and don’t wait for an investor to set the terms. Set your own terms and negotiate them.
“You set your terms and then you can go out and negotiate them. You don't have to sit back and wait for an investor to tell you what you're worth.” - Brittany Barreto
Connect with Dr. Brittany Barreto:
Website: https://drbrittanybarreto.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanybarreto/
Connect with Bethany Corbin:
Website: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/
Podcast: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/podcast-legally-femtech
In this episode, Bethany Corbin and Jessica Platt discuss:
- What it means to design for inclusivity
- What role regulation and innovation play in FemTech
- Why companies need to be intentional in data privacy
- Whether regulations should be decreased in favor of emerging industries
Key Takeaways:
- Designing for inclusivity is all about moving beyond the male standard approach and designing something that improves the user experience for everyone.
- Regulation is helpful in providing structure for innovation. It helps keep everybody working in the same direction, always keeping in mind the health and safety of the users.
- Women in America now have to look at their apps and see whether they are protected or vulnerable. To ease the burden of having to wonder about those things, companies today need to have an intentional approach to data privacy to help users feel much more comfortable with using the products going forward.
- The heart of regulation is always the safety of the users. Sex toys having a shared baseline with medical devices might seem overkill or unrelated, but it ensures that people are fundamentally protected and that their health and safety will not be compromised.
“Inclusive design is great design. The more inclusive you can make something, the more you can ensure that it meets their needs, the better the product will be for everyone.” - Jessica Platt
Learn More:
Company Website: https://www.cambridge-design.com/
Connect with Jessica Platt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-platt-womxns-health/
White Paper: A FemTech Innovator's Guide to Regulation: https://www.cambridge-design.com/whitepaper/a-femtech-innovators-guide-to-regulation
Cambridge Collective for Women's Health on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cambridge-collective-for-women-s-health/
Connect with Bethany Corbin:
Website: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/
Podcast: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/podcast-legally-femtech
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanycorbin/
In this episode, Bethany Corbin and Christina Miller-Foster discuss:
- What data governance is
- What the consequences are for irresponsible data governance
- How to maintain data equity
- Why data governance is a front-end investment
Key Takeaways:
- Data governance is how the culture in an organization makes decisions on how to organize and categorize data, who has ownership over it, who has access to it, and how decisions are made about how to engage with and use that data.
- If companies don’t have a clear plan for how they’re going to either protect, sell or use their user’s data, they could actually end up perpetuating barriers around healthcare access.
- We have to make sure to remove exclusion and bias in how we collect and process user data. If we're excluding certain categories, that the countries across the world who are buying using these products, it really diminishes the value of the algorithmic predictions
- Hiring someone to ensure good data governance in your company is a front-end investment that ensures the sustainability of the company. Bring an expert in, or seek training from resources that are widely available on the internet.
“When you have a product that has taken into account so many users in an inclusive and effective way, that's how you're going to be able to identify and build market share quickly. And that's how you're going to have a really competitive product. ” - Christina Miller-Foster
Connect with Christina Miller-Foster:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinamillerfoster/
Get the IHI Improvement Framework: https://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/IHIWhitePapers/Achieving-Health-Equity.aspx
Connect with Bethany Corbin:
Website: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/
Podcast: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/podcast-legally-femtech
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanycorbin/
In this episode, Bethany Corbin and Keren Leshem discuss:
- Why you need to know your investor audience
- Why investment is a two-way street
- How to develop your story and pitch
- How to Communicate with investors and your team
Key Takeaways:
- Know your audience. Know exactly who to go to, when you need to raise your funds, how much you're raising, how much you're going to raise now and in the future, and what your milestones are. It’s super important to think of this from start to finish.
- When you meet with an investor, ask them questions about who they’ve invested in, what stages they’ve invested in, or how much money is their check size. Based on their answers to these questions, you can know whether you are a good fit for each other or not. Remember that investment is a two-way street.
- Make sure that your story flows. It has to be short, concise, and full of information but without too much detail. Take note of repeating questions and make them part of your pitch. Adjust your pitch for Zoom meetings to keep people interested.
- Once you do get an investor on board, celebrate that win. Communicate the investment to your team and communicate back to the investor about the program and about the progress you are making. Don’t wait for them to ask for updates.
“Success in women's health, regardless of what the company does, is success for all of us” - Keren Leshem
Connect with Keren Leshem:
Website: https://oconmed.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/keren-leshem-b67908a/
Connect with Bethany Corbin:
Website: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/
Podcast: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/podcast-legally-femtech
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanycorbin/
In this episode, Bethany Corbin and Dr. Brittany Baretto discuss:
- How to choose between C Corp vs LLC for your FemTech startup
- When you should start forming your company
- How much to budget for legal fees
- What six documents you should have when starting your FemTech company
- What to expect in Part Two of our discussion
Key Takeaways:
- While startup companies can form as either LLCs or C-Corps, the preferred corporate vehicle for attracting investment is the C-Corp. In fact, venture capitalists and investors prefer to invest in Delaware C-Corps.
- When forming your entity, think carefully about the number of shares you’ll need and the price for those shares. Issuing 10 million shares of stock is common if you’re looking to create a company that attracts investors. If you’re an early-stage startup, you’ll want to set the par value of your shares low, as your company is not yet profitable and par value can have tax implications.
- Make sure to prioritize legal services within your budget and think carefully about your anticipated monthly legal budget. Investors will want to know that you are serious about establishing your company properly and adhering to applicable laws and regulations. Depending on the stage and size of your business, legal fees may range from $2,000-$5,000 per month for early-stage companies.
- Here are six key documents you should consider having when starting your femtech company:
- Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
- FAST Agreement
- Employee agreement
- Restricted stock agreement
- 83(b) Form
- Contractor agreement
“Some founders, as soon as they have an idea, they'll set up their C Corp and then all of a sudden they have an annual franchise tax. Form [your company] when you’re about to really start to do business. Get revenue. You really need a bank account. I think the bank account is kind of that pivotal moment where you're like, Okay, this is a real business. This is a real company.” - Dr. Brittany Baretto
Connect with Dr. Brittany Baretto:
Website: https://drbrittanybarreto.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanybarreto/
Connect with Bethany Corbin:
Website: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/
Podcast: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/podcast-legally-femtech
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanycorbin/
In this episode, Bethany Corbin and Oriana discuss:
- How to bridge the gap between academia and the market
- Where to find a partner for your startup
- How to handle rejection (3 tips!)
Key Takeaways:
- There is a lot of medical innovation being done in academia, but most of these stay in academia. Your company could be the bridge that could bring innovation out of academia and into the market.
- Finding the perfect academic partner for your startup will require you to research intently and put out there who you’re looking for. Get a partner with a breakthrough idea who's excited to do something differently, someone who’s on the precipice of something really exciting.
- Always ask for feedback, it’s always valuable. Always go back, don’t take no as a permanent no. Also, don’t take it personally and be comfortable walking away. Create a strong investor funnel and keep going.
- Partnership is always a great option. Look for a partner who has a background and skills that can complement yours. There’s no room for ego in startup, be very self-critical, know your own gaps and find someone to fill those for you in order to benefit the company.
“Not every investor is the right one for you. Not every startup is the right one for an investor. It has usually nothing to do with you personally, and a lot more to do with what's happening behind the scenes, either from an investor or from a fund perspective. So don't take it personally and just keep going.” - Oriana Papin-Zoghbi
Connect with Oriana Papin-Zoghbi:
Website: https://www.aoadx.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/orianazh/
Connect with Bethany Corbin:
Website: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/
Podcast: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/podcast-legally-femtech
In this episode, Bethany Corbin, Alice Zheng, and Stasia Obremsky discuss:
- The impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision on femtech investment and funding
- Areas of women’s health that are particularly suited for investment in a post-Roe v. Wade world
- The role of private capital in femtech and investment opportunities
- Tips for femtech startups trying to raise capital
Key Takeaways:
- Women’s health has long been underserved and underinvested; however, things are starting to change. There are new opportunities to invest today that weren’t available five years ago.
- Consider first and foremost the impact of your business. Address issues of affordability, access, and most importantly, equity. Everywhere you look, there are unmet needs in the Women’s Health space.
- In today’s post-Roe environment, there are four key areas ripe for investment and innovation to mitigate the impact of the Dobbs decision: (1) pregnancy prevention, (2) improving maternal health outcomes, (3) medication abortion, and (4) new innovations not yet seen or scaled.
- Privacy protection is essential for all femtech companies that collect sensitive or reproductive health data. Investors are asking founders about their privacy plans post-Roe.
“The two most important things you can do for the world are to educate women, and to get and then to give them the tools to manage their fertility. And when you do that, you unlock 50% of the world's human capital.” - Stasia Obremsky
“Leverage the energy and the outrage that many of us are feeling and funnel that into the investment case. The case was always there. But now there's even greater impetus, there is greater urgency in tying that story together.” - Alice Zheng
Resources:
Blog Post Mentioned: https://www.hbs.edu/healthcare/blog/post/doubling-down-on-womens-health-innovation-and-leveraging-the-private-sector-in-a-post-roe-v-wade-era
Rhia Ventures tracker on companies providing abortion benefits: https://rhiaventures.org/corporate-engagement/whatareyourreprobenefits/
Rhia Ventures Medicaid Learning Collaborative videos: https://rhiaventures.org/ecosystem-building/
Women's health in the life sciences: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/unlocking-opportunities-in-womens-healthcare
Connect with Stasia Obremsky:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stasia-obremskey-27a6a216/
Connect with Alice Zheng:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicexzheng/
Connect with Bethany Corbin:
Email: bethany.corbin@nixongwiltlaw.com
Website: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/
Podcast: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/podcast-legally-femtech
In this episode, Bethany Corbin and Jessica Karr discuss:
- Creating the greatest positive impact with your product
- Collaboration in the Fem Tech industry
- Advice for early start ups
- How to get better at pitching
Key Takeaways:
- Companies that are now focusing on sustainability need to realize that they have to put more attention on the side of positive social impact too.
- Having more women in the industry brings a unique advantage to growing businesses due to feminine values focusing more on creating a collaborative environment rather than cutthroat competition.
- Early startups should focus on getting angels and a little bit of traction at the beginning. VCs tend to be copycats and will respond according to whether other VCs will invest or not. You need to put effort into creating momentum for your startup. Be friends with as many founders as you can.
- Figure out how much you really need and find the right people to invest. Don’t carelessly take money as that will affect your evaluation. If you don’t achieve your milestones, you can have a down round and people will not participate again and new investors might decline.
- Your pitch will get rejected a lot of times, don’t take it personally and don’t give up. Keep things interesting both for yourself and for the people you’re meeting. Also, have someone to train your pitches with, someone to listen to the many versions of your pitch. Adjust your pitch, make it better over time and adapt your pitch based on who your investor is.
“There's a huge overhaul happening in venture capital where tons of new funds are being formed right now. And a lot of them are women led… we're building our fund with feminine values. We're very collaborative. We're not giving anybody special treatment or pitting people against each other.” - Jessica Karr
Connect with Jessica Karr:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicarkarr/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jessicarkarr
Connect with Bethany Corbin:
Email: bethany.corbin@nixongwiltlaw.com
Website: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/
Podcast: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/podcast-legally-femtech
In this episode, Bethany Corbin and Jingjin Liu discuss:
- How to build inner confidence in order to ask for more
- Why there needs to be more conversations on sex and tech
- How broad the range of sex tech is
- How we can promote education on sexual wellness
Key Takeaways:
- If women are not even able to ask for pleasure in the bedroom, how will they be able to ask for a promotion or a salary increase? If we are able to help women build inner confidence from a much deeper level, they will be able to ask for more.
- The world needs more discussion around sex and sex tech. If we continue to associate it with stigma and taboo then we’re not going to get the products and solutions out there where they could empower a lot of women.
- The promotion of sexual wellness starts with educating the masses and encouraging a mindset shift around sex and technology. Sex tech isn’t only about sex, it deals with everything around it. This includes enhancing the sexual experience of couples, healing from sexual trauma, and how to use technology to defend one’s self in emergency situations.
- The more women start businesses or join companies that are in the femtech space, the more voices they'll have in the industry. Every person in the industry, whether an employee or founder, is an advocate. Having more and more advocates creates a ripple effect in our communities.
“Women’s bodies need to be treated differently than men. Sex tech generally is designed to enhance sexuality. The really exciting part of sex tech is really not about that. It’s really about humanity, it’s about connection.” - Jingjin Liu
Connect with Jingjin Liu:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jingjin-liu/
Website: https://zazazu.vip/
Connect with Bethany Corbin:
Website: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/
Podcast: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/podcast-legally-femtech
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanycorbin
In this episode, Bethany Corbin and Astrid Gyllenkrok discuss:
Astrid’s founder journey with LEIA
* Where to start with your own femtech company
* How to scale and when to push for growth
* How to remain resilient by surrounding yourself with people*
Key Takeaways:
If you want to start your own femtech company, you need to start with data. Data drives value, which is necessary for people to sign off on your idea and use your product.
* Interview people from your target group and be open to understanding and exploring their needs - even if you think you know their pain points. To create system change, you need to add value to all key stakeholders. This means focusing on research and gathering information, especially in the beginning.
* Test products and analyze market fit. Make sure you are targeting the right users and work to build a product that actually solves their problems and needs. Once your product accomplishes this, then you can push for growth.
* To achieve sustainable growth, you need to have the right people on board. Surround yourself with people that will be there when you are succeeding and that will stay even when you are not.*
“Don’t rely on old ways of doing things, create something that works for you and that you believe in and then run with it. Most processes are built from a male perspective. If something doesn’t feel right, change it.” - Astrid Gyllenkrok
Connect with Astrid Gyllenkrok:
Website: https://www.meetleia.com/en
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leia-health/ | https://www.linkedin.com/in/astrid-gyllenkrok-kristensen-4231b211/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeetLeia
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meet_leia/
Connect with Bethany Corbin:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanycorbin
Website: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/
Podcast: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/podcast-legally-femtech
In this episode, Bethany Corbin and Ari Krzyzek discuss:
- Creating a brand purpose statement
- Finding out who your ideal audience is
- Deciding when you should create your brand
- Marketing strategies for reproductive health products
Key Takeaways:
- If you truly embrace design and even branding at the earlier stage, you're gonna save a lot of time and even money down the road, simply because you already have all of your foundation ready.
- To come up with a brand purpose statement, ask yourself three questions:
- Who are you as a brand?
- What does your business do for people?
- Why does it matter?
- Narrow down your ideal audience. Make it as specific and as detailed as possible
- Create your own brand right off the bat. If you take the time to really think these things through, then you’ll find yourself propelled into greater and faster business growth.
“When you start slowly thinking through and finding some alignment between what do I have, as a brand, to offer to this particular audience? How can I make their life better? If you already know their pain points and then align it with what you have, you’ll start seeing how you can make a person’s life better or the impact that you will have for them.” - Ari Krzyzek
Connect with Ari Krzyzek:
Website: https://chykalophia.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/2329060/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chykalophia/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/chykalophia/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/chykalophia/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/cklphgroup
Podcast, Halo Femtech: https://halo-femtech.captivate.fm/
Connect with Bethany Corbin:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethanycorbin
Website: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/
Podcast: https://nixongwiltlaw.com/podcast-legally-femtech
In this special episode of Legally Femtech, join host Bethany Corbin for a continued exploration of incorporating diversity and inclusivity into femtech products. Bethany speaks with Belen Copetti, a creative director working at Mira Fertility, who is in charge of establishing the brand's creative and marketing strategies. Belen has worked in the marketing and creative fields for over 8 years and is in charge of executing Mira's vision across communication platforms and channels. In this episode, we discuss how current femtech and fertility language can exclude minority populations, including the LGBTQ+ community, how to design your femtech product for maximum inclusivity, using language as an evolving inclusivity tool, how to address unintended instances of exclusion, and much more! Join us for this exciting follow-up discussion on diversity and inclusivity in femtech!
In this episode of Legally Femtech, join host Bethany Corbin as she explores how femtech companies can design their products and platforms for maximum inclusivity and diversity. Bethany speaks with guest Elizabeth Gordon, a femtech and sextech marketing strategist and conversion copywriter who produced The Inclusive Language Guide for Femtech and Sextech Leaders (https://elizabethagordon.com/inclusivelanguageguide). Join us for an exciting discussion of how femtech can better serve the entire population that identifies as female.
In this special episode of Legally Femtech, host Bethany Corbin discusses the landscape of reproductive health rights and justice (RHRJ) following the leaked U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Joining Bethany is special guest Natalie Birnbaum, a healthcare innovation attorney at Nixon Gwilt Law. Natalie is co-chair of the abortion access committee at the NYC Bar Association's Sex and Law Committee and has been involved in reproductive health rights and justice for over five years. Bethany and Natalie sit down to discuss the significance of RHRJ, the current landscape of abortion access in the United States, the potential changes in U.S. abortion laws if Roe v. Wade falls, telemedicine abortion access, the interplay between federal and state regulation of mifepristone, and much more!
On this episode of Legally Femtech, join your host Bethany Corbin for an exciting exploration of the lifecycle of an early stage femtech startup! Bethany is joined on this episode by Alice Mattsson, founder of Pharmista Technologies in Sweden, which seeks to create breakthroughs in diagnostic device development using reusable technology. Alice and Bethany discuss how female entrepreneurs can take their company from idea to reality, why it's important to have co-founders or advisory teams, and what the research and design phases look like for early stage women's health products. This episode also explores budgeting and funding for early stage healthcare startups. Join us for a great conversation!
The abortion landscape in the United States is on the precipice of change. Following the leaked Supreme Court decision, femtech consumers are concerned that their sensitive health data is not adequately secured or protected by femtech companies. News articles have advocated for women to delete their health data from menstrual and fertility tracking apps. This lack of trust in femtech privacy and security practices could undermine a growing industry that seeks to revolutionize the way we think about women's health. In this special episode of Legally Femtech, your host, Bethany Corbin, explains why women are concerned about their health data, how such data can be accessed by law enforcement, and actionable strategies that femtech companies can take now to enhance privacy and security safeguards and promote consumer trust.
In this episode of Legally Femtech, host Bethany Corbin sits down with Dr. Jocelyn Fitzgerald, Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, to discuss how women's health doctors view the femtech industry. Unbeknownst to most consumers, a large number of femtech products are created without professional medical oversight and involvement. At the academic level, physician and professor compensation structures are not always designed to encourage medical consultation on new femtech devices, and overcoming institutional red tape can be challenging. On the practical side, most medical professionals have limited time and resources to devote to medical device consultation and may be unable to keep pace with the technological developments that can assist patients. The resulting gap between the technology and medical sectors can sometimes lead to the development of products that do not materially benefit consumers. This episode discusses the medical-technology gap for women's health and the femtech industry, concerns with data overload for providers, and fighting back against taboos and stigmas associated with women's health. Join us for an engaging and enlightening conversation to help bridge the gap!
In this fifth episode of Legally Femtech, host Bethany Corbin talks with Chanda Kundnaney, founder of LiZZOM (a UAE startup in the women's hygiene space focused on organic sanitary pads and liners), about the social taboos and stigmas surrounding women's health. For too long, discussions of women's health have been relegated to the shadows of the private sphere, widely perceived as an inappropriate topic for public discourse. As a result, women devalue their personal health experiences, assume their health symptoms are normal, and are even afraid to discuss their health and wellbeing with their physicians. It's time to challenge the taboos and stigmas surrounding women's health and break down these societally constructed barriers so that women can prioritize their health and wellness. This episode explores why women's health is considered taboo, how to speak about women's health in public, how femtech companies can work to overcome these taboos and stigmas, what the femtech landscape looks like in the UAE, and much more! Join us to be part of the change in women's health.
In this episode of Legally Femtech, host Bethany Corbin sits down with Sophie Smith, founder of Nabta Health, to discuss femtech in emerging markets and how to make healthcare more equitable across the globe. Nabta Health was designed to build a female-centric model of healthcare for women in emerging markets, with a key focus on the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. With an ultimate goal of empowering women to manage their health and wellness, Nabta Health just raised $1.5 million in a new angel investment round to expand B2B offerings and enhance market share across the UAE. In this episode, Bethany and Sophie discuss the status of women's health in emerging markets, challenges and barriers to building a femtech company in emerging markets, the need to promote diversity and inclusion in healthcare products and testing globally, and key advice for femtech startups looking to launch their products or companies in emerging markets.
In this third episode of the Legally Femtech Podcast, your host, Bethany Corbin, explores femtech trends in the European market with guest speaker Ksenia Tugay! Ksenia is a Strategic Innovation Expert at Groupe Mutuel, located in Switzerland. She is also invovled with the femtech accelerator Tech4Eva, which is the first femtech startup acceleration program in continental Europe. This episode explores future trends for femtech in Europe and offers tips for startup founders on how to navigate the Europen femtech market. The episode also discusses the need for employers to offer fertility treatments and menopause support and education for employees, and explains the value of accelerator programs for new startups. Join us to learn more about the femtech landscape and how to build a femtech startup in Europe!
Join your host, Bethany Corbin, for an exciting exploration of the evolution of the femtech industry and an honest dialogue on social and ethical harms surrounding many femtech products on the market today. In this second episode, you'll learn about the historic exclusion of women from clinical trials and healthcare research and the culture of shame and taboo that invades public discussions of women's health. You'll also uncover key social harms present from the lack of regulatory standards and guidance governing femtech products - including inaccurate devices and data overload - along with the rise of intimate surveillance. If you're a femtech founder, designer, or developer, this is a must-listen episode to ensure you are designing your product for maximum inclusivity.
For centuries, women's health has been neglected, understood principally as a deviation from the male norm. However, the rapidly growing femtech (female health technology) industry has been revolutionizing women's healthcare with digital health solutions tailored to individuals identifying as female. Interested in learning more about recent and projected developments in the femtech industry and how femtech is transforming women's healthcare? Join your host, Bethany Corbin, as she talks with femtech trend forecasters Rhiannon Jones and Anna Butterworth from Ultraviolet Agency. Learn about femtech trends in 2022 and beyond, intersectional femtech, trend forecasting (and why startups need trend forecasters), radical inclusivity, the impact of the metaverse on healthcare and femtech, diverse and inclusive tech, and the need to keep innovating in women's health!