FemTech Focus: Recent Episodes
Brittany Barreto PhD, brittany@femtechfocus.org, Dr. Brittany Barreto, FemTech Focus
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness. Follow us on social @FemTechFocus
📋 Episode Summary:In this powerful episode of FemTech Focus, Dr. Brittany Barreto is joined by Kamila Staryga, CEO and Co-founder of Rita Health. Kamila is a seasoned entrepreneur and product leader with a background at Flo Health, Google X, and ATAP—and she’s now on a mission to change the fertility care paradigm.
Together, they explore why traditional fertility metrics like age and AMH aren't enough, how Rita Health is pioneering a proactive approach to fertility, and why fertility should be part of routine healthcare long before someone tries to conceive. Kamila explains how her team built a proprietary dataset, developed personalized care plans using AI, and is challenging the outdated notion that fertility care starts only after a problem arises.
The episode dives deep into the behavioral, biological, and systemic factors impacting fertility today—and how Rita is helping users make informed decisions about their reproductive future.
Whether you’re actively trying to conceive, considering your options, or just curious about how data and AI are reshaping women’s health, this episode is a must-listen.
🧠 What You’ll Learn:
- Why fertility care should start before you're trying to conceive
- The dangers of relying on age and AMH alone
- How Rita Health uses AI to build personalized fertility profiles
- What your family history, lifestyle, and even dental hygiene may reveal about fertility
-
How behavioral science and inclusive design shaped Rita’s user experience
-
- Why it’s time to stop treating fertility as an urgent switch—and start treating it as a continuum🔗 Explore More: Check out Rita Health at wearerita.com and sign up for early access to their new care plan. This episode is the first place it’s being announced publicly! 🎁 Listener Perk:You’re the first to know—Rita’s new proactive fertility care plan is now available for pre-order. Head to wearerita.com to reserve your spot and join the movement redefining fertility care.
🎤 This episode is sponsored by:
Clue, the leading cycle tracking app. Use promocode FEMHEALTH at helloclue.com for 1 year free Clue Plus Membership, and Nest Collaborative, the trusted name in virtual lactation support available 365 days a year.
📋 Episode Summary:
In this cutting-edge episode, Dr. Brittany Barreto sits down with Dr. Rahima Benhabbour—chemist, biomedical engineer, and founder of AnelleO, a UNC spinout transforming intravaginal drug delivery. With her roots in Algeria and her scientific training spanning three continents, Dr. Benhabbour brings a global, deeply human perspective to women's health innovation.
Together, they discuss how outdated vaginal ring technology inspired the development of AnelleO PRO, a 3D-printed, customizable progesterone ring designed for women undergoing fertility treatment. Unlike traditional rings that waste over 85% of the active drug, AnelleO's platform maximizes drug release and allows for multi-drug, multi-use configurations—including HIV prevention and contraception in a single product.
This episode is a must-listen for those interested in biotechnology, platform therapeutics, and the engineering breakthroughs reshaping reproductive care.
🧠 What You’ll Learn:
- Why traditional intravaginal rings are inefficient and outdated
- How AnelleO’s 3D printing technology allows for better drug release, fit, and personalization
- The clinical and regulatory milestones leading to first-in-human trials for fertility care
- How multi-purpose prevention technologies could transform global contraception and HIV care
- The growing movement toward non-hormonal contraception and the future of male birth control
💬 Quotable Moment:
"Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it. Someone has to pave the way." – Dr. Rahima Benhabbour
🔗 Resources Mentioned:
- AnelleO: www.anelleo.com
- Dr. Benhabbour’s Lab: benhabbour.web.unc.edu
- Nature Reviews Bioengineering article on AnelleO’s technology
🧪 Episode Sponsor:
This episode is brought to you by:
Withum – A forward-thinking accounting and advisory firm supporting innovators in the Women’s Health and Wellness industry. Learn more at withum.com.
🍼 Nest Collaborative – The pioneers in telehealth lactation support. Book your virtual appointment with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant at . Same-day visits often available and hundreds of insurance plans accepted, including Medicaid. www.nestcollaborative.com
🎙️ Episode Title:
Somatic Sexology: The Nervous System’s Role in Female Sexual Health with Crystal Rose Napolitano
📋 Episode Summary:
In this deeply personal and illuminating episode, Dr. Brittany Barreto is joined by Crystal Rose Napolitano, somatic sexologist, birth doula, and CEO of Your Body Your Story. Together, they explore the critical connection between the nervous system, attachment strategies, and female sexual health—areas often overlooked in traditional Western medicine.
Crystal shares how her conservative upbringing shaped her journey toward healing, how somatic coaching can unlock sexual freedom, and why conditions like vaginismus and endometriosis deserve more integrated and empathetic care. The episode dives into the power of body awareness, trauma-informed intimacy, and the need for sex tech that’s inclusive, connective, and accessible—especially for people living with chronic pelvic pain.
Whether you're new to somatics or a seasoned wellness advocate, this episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in rethinking what sexual health care can and should be.
🧠 What You’ll Learn:
- What somatic sexology is and how it supports sexual healing
- The impact of shame, trauma, and attachment styles on intimacy
- How nervous system regulation improves sexual wellness
- Why endometriosis is a sexual health issue—and what solutions are emerging
- How sex tech can empower connection, not just orgasm
- The difference between dysfunction and the body’s intelligent protection
💬 Special Listener Offer:
Listeners of FemTech Focus get 10% off Crystal’s services! Just message her the word “FemTech” on Instagram @itsyourbodyyourstory or through her website at YourBodyYourStory.com to claim the discount. This includes coaching packages and one-on-one sessions.
🔗 Resources Mentioned:
- Your Body Your Story
- Instagram: @itsyourbodyyourstory
- Endo45 app
- Crave Jewelry Vibrator
- Lioness Smart Vibrator
- Crescendo by MysteryVibe
🧪 Episode Sponsors:
This episode is sponsored by:
🍼 Nest Collaborative – The pioneers in telehealth lactation support. Book your virtual appointment with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant at NestCollaborative.com. Same-day visits often available and hundreds of insurance plans accepted, including Medicaid.
🎤 SIS Global – The premier femtech conference happening in NYC this May 15–16. Join industry leaders, founders, and advocates advancing innovation in women’s health. Learn more and register at SISglobal.org.
Let me know if you'd like a version of this for Apple Podcasts or Spotify episode descriptions (which often require shorter word counts).
🔍 Episode Summary
In this powerful episode, Dr. Brittany Barreto sits down with Dr. Melanie Santos — a fellowship-trained urogynecologist and Chief Medical Officer of CERN Corporation — to discuss the pelvic floor as the epicenter of women's health, why vaginitis is the #1 medical complaint among premenopausal women, and how low-level visible light therapy might just be the drug-free future of vaginal care.
Together, they explore the often-overlooked complexity of pelvic health, the limitations of current treatments for urinary incontinence and recurrent infections, and the groundbreaking potential of CERN’s intravaginal light-based therapy. This episode is packed with clinical insight, passionate advocacy, and a clear vision for the future of women’s health.
🧠 What You'll Learn
- Why pelvic floor health impacts nearly every facet of a woman’s life — from intimacy to digestion to mental wellness
- The staggering prevalence of vaginitis and why current treatments fall short
- How CERN Corporation is using low-level microbicidal light to treat yeast and bacterial infections without antibiotics
- The science behind the vaginal microbiome — and why it’s the “wild west” of research right now
-
How cultural norms, product marketing, and racial health disparities influence vaginal health
-
- The growing need to educate and empower patients, especially women of color, about safer and more effective solutions 🧬 Featured Topics:*
- Reframing urinary incontinence as a treatable condition — not a “normal” part of aging
- The clinical design and mechanism of CERN’s intravaginal device
- Potential global health applications of light-based vaginal therapy, including for the military
- The vaginal microbiome, recurrent infections, and the promise of sequencing startups like Juno Bio
- The overlooked connection between hormone metabolism, gut health, and vaginal health
🧵 Quotable Moments:
“The pelvic floor is the epicenter. It’s pleasure, infection, childbirth, digestion — it’s everything.” – Dr. Brittany Barreto
“We’re not just treating infections; we’re restoring balance — and we’re doing it without drugs.” – Dr. Melanie Santos
💡 Resources Mentioned:
- CERN Corporation – Innovators in light-based treatment for vaginitis
- Unlocking Women’s Health by Dr. Brittany Barreto – Featuring chapters on vaginal and urinary health
-
Juno Bio – Vaginal microbiome sequencing startup
-
- CDC and ACOG statistics on vaginitis and preterm birth 👩🏽⚕️ About Dr. Melanie Santos:* Dr. Santos is a board-certified, fellowship-trained urogynecologist and reconstructive pelvic surgeon. She serves as the Chief Medical Officer at CERN Corporation and is the Medical Director for Pelvic Health at St. Jude Medical Center. She’s an advocate for integrated care models, pelvic floor education, and driving innovation in vaginal health.
🎧 Listen Now & Subscribe:
Don’t miss this must-hear episode for anyone interested in women’s health innovation, pelvic care, and the future of non-drug treatments. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
In this episode of FemTech Focus, Dr. Brittany Barreto sits down with the incredibly dynamic Akifa Khattak—a healthcare attorney, biotech expert, policy advocate, and Miss North Orlando 2025. With advanced degrees from Cornell and Johns Hopkins, Akifa is a powerhouse at the intersection of law, tech, and women’s health.
Akifa shares how her personal journey through a rare and severe case of endometriosis—including three surgeries, medical menopause, and fertility preservation—led her to co-found Her Health AI, a femtech company revolutionizing endometriosis diagnostics using artificial intelligence.
Together, we explore:
- How AI is being trained to identify and map endometriosis more accurately and non-invasively
- The regulatory, ethical, and privacy challenges of using AI in healthcare
- What makes Brazil a leader in personalized endometriosis care
- Akifa’s work lobbying for the Find It Early Act and pushing to include endometriosis in ADA accommodations
- Why your data—and your story—can drive meaningful innovation in women’s health
From deep sea diving to deep system change, Akifa is reshaping the narrative of what it means to be a woman in healthcare—both as a patient and a professional.
Don’t miss this empowering episode that proves healing, hope, and innovation go hand-in-hand.
In this episode, we are honored to host Miller Morris, the visionary Founder and CEO of Comma. Miller is reshaping period care by integrating sustainability, autonomy, and clinical science into menstruation products. A former women’s health researcher and now a trailblazer in social entrepreneurship, Miller's journey has spanned continents—from transformative projects in South Africa to pivotal roles at the WHO in Switzerland.
Comma has introduced Sara, a groundbreaking HIPAA-compliant period tracking app that empowers users to uncover and understand menstrual cycle patterns and connect with essential health resources. This level of security is vital for maintaining user privacy, a core value for Miller and Comma.
What You'll Learn in This Episode:
- How Comma is driving innovation in menstrual health through software, sustainable products, and laboratory diagnostics.
- The importance of data security in health apps and how Comma ensures user data is protected.
- Future plans for Comma and how they aim to personalize reproductive health care.
Don't Miss Out:
-
Head over to YourComma.com to create your Sara account today. Sara is not just any app; it's a Progressive Web App (PWA), ensuring seamless updates and superior privacy.
-
📖 Grab your copy of Dr. Brittany Barreto’s influential book, Unlocking Women's Health: FemTech and the Quest for Gender Equity. Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and directly through drbrittanybarreto.com for a personalized signed copy.
Connect with Us:
- 🌐 Visit FemTech Focus to learn more about our mission and upcoming episodes.
- 📲 Follow Dr. BrittanyBarreto on Linkedin and Instagram to stay updated on the latest in femtech and women's health innovation.
Together, let's drive the conversation forward and work towards solutions that enhance health outcomes for women worldwide. Join us in transforming the landscape of healthcare through innovation and empowerment.
Join Dr. Brittany Barreto as she welcomes Dr. Mitzi Krockover, a vanguard in the field of women's health and angel investment, on the FemTech Focus Podcast. Dr. Krockover is the founder and CEO of Women Centered and the managing director at Golden Seeds Arizona chapter, where she champions the advancement of women’s health through innovative education, consulting, and investing. This episode dives into the latest trends in women’s health innovation, the empowerment of female entrepreneurs through angel investments, and the potential of Arizona as the next hub for femhealth innovation.
Episode Highlights:
- Discuss the evolution of women’s health innovation influenced by an increase in female engagement in STEM and finance.
- Unpack the challenges women face in healthcare and the power of education and advocacy in addressing these issues.
- Explore the significance of angel investing in supporting women-led health tech startups.
- Gain insights into personalized health strategies and the importance of more inclusive health research and funding.
Call to Action:🔔 Subscribe to the FemTech Focus Podcast for more insightful discussions on women’s health and wellness.👍 Like, comment, and share this episode to help promote vital conversations about femtech.🎧 Check out Dr. Mitzi Krockover’s podcast, Beyond the Paper Gown, for more empowering health discussions.📖 Grab your copy of Dr. Brittany Barreto’s influential book, Unlocking Women's Health: FemTech and the Quest for Gender Equity. Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and directly through drbrittanybarreto.com for a personalized signed copy.
Connect with Us:
- 🌐 Visit FemTech Focus to learn more about our mission and upcoming episodes.
- 📲 Follow @DrBrittanyBarreto on social media to stay updated on the latest in femtech and women's health innovation.
Together, let's drive the conversation forward and work towards solutions that enhance health outcomes for women worldwide. Join us in transforming the landscape of healthcare through innovation and empowerment.
The Origins and Importance of FemTech: Honoring the Mothers of Gynecology
In this episode of the FemTech Focus podcast, host Dr. Brittany Barreto introduces the concept of FemTech, an industry and movement dedicated to addressing women's health issues. She shares her personal journey and passion for the field and previews the 2025 season dedicated to Anarcha, Betsy, and Lucy, three enslaved women who were pivotal in the early development of gynecology. Their stories of suffering and resilience underscore the importance of gender-informed, and sex-specific healthcare and the ongoing mission of FemTech to drive innovations that address female-specific health conditions. This episode calls for continued investment and advocacy in women's health.
00:00 Introduction to FemTech Focus
00:51 What is Femtech?
01:21 The Movement for Gender-Informed & Sex-Specific Healthcare
04:16 Meet Dr. Brittany Barreto
05:13 The Birth of Femtech
06:46 The Evolution of Femtech Focus
09:46 Dedication to the Mothers of Gynecology
11:11 The Story of Anarcha, Betsy, and Lucy
18:20 Continuing the Legacy
Subscribe & Comment
@FemTechFocus @DrBrittanyBarreto
In this episode, we talk to Irene Laurora, SVP of Scientific Affairs, and Flavia Mason, global VP of women’s health at Perrigo, a consumer health company. Their over the counter birth control, Opill, was the first to receive FDA approval in the US, a significant step towards decreasing barriers for women to access quality healthcare. Join us for a conversation where we discuss the societal role of hormonal birth control, Perrigo’s journey to securing FDA approval for Opill, and whether Opill is right for you.
Remember to like, rate, and subscribe. Enjoy the episode!
Guest bioIrene Laurora is a pharmacist by training who has spent her career in the pharmaceutical industry working to build solutions that make people’s lives better and healthier. She currently serves as the SVP of Scientific Affairs at Perrigo, where she has played an instrumental role in the development of products like Opill.
Flavia Mason is the Global VP of Women’s Health at Perrigo. She came to this role after many years in corporate America, where she proved herself to be a strong leader and capable operator. She joined Perrigo to help improve women’s experiences when interacting with the healthcare system.
Organization bioPerrigo is a consumer health company responsible for securing FDA approval for the first over the counter birth control in the US, the Opill. Perrigo is behind many of the personal health brands you may be familiar with and see at your local pharmacy. With the addition of the Opill, consumers are now able to walk into a pharmacy, big box retailer, or favorite e-commerce platform, and access hormonal birth control pills without doctor’s appointment or prescription. It is a massive step forward in reducing barriers to accessing healthcare for women.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[02:10] Flavia and Irene’s backgrounds
[09:38] Description of Perrigo and explanation of connection to women’s health
[12:45] What is Opill?
[16:02] Other forms of over the counter contraception
[20:20] Stats around unintended pregnancy in the US
[23:48] Effectiveness of OTC birth control
[29:38] The FDA approval process for Opill
[32:12] How Perrigo is helping increase access to birth control
[35:10] Is Opill right for you?
[37:12] Is OTC birth control new to the world? Or just new to the US?
[38:50] Looking ahead: aspirations for Opill and Perrigo
Episode ContributorsIrene Laurora
LinkedIn: @Irene Laurora
Flavia Mason
LinkedIn: @Flavia Mason
Opill
Website: https://opill.com/
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Gaia Salizzoni, founder of Hale, a community for women suffering from genito-pelvic pain, including vulvodynia. Her community is an important part of the care journey for patients going through treatment or dealing with genito-pelvic pain. Additionally, as an entrepreneur building a women’s health company in the EU, Gaia has a unique view into the advantages and difficulties building in Europe. Join us for a conversation where we discuss the Hale community, genito-pelvic pain, and the current state of women’s health innovation in the EU.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioGale Salizzoni is founder and CEO of Hale, a digital platform designed to help people living with genito-pelvic pain improve their quality of life. With a passion for women's health and a background in technology, Gaia founded Hale to provide support and resources for those navigating the challenges of pelvic and gynecologic pain. Through Hale, Gaia aims to empower individuals to better manage their condition and find relief from discomfort, fostering a community of understanding and support along the way.
Organization bioHale is a supportive community tailored for women experiencing genito-pelvic pain, offering a safe space for connection, understanding, and shared healing journeys. Through online forums, resources, and expert guidance, Hale provides women with the tools and solidarity to navigate their pain experiences with empowerment and resilience. With a focus on holistic well-being and destigmatization, Hale fosters a compassionate environment where women can find comfort, validation, and hope amidst their challenges.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[02:00] Gaia’s background
[03:42] Founding story of Hale
[05:22] What is vulvodynia? What causes it?
[08:57] How is vulvodynia treated?
[10:02] How does physiotherapy help with vulvodynia?
[13:13] The role of community in treating chronic pelvic pain
[15:18] What is Hale?
[19:20] Who can access Hale? Where is it
[22:08] FemTech in the EU
[28:10] Marketing censorship of women’s health companies in the EU
[28:36] Women’s Health trends and access to research funding in the EU vs US
[30:40] Advice for european entrepreneurs wanting to build in women’s health
Episode ContributorsGaia Salizzoni
LinkedIn: @Gaia Salizzoni
Hale
Website: https://www.halecommunity.com/
LinkedIn: @Hale Community
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk with Michelle Carnahan, President of Thirty Madison. Thirty Madison is a direct-to-consumer healthcare company intended to provide specialized care to individuals with chronic conditions. They currently operate four unique brands: Keeps, Cove, Evens, and Picnic focused on treating hair loss, migraines, GI issues, and allergies respectively.
Michelle and Brittany discuss Thirty Madison’s leadership in delivering digital health for women through their portfolio of brands, including NURX. They also touch on some of the challenges women face in accessing quality healthcare and how Thirty Madison and NURX are helping solve these problems.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioMichelle Carnahan has spent her entire career ensuring patients get the treatments they need to live a happy and healthy life. After graduating from college, Michelle joined Eli Lilly as a pharmaceutical sales rep. Fast forward 26 years and she will have led two of their largest product lines before launching their international business unit in 2017. She joined Thirty Madison as President in July of 2020 — just as the pandemic was reaching its head and digital technology adoption was fueling rapid changes in the way consumers access care. Within a year of joining, Michelle helped Thirty Madison to a $140M Series C raise with a valuation of over $1BN led by HealthQuest Capital.
Organization bioThirty Madison is a direct-to-consumer healthcare company intended to provide specialized care to individuals with chronic conditions. They currently operate four unique brands: Keeps, Cove, Evens, and Picnic focused on treating hair loss, migraines, GI issues, and allergies respectively.
In 2022, Thirty Madison merged with Nurx, the leading digital healthcare platform for women. The combined entity now covers a wide range of chronic, sexual health, and women’s health conditions through both digital and at-home care.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[05:50] How Michelle got into digital health
[07:30] What is Thirty Madison?
[09:12] ⅓ of women’s health patients at Thirty Madison live in women’s health desert
[10:02] NURX is the leading digital healthcare company for women
[11:48] Who is the ideal NURX customer?
[14:40] Accessible and affordable – that’s what NURX is about
[18:52] Product offerings at Thirty Madison
[20:40] Birth control side effects + finding the right birth control for you using digital health
[23:40] What are some of the challenges faced? Capital, differentiation, scale.
[31:03] Lessons learned at a large healthcare company that Michelle has brought to her role
[35:24] Thirty Madison fundraising process
[36:54] Make sure your investors understand and believe in the mission of your business
[37:22] Future of Thirty Madison
Episode ContributorsMichelle Carnahan
LinkedIn: @Michelle Carnahan
Thirty Madison
Website: https://thirtymadison.com/
LinkedIn: @Thirty Madison
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Daniela Pacheco, Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager at New Ventures Capital, where she leverages her 12 years of experience working with high impact entrepreneurs to identify and scale promising founders and startups. Join us for a conversation where we discuss the current state of women’s health innovation in Latin America, cultural considerations unique to the region, and the areas that present the greatest opportunity for growth.
You can connect with Daniela on LinkedIn through Empodera Impact Capital.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioDaniela Pacheco is Managing Partner and Portfolio Manager at New Ventures Capital. She is actively deploying through her new fund Empodera Impact Capital, which is focused on women’s health. She started her career at Endeavor in recruitment and services, managing the pipeline and portfolios for education, agriculture and health. At Endeavor, she found her purpose to support companies’ scale.
Prior to her role at New Ventures, she worked within tech startups and at venture capital funds in portfolio management. These experiences have helped her develop her skills as an operator and investor. She holds a degree of Business Administration with concentration in Economics Babson College, and a Masters in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from USC.
Organization bioBased in Bogota Colombia, New Ventures is an Impact Fund Manager that designs, operates, and oversees different impact-related assets. NVC supports both impact-driven entrepreneurs with disruptive business models and mission-oriented investors to connect in order to drive social and environmental wellbeing.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[04:30] Investment thesis for new fund focused on women’s health
[06:15] Startup opportunities in LATAM
[08:50] Where Daniela and New Ventures are seeing the most opportunity within FemTech
[09:35] 25% of women in Latin America have a child before the age of 18
[11:28] Market size of FemTech in LATAM
[13:10] Abortion legislation and access across LATAM
[19:50] Who pays for healthcare in LATAM?
[22:50] Key factors Daniela and New Ventures are looking for in deals
[24:10] What are predominant business models for FemTech companies in LATAM?
[25:50] What is the FemTech market size in LATAM?
[32:38] Cultural considerations for expanding FemTech companies internationally
[33:50] Groups, events, and organizations to connect with FemTech community in LATAM
[39:05] Women’s health is about more than women
[39:30] How to get in touch with Daniela and New Ventures
Episode ContributorsDaniela Pacheco
LinkedIn: @Daniela Pacheco
New Ventures + Empodera Impact Capital
Website: https://nvcapital.vc/
LinkedIn: @Empodera Impact Capital
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Alexandria DeVito, founder of Poplin. Poplin is the first preconception wellness testing company, designed to help couples understand their health and how it may impact their fertility long before they are interested in actively trying to have a baby.
Join us for a conversation where we define “preconception wellness,” discuss how Alexandria leveraged her unique interests to create a company and change lives, and learn more about what it’s like to write a book.
Check out Alexandria’s book 9 Months is Not Enough, here, and use code “femtech” for 10% off your Poplin kit.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioAlexandria DeVito, founder of Poplin, a preconception wellness testing company, brings a wealth of experience to the table. With a background rooted in healthcare and a passion for empowering women, she's dedicated to revolutionizing the way we approach family planning. Her commitment to innovation and impact is evident not only in her work with Poplin but also in her book, "9 Months Is Not Enough," where she shares invaluable insights into navigating the journey to motherhood. With her blend of expertise, empathy, and entrepreneurial spirit, Alexandria is a driving force in shaping the future of women's health.
Organization bioPoplin is the first preconception wellness company, helping couples understand and improve their health in order to increase their odds of conceiving, whenever that may be. With fertility health as a leading indicator of overall health, Poplin’s tests help users understand their overall health, not just in the context of getting pregnant.
Additionally, Alexandria’s book 9 Months is Not Enough provides readers with a comprehensive checklist on how to best prepare their bodies for pregnancy. A must-read for anyone interested in having a baby.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[02:45] Female investors as force multiplier in women’s health
[03:00] Alexandria’s background
[05:15] Discovering the power of nutrition in overall health
[06:35] What is Poplin? Why should individuals and couples care about preconception health?
[09:00] Preconception rituals in various cultures over time
[12:12] Fertility is an extension of your overall health. Poplin is looking at 10x the biomarkers of other fertility companies.
[13:01] Poplin testing often uncovers other underlying health conditions that are interfering with their ability to get pregnant, even if they feel well
[14:23] Why “How you feel” is not a great indicator of health
[15:37] Nutrient deficiencies that impact fertility
[19:15] What does it look like to use Poplin?
[22:01] How long does it take for interventions to be effective?
[24:13] Alexandria wrote a book!
[29:30] Who should read it?
[31:09] Fertility is a marker of future health, so whether or not you want to have kids, you should focus on your reproductive health
[32:37] Just because symptoms are common, does not mean they are normal
[33:28] Biohacking your menstrual cycle and fertility journey
[34:45] What are the biggest challenges you have faced in building Poplin?
[36:18] When we are sick, we focus inwards on ourselves and getting ourselves better. When we are well, we focus outwards on others. More and more people today are being born sick (chronic conditions, etc.).
Episode ContributorsAlexandria DeVito
LinkedIn: @Alexandria DeVito
Poplin
Website: https://getpoplin.com/
LinkedIn: @Poplin
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Ikram Guerd, VP of Marketing at Aspivix. The Aspivix Carevix is dramatically improving the patient experience for IUD insertions and other procedures that require passage through the cervix. IUD insertions are notoriously painful but, as Ikram explains, they don’t have to be.
Join us for a conversation on medical device innovation, the history of gynecological care, and how to go viral on Tiktok. Additionally, whether you are a patient or physician, you can use the Aspivix Carevix in your procedures now. Find out how below.
For Healthcare professionals
- Join our Ambassador Program to improve Women’s care. Call to all OBGYNs, midwives, nurses interested in joining the program – Contact me via my profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/ikramguerd/
For women
- Looking for OBGYNs using Carevix? Check the map here as the list continues growing: https://www.aspivix.com/find-your-obgyn/ and feel free to download the brochure to engage a conversation with your OBGYN
And check out Ikram and Brittany’s viral TikTok!
- Brittany + Ikram go viral!
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioPassionate about young girls and women's empowerment in healthcare and in their careers, Ikram is dedicated through non-profit organizations and personally to support and advance Women’s Health practices especially in gynecology with antiquated and traumatic procedures, as well as the role of women in leadership.
Born in France, Ikram's career in marketing healthcare of 18+ years has led her to the US 7 years ago where she currently holds a position of VP of Global Marketing – Managing Director US for the innovative FemTech, ASPIVIX, whose mission is to modernize gynecology with care in mind by raising awareness around innovative solutions to reduce pain for women in gynecology.
Organization bioAspivix is a Women’s Health med device company based in Switzerland developing next-generation devices for gynecology.
Their flagship product - Carevix™ - is the world’s first suction cervical stabilizer clinically proven to reduce pain and bleeding associated with transcervical procedures commonly performed in gynecology e.g., IUD insertion, hysteroscopy, cervical biopsies, fertility treatments.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[2:50] The time Ikram and Brittany went viral on TikTok!
[6:55] What is Aspivix?
[8:50] What is an IUD?
[10:50] Being a woman has inherent pain, how can we combat this pain?
[11:14] How IUDs are inserted
[12:44] What is a tenaculum and what role has it played in the history of the gynecology
[15:20] Use of pain medication in IUD insertions
[22:30] Healthcare shouldn’t be torture, it should be healthcare
[22:45] How can women get access to Aspivix products?
[27:20] Fundraising when investors don’t have experience with the product
[29:05] Other areas of gynecological care that need innovating
[31:40] Future vision for Aspivix
[33:36] The TSA vs the tenaculum
[34:40] What does femtech most need right now to be successful
Episode ContributorsIkram Guerd
LinkedIn: @Ikram Guerd
Aspivix
Website: https://www.aspivix.com/
LinkedIn: @Aspivix
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Nicole Sandford, CEO of Aspira Women’s Health, a publicly traded women’s health diagnostics company whose suite of non-invasive ovarian cancer blood tests are helping ensure women receive the best care. Nicole has an extensive background as a highly skilled operator and took the helm at Aspira in early 2022.
In their conversation, Nicole and Brittany discuss the challenges unique to ovarian cancer detection and treatment, why Aspira’s products are so revolutionary, and how the company is going after endometriosis next.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioNicole Sandford was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Aspira Women's Health in February 2022 after serving as a member of the company's Board since February 2021.
Nicole brings more than three decades of executive and leadership experience to the role. Nicole has extensive experience as an innovator and business leader as well as a sought-after advisor to CEOs and Boards on strategy, operations, human capital, governance, and risk. At global consultancy Deloitte, Nicole was the executive sponsor of multiple new businesses in the life sciences/healthcare, financial services, and consumer industries where she consistently oversaw rapid, sustainable growth.
Prior to joining Aspira, Nicole was the Global Board Services Leader for boutique human capital advisory and search firm, Ellig Group, where she advised multiple Fortune 500 companies. Prior to that, she spent 27+ years with global consultancy Deloitte, launching and leading all aspects of operations for multiple businesses. She has extensive experience with complex transactions including mergers and acquisitions, financing, and both private and public securities offerings.
Organization bioAspira Women’s Health Inc. is transforming women’s gynecological health with the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative testing options for women of all races and ethnicities, starting with ovarian cancer.
Their ovarian cancer risk assessment portfolio is marketed to healthcare providers as OvaSuite℠, which includes OvaWatch℠, a non-invasive, blood-based test intended for use in the initial clinical assessment of ovarian cancer risk in women with benign or indeterminate adnexal masses for which surgical intervention may be either premature or unnecessary. With a negative predictive value (NPV) of 99%, OvaWatch allows physicians to confidently rule out ovarian cancer malignancy and choose the appropriate clinical management for the right patient at the right time. Ova1Plus® combines our FDA-cleared products, Ova1® and Overa®, to detect risk of ovarian malignancy in women with adnexal masses planned for surgery.
EndoCheck℠, Aspira’s first-of-its-kind non-invasive diagnostic test for endometriosis, is currently in development.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bio
Led by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[3:25] Nicole’s background
[10:13] Being a publicly traded women’s health company
[13:08] Educating the public (and public markets!) about the importance of ovaries for health
[14:48] Aspira has the only complete suite of ovarian cancer blood tests on the market
[15:13] Why Ovarian cancer diagnostics and treatment are differently challenging than other cancers
[18:11] Why doesn’t everyone just have their ovaries removed when they discover a mass?
[19:37] Ovarian cysts vs masses
[27:23] Risk factors for and symptoms of ovarian cancer
[28:25] FDA clearance journey for novel diagnostic like Aspira’s
[32:43] Other tests in development at Aspira
[36:22] Pain is not required for endometriosis
[39:02] State of women’s health care today
[42:40] Economic burden of lack of access to diagnostics and treatments for these women’s health conditions
[43:43] Why Aspira is poised for success. What early-stage women’s health startups can learn from public companies like Aspira
Episode ContributorsNicole Sandford
LinkedIn: @Nicole Sandford
Aspira Women’s Health
Website: https://aspirawh.com/
LinkedIn: @Aspira Women’s Health
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Janna Meyrowitz Turner, co-founder of VCs for Repro. Dedicated to championing reproductive rights within the venture capital landscape, VCs for Repro strives to dismantle barriers and biases surrounding reproductive health, justice, and equity.
Their coalition member firms are reshaping the conversation around reproductive rights, ensuring that entrepreneurs and innovators in the space have access to the resources and support they need to thrive.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioJanna Meyrowitz Turner is a strategist focused on systems change, leadership development, and communication in all its forms.
She started her first company, Style House, at the age of 23 in 2006 which became an award-winning strategic communications and business development consultancy known for taking a holistic, progressive, and multicultural lens to brand building, strategic partnerships, platform development, marketing, and communications. With clients ranging from Estee Lauder to the WNBA, Janna became a trusted advisor to senior leadership teams on a broad range of issues - from internal and external affairs, preparation for board meetings, company retreats, and other pivotal public moments.
Today she runs Synastry Capital with three main areas of focus – investing in and building startups, conducting Personal Brand Alignment with executives and entrepreneurs, high impact leaders, and other people who do lots of things, and incubating projects designed to change the ways money and power flow in the world. Janna is the co-founder of VCs For Repro, honored as a Fast Company “World Changing Idea” for 2023, and she also sits on the board of A CALL TO MEN, a national violence prevention organization training and educating men and boys on healthy manhood.
Organization bioVCs For Repro is a coalition of venture capital firms that frames abortion as an economic and innovation imperative.
The coalition began in early 2022 with a thesis that the venture capital community, with enormous power to shape society, and laser focused on innovation and the future, has an obligation to lead on reproductive rights.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bio
Led by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[5:02] Janna intro
[7:38] Defining personal brand alignment
[15:25] Origin of VCs for Repro
[16:10] Personhood laws and their impact to women and women’s health companies
[19:25] Role of risk in women’s health investment
[24:15] Who is part of VCs for Repro? Why do they join?
[27:00] People underestimate their power and influence
[29:18] Abortion as a tool of economic suppression
[33:00] How to get involved in VCs for Repro
[36:00] Financial impact of reproductive rights and misogyny
[38:30] Call to action – fund abortion access, talk about abortion with others
[41:30] Conclusion
Episode ContributorsJanna Meyrowitz Turner
LinkedIn: @Janna Meyrowitz Turner
Blog Post about Similarities between Marijuana and Abortion
VCs for Repro
Website: https://www.vcsforrepro.com/
LinkedIn: @VCs for Repro
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Rosanne Longmore, CEO of Coroflo. We discuss the latest research around breastfeeding, personal and cultural factors that may influence breastfeeding rates, and how Coroflo is giving parents data-driven confidence in their baby’s milk consumption.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioRosanne Longmore is the CEO of Coroflo. Prior to Coroflo, Rosanne worked in financial services for 15 years, specializing in wealth management. She holds a degree from the University of Limerick, and further industry qualifications from the Institute of Project Management and the Institute of Bankers.
Organization bioCoroflo is the company behind Coro - the world’s first accurate breastfeeding monitor, enabling parents to know exactly how much milk their baby is getting. Founded in 2017, Coroflo holds the worldwide patent for Coro, and has won numerous European and global innovation awards. To date, the company has raised $8m in funding.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bio
Led by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[2:17] Interview Start +1:12
[3:14] Rosanne’s background
[06:15] What is Coroflo?
[08:39] Demo - potentially good reel
[9:43] Why women don’t reach the 6 month mark of breastfeeding (UK - 1%)
[11:46] Is there medical gaslighting in breastfeeding?
[15:00] Blue whales…
[20:32] Tongue-tie
[27:20] Product launch timeline
[28:18] Fundraising as a femtech business
[33:24] Men as customer inbound
[37:01] Navigating marketing censorship
[39:40] Where we need innovation in women’s health + wellness
[40:45] What women’s health needs to be successful
Episode ContributorsRosanne Longmore
LinkedIn: @Rosanne Lomgmore
Coroflo
Website: https://www.corobaby.com/
LinkedIn: @Coroflo
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Priyanka Jain, Co-Founder and CEO of Evvy. We discuss what Evvy is, biomarkers in the vaginal microbiome and the future of vaginal healthcare. Don’t forget, you can get $10 off your Evvy kit using promocode FEMHEALTH10.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioPriyanka is the co-founder & CEO of Evvy, where her mission is to close the gender health data gap. Evvy is unlocking precision female healthcare through researching novel female biomarkers, starting with the vaginal microbiome. Before founding Evvy, Priyanka was Head of Product at pymetrics, a startup using behavioral science and AI to make talent matching more effective and fair. She is also a spokesperson for the United Nations Foundation's Girl Up Campaign and on the Innovation Board for the XPRIZE Foundation. She received her B.S. from Stanford University, where she was a Mayfield Fellow and President of Stanford Women in Business.
Organization bioEvvy is closing the gender health gap by leveraging overlooked female biomarkers, starting with the vaginal microbiome. Evvy’s innovative vaginal healthcare platform, powered by their groundbreaking vaginal microbiome test, is the first to combine state-of-the-art testing, precision care, and coaching to give women and people with vaginas the care they deserve.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[03:03] Priyanka’s background
[08:16] The Evvy Product
[09:20] Existing diagnostic process
[15:39] Are doctors receptive to external data in their appointments?
[16:53] Year of the patient
[19:17] “Feminine Hygiene” products
[23:45] Vaginal Microbiome research
[32:31] Talking vaginas on TikTok
[34:25] Talking vaginal microbiomes to investors
Episode ContributorsPriyanka Jain
LinkedIn: @Priyanka Jain
Evvy
Website: https://www.evvy.com/
LinkedIn: @Evvy
Instagram: @evvy
TikTok: @evvybio
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Wendy Strgar, Founder and CEO of Good Clean Love, and Vaginal Biome Science. We discuss Wendy's companies, and what led her to create them, an Institute for Women's Health - will they or won't they - and the importance of getting to know your own vagina.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioWendy Strgar is an award-winning entrepreneur and the Founder and CEO of Good Clean Love, a woman-owned B corporation and a pioneer in the organic personal care product industry. She is also the founder and CEO of Vaginal Biome Science, a biotechnology company that develops vaginal microbiota-based therapies to protect and restore microbial health. She was named in Top 25 Consumer HealthTech CEOs 2020 and has been recognized in the top 100 impact CEOs in 2022, 2021 and 2018.
Strgar's commitment to innovation lead to the development of patented BioMatched technology for women’s health. Strgar holds multiple US patents for Bio-Match technology, a leading scientific approach applying biomimicry to sexual health and hygiene products.
Organization bioGood Clean Love products are distributed in more than 50,000 stores across the United States and Canada. As a leading sexual wellness brand, Good Clean Love products are found in top retailers such as Target, CVS, Kroger, Whole Foods Market, Walgreens and more. Its best-selling SKU is the #1 organic personal lubricant on the market.
Under Wendy’s leadership, Good Clean Love is a champion of sustainable business practices. In 2018, the company launched a carbon offset initiative; its flagship product, Almost Naked personal lubricant, became the first-ever Carbon Neutral intimacy product in the world. Good Clean Love is also one of the only personal care product brands whose products are packaged using bioplastic, a material made from recyclable sugar cane.
Good Clean Love was included in the prestigious Inc 5000 awards in 2022.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[04:18] Wendy’s background
[16:50] Good Clean Love?
[29:25] Microbiome Sequencing
[34:03] Transfer of bacteria in same-sex relationships
[38:31] Long term goal for Vaginal Biome Science
[41:28] NIH
[44:45] Getting involved with Wendy and Good Clean Love
Episode ContributorsWendy Strgar
LinkedIn: @Wendy Strgar
Good Clean Love
Website: https://goodcleanlove.com/
LinkedIn: @Good Clean Love
Instagram: @goodcleanlove
TikTok: @goodcleanlove
YouTube: @GoodCleanLove
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
It’s been another year of major growth in the women's health innovation industry. In this annual end of year review with our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, we cover the major trends, wins, and challenges faced in 2023. We discuss societal shifts affecting our industry, review last year's predictions and see if they materialized, and make predictions for 2024. We look at the key industry influencers of 2023, investments, organizations, conferences, exits, startups that all shined this year and highlight ones to watch in 2024.
We loved doing this episode to wrap up an incredible year for the podcast! Thank you for sticking with us throughout 2023, we can’t wait to talk more about women’s health innovation in 2024!
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Host bioDr. Brittany Barreto is a passionate advocate for advancing female health and wellness innovation. With a focus on building awareness, catalyzing investment and innovation, and providing data-driven insights and strategic advice, Dr. Barreto works tirelessly to positively impact women's lives.
After earning her doctorate in Molecular and Human Genetics from Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Barreto became a serial entrepreneur, most notably known for founding Pheramor, the world’s first DNA-based dating app. She also served as a senior venture associate at Capital Factor and co-founded Coyote Ventures, gaining valuable experience in the investment space.
Today, Dr. Barreto is a leading voice in the FemTech community. She hosts the FemTech Focus podcast, is a FemTech Forbes contributor, and founded FemHealth Insights, a boutique consulting firm with market research software specializing in women's health innovation.
Episode SponsorGood Clean Love
When my vagina is feeling a little off–like a little out of balance–I go for Good Clean Love’s Restore Moisturizing Vaginal Gel. It’s made to help with vaginal dryness, itching and unusual odor; so it’s my go-to before I feel like I should make a doctor’s appointment. And I feel comfortable using it, because of their Bio-Match Technology. Good Clean Love’s patented Bio-Match Technology taps into three factors that can maintain a healthy vaginal microbiome; which are osmolality, a healthy vaginal pH range and lactobacilli. Good Clean Love’s products are iso-osmolar to help you retain moisture and not strip any away. They have a pH range of 3.5 to 4.5 so their products match your vaginal pH range. And they contain lactic acid to help maintain a healthy vaginal biome. Holiday travel and stress always throws me a little out of whack, so if you’re like me, make sure to get yours before you travel! 10% off your first order using promo code FemTech. Shop products that are made to match your vaginal biome at goodcleanlove.com.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Organizations featured (in alphabetical order):AIVF, Amboy Street Ventures, Aveta Medical, BD, Cranberry, Daye, Ema, Essence, Evvy, FathomX, FemTech Association Asia, FemTech Canada, FemTech France, FemTech India, Fermata, HERA Biotech, Hertility, HLTH, HyIvy Health, iSono Health, kegg, Magee Women’s Institute,MedFemTech Congress, Midi Health, Milkify, MiM Fertility, MobileODT, Mosie Baby, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Rosy, Unfabled, Vitala Globa, We Seek Care, Women of Wearables, Women’s Health Innovation Summit (WHIS)
Individuals featured (in order of feature):Rachel Bartholomew, Susan Stover, Lindsay Davis, Navneet Kaur, Oriana Kraft, Valentina Milanova, Gila Tolub, Jamie White, Joanna Strober, Priyanka Jain, Dr. Helen O’Neill, Dr. Natalie Getreu, Deirdre O’Neill, Carli Sapir, Hannah Samano
Episode ContributorsDr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
ResourcesFemHealth Insights Database
FemHealth Insights Mentor Network
FemHealth Insights Slack Community
FemHealth Insights Deals Newsletter - Investor Signup
FemHealth Insights Investor Newsletter - Founder/CEO Deal Submission Form
AI Breast Cancer Article
Silicon Valley Bank Report on Women’s Health
This episode is a bonus episode, brought to you in partnership with Nyoo ("New") Health. Nyoo hosts the "What's Nyoo!" series, with monthly events that bring together women and experts to have engaging, honest, and educational conversations about women's health, and this one is all about Pelvic Health. This event blew us away, and we knew we had to share it. Special thanks to Priya Bathija - CEO of Nyoo - for allowing us to share this recording. We hope you enjoy it just as much as we did!
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest biosPriya Bathija is a nationally-recognized healthcare leader, attorney, and policy expert. She is currently Founder and CEO of Nyoo Health, an organization dedicated to improving health and healthcare for women. Previously, she was at the American Hospital Association where she led policy efforts and strategic initiatives on value, health equity and maternal health. She started her career as a healthcare attorney and served as in-house counsel and a member of the leadership teams at ProMedica and MedStar Health. Priya is also a Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and an adjunct professor at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. In addition, she serves as a public board member for the American Board of Medical Specialties, the largest physician-led specialty certification organization in the U.S.
Carine Carmy is CEO and Co-Founder at Origin, the leading provider of pelvic floor and women’s physical therapy. She has focused her career on increasing access to products and services that improve lives, from healthcare to 3D printing. Carine's passion for women's health started in her twenties, when she struggled with painful sex for nearly a decade. Following years of misdiagnoses, ineffective treatment options, and hearing “that’s just the way it is,” Carine discovered the power of pelvic floor physical therapy to treat, not only pelvic pain, but dozens of conditions and symptoms that impact some 40 million U.S. women and individuals with vaginal anatomy, every year. Already a go-to-market leader in healthcare and technology — with leadership roles at Amino, Shapeways, MarketspaceNext and Monitor Group — she felt compelled to help make pelvic health the norm for women across the country. Outside of Origin, Carine is an avid writer and has been published in MIT Technology Review, Forbes, Ad Age, and PSFK, and serves as an advisor to startups and nonprofits in support of diversity and economic equality.
Dr. Somi Javaid is a board-certified OB/GYN, leading women’s sexual health thought leader, and menopause advocate. She is the Founder and Chief Medical Officer of HerMD, a team on a mission to make women’s healthcare exceptional by educating, advocating for, and empowering patients to take control of their health concerns. Dr. Javaid has been featured in Forbes, Vogue, Well+Good, InStyle, Parents, Refinery29, Mashable, Adweek, and Popsugar. In August 2020 Dr. Javaid spoke about Gender Bias and the Female Sexual Health Revolution on the TEDx mainstage, and in January 2021 she was featured in Women on Topp for her work as a trailblazer and pioneer in women’s sexual health.
Dr. Rachel Rubin is a board-certified urologist and sexual medicine specialist. She is an assistant clinical professor of Urology at Georgetown University and owns her private practice in the Washington DC region. She is one of only a handful of physicians fellowship trained in male and female sexual medicine. Dr. Rubin is a clinician, researcher, and vocal educator in the field of sexual medicine. In addition to being education chair for the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH), she also serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal Sexual Medicine Reviews. Her work has been featured in the NYT and PBS.
Emma Schmidt, PhD, is a doctor in Clinical Sexology, a Professional Clinical Counselor, Supervisor, and Certified Sex Therapist, Supervisor through the American Association for Sex Educators Counselors and Therapists (AASECT) as well as the American Board for Christian Sex Therapists (ABCST). She is the owner of Emma Schmidt and Associates in Cincinnati, Indian and Kentucky, a therapy group practice which focuses on sex and relationship therapy. Dr. Schmidt received her Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies and Psychology as well as a Master of Arts in Counseling from Cincinnati Christian University. She received her Doctorate from Modern Sex Therapy Institutes. Her research and publications have focused on female sexual pain.
Organization bioNyoo Health provides strategic and advisory support to startups, investors, providers, and others as they grow and scale new ways of delivering health and healthcare to women. Beyond that, Nyoo Health is building a movement that will redefine women's health and investing in women as they advocate for themselves in the healthcare system.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Episode ContributorsPriya Bathija
LinkedIn: @Priya Bathija
Carine Carmy
LinkedIn: @Carine Carmy & @Origin
Instagram: @carinerachelle & @theoriginway
Dr. Somi Javaid
LinkedIn: Somi Javaid, MD & HerMD
Instagram: @somijavaidmd & @hermdhealth
Dr. Rachel Rubin
LinkedIn: @Rachel Rubin
Instagram: @drrachelrubin
Dr. Emma Schmidt
LinkedIn: @Dr. Emma Schmidt
Instagram: @heyemmatherapy
Nyoo Health
Website: https://www.nyoohealth.com/
LinkedIn: @Nyoo Health
Instagram: @nyoohealth
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Jiwon Park, Founder of the SAIB & Co. We discuss the past, present and future of women’s health in South Korea, how Korean culture has impacted the birth rate there, and unique challenges for femtech founders in Korea.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioJiwon Park is an award-winning designer, serial entrepreneur, and educator. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design(RISD), was a Fulbright Scholar, and has over 15 years of experience in design.
In 2018, Jiwon founded the sexual wellness company SAIB & Co. in Korea, after witnessing persistent misrepresentation and patriarchal stances towards women's sexual activities. Since then, she has dedicated herself fully to challenging these stereotypes and empowering women to embrace a positive attitude toward their own sexual health.
Before embarking on her entrepreneurial journey of founding SAIB, she served as an Assistant Professor at UT Austin in Texas.
Organization bioSAIB & Co. is a Korea-born FemTech company providing women with safe-to-use contraceptives and intimate hygiene products helping them to maintain their sexual wellness. The brand name SAIB flips the word BIAS, signaling the company's mission to overturn negative and patriarchal biases toward women exercising sexual agency.
Our female-friendly brand provides a safe space for women and delivers high-quality sexual wellness products using only healthy and natural ingredients.
With our discreet yet stylish design and shame-free experience, SAIB aims to normalize the perception of sexual wellness, redefining them as a natural and healthy part of life.
Episode SponsorGood Clean Love
What’s in my nightstand? Well, one thing I can tell you is Good Clean Love’s Almost Naked personal lubricant. It’s a water-based lube made of organic aloe vera and designed to mimic my body’s natural lubrication, all thanks to their Bio-Match Technology.
Good Clean Love’s patented Bio-Match Technology taps into three factors that can maintain a healthy vaginal microbiome; which are osmolality, a healthy vaginal pH range and lactobacilli. Good Clean Love’s products are iso-osmolar to help you retain moisture and not strip any away. They have a pH range of 3.5 to 4.5 so their products match your vaginal pH range. And they contain lactic acid to help maintain a healthy vaginal biome. The holidays are coming up, and it’s not too late to get your stocking stuffers, like their travel-size Balance wash! 10% off your first order with promo code FemTech.
Shop products that are made to match a vaginal biome at goodcleanlove.com
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[05:52] Jiwon’s background
[08:20] Differences between US and Korean culture towards sex
[11:22] SAIB & Co.
[16:00] Response to the product in Korea
[19:56] Unique challenges as a femtech founder in South Korea
[25:30] History of women’s health in South Korea
[32:40] Women’s attitudes
[33:26] Changing attitudes in society
[34:38] What would you change if you had a magic wand?
[36:36] Fertility rates in South Korea
[43:23] The future of SAIB
Episode ContributorsJiwon Park
LinkedIn: @Jiwon Park
SAIB & Co.
Website: https://www.saib.co/
LinkedIn: @SAIB & Co.
Instagram: @saib.global, @saib.official
Twitter: @SAIBnCo
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Katie Schubert, President and CEO of the Society for Women's Health Research, or SWHR. We discuss the 3 pillars of SWHR’s work, the potential for an Institute for Women’s Health and methods of increasing the participation of underrepresented populations in clinical trials.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioKathryn (Katie) Schubert joined the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) as President and CEO in April 2020. Under Katie’s leadership, SWHR developed a strategic plan focused on fulfilling the organization’s mission of promoting research on biological sex differences in disease and improving women’s health through science, policy, and education.
She has served in multiple Board roles, including as Chair of the Board of the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance, advisor to the John E. Lewy Fund for Children’s Health, and past president of Women in Government Relations. She previously worked for the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM), CRD Associates, and on Capitol Hill. She received her BA from Mary Washington College and her Masters of Public Policy from George Washington University. Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, three children, and dog George.
Organization bioThe Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) is a national nonprofit and thought leader dedicated to promoting research on biological sex differences in disease and improving women’s health through science, policy, and education. Founded in 1990 by a group of physicians, medical researchers, and health advocates, SWHR is making women’s health mainstream by addressing unmet needs and research gaps in women’s health.
Episode SponsorGood Clean Love
When my vagina is feeling a little off–like a little out of balance–I go for Good Clean Love’s Restore Moisturizing Vaginal Gel. It’s made to help with vaginal dryness, itching and unusual odor; so it’s my go-to before I feel like I should make a doctor’s appointment. And I feel comfortable using it, because of their Bio-Match Technology. Good Clean Love’s patented Bio-Match Technology taps into three factors that can maintain a healthy vaginal microbiome; which are osmolality, a healthy vaginal pH range and lactobacilli. Good Clean Love’s products are iso-osmolar to help you retain moisture and not strip any away. They have a pH range of 3.5 to 4.5 so their products match your vaginal pH range. And they contain lactic acid to help maintain a healthy vaginal biome.
Holiday travel and stress always throws me a little out of whack, so if you’re like me, make sure to get yours before you travel! 10% off your first order using promo code FemTech.
Shop products that are made to match your vaginal biome at goodcleanlove.com.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[04:26] Katie’s background
[08:32] What is SWHR?
[13:44] Should there be an Institute for Women’s Health at the NIH?
[22:20] Is tech and investment involvement helping the conversation at Government level?
[26:54] Organization pillars: policy, science and education
[30:38] SWHR Resources
[33:25] Policy Pillar
[29:20] Methods of getting lactating & pregnant women into clinical trials
[42:15] Education Pillar
[46:15] Upcoming Events and vision for the future of SWHR
Call to Action!
Don’t forget to subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast, and leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsKatie Schubert
LinkedIn: @Kathryn Godburn Schubert
Society for Women’s Health Research
Website: https://swhr.org/
LinkedIn: @Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR)
Twitter: @SWHR
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Lanna Last, Co-Founder and CEO of AIMA (pronounced “eh-ma”). We discuss why pain has been considered normal - or simply ignored - for so long, how CBD and CBG have been proven in pre-clinical studies to have an anti-inflammatory effect, and - believe it or not - the link between Art History and Women’s Health!
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioLanna is a queer ecofeminist and advocate for gynecological health. She started AIMA in 2019 in response to a lack of safe solutions for her period pain and has since led AIMA through IndieBio New York accelerator 2022-23, the incubator lab-2-launch at e@ubc, and Herstory for the top 30 female founders hosted by The51. Currently, Lanna is leading AIMA through a pre-seed fundraising round. Lanna is also on the board of Femtech Canada, and Endoville NY.
Organization bioAIMA is empowering menstruators to manage their pain with freedom and dignity. AIMA has an LGBTQ+ female-led team, and has developed clinically tested patent-pending products for personalized period pain management. Their first OTC product, OVY is a vaginal suppository directing targeted high-dosage CBD and other active agents with proven pain relieving efficacy to reduce period pain and inflammation safely and effectively.
Episode SponsorGood Clean Love
What’s in our nightstand? Well, one thing we can tell you is Good Clean Love’s Almost Naked personal lubricant. It’s a water-based lube made of organic aloe vera and designed to mimic my body’s natural lubrication, all thanks to their Bio-Match Technology.
Good Clean Love’s patented Bio-Match Technology taps into three factors that can maintain a healthy vaginal microbiome; which are osmolality, a healthy vaginal pH range and lactobacilli. Good Clean Love’s products are iso-osmolar to help you retain moisture and not strip any away. They have a pH range of 3.5 to 4.5 so their products match your vaginal pH range. And they contain lactic acid to help maintain a healthy vaginal biome.
The holidays are coming up, and it’s not too late to get your stocking stuffers, like their travel-size Balance wash! 10% off your first order with promo code FemTech.
Shop products that are made to match a vaginal biome at goodcleanlove.com.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[04:40] Lanna’s background
[05:01] Relation between art history and women’s health
[07:17] Laparoscopic surgery in Canada VS the US
[09:31] Contraception and TIA
[14:03] The Farm Bill
[19:41] Studies on Pain
[27:47] The Gender Pain Gap
[32:25] The Pain Gap and Cannabis
[48:51] Using AIMA products
[51:46] Next for AIMA
[52:18] Paid Period Leave Campaign
[53:00] Affiliate Program
Episode ContributorsLanna Last
LinkedIn: @Lanna Last
Twitter: @last_lanna
AIMA Inc
Website: https://www.femtechfrance.org/
LinkedIn: @AIMA Inc
Instagram: @thisismyaima
Twitter: @thisismyaima
TikTok: @thisismyaima
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
ResourcesBecome an AIMA Affiliate
Capitalizing on the Curse: The Business of Menstruation
Use promocode FEMTECH10 for 10% off your first order with AIMA
In this episode, we talk to Delphine Moulu, co-founder of FemTech France. In this interview, we discuss the role of the French government in women’s health, the importance of teaching the science of female health to founders with non-medical backgrounds, and the goals of FemTech France.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioDelphine has always worked in the startup world, and was formerly Head of Events at STATION F, the world’s largest startup campus based in Paris. Here she had the opportunity to co-create the STATION F Femtech Program and hasn’t been able to get her mind of the femtech industry since!
Organization bioFemTech France was launched in September 2022, with a mission to accelerate women’s health innovation in France. To do this, they support the development of French femtech startups, create synergies between different players of the ecosystem, and take part in the debates and strategic reflections on the political, technological and societal challenges of our sector.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[02:41] Delphine’s background
[06:49] STATION F program
[07:44] FemTech France
[08:31] The French FemTech Ecosystem
[13:57] President Macron’s Endometriosis Strategy
[16:38] How FemTech in France differs from other countries
[20:07] Abortion in France
[21:10] Advice to companies looking to expand to France
[22:22] Contacting French FemTech Companies
[23:23] Government Grants for women’s health
[24:44] French Government support for entrepreneurs
[27:06] Media Censorship of Women’s Health
[30:45] FemTech School: training for aspiring founders who don’t have a medical background
[38:15] Contraception innovation in France
[39:11] The future of femtech France
[41:57] What’s an area of women’s health and wellness that still needs innovating
[42:33] What does femtech as a whole need the most right now in order to be successful?
Call to Action!Don’t forget to subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast, and leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsDelphine Moulu
LinkedIn: @Delphine Moulu
FemTech France
Website: https://www.femtechfrance.org/
LinkedIn: @FemTech France
Instagram: @femtechfrance
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
ResourcesRead the FemTech France Report
In this episode, we talk to Smita Asrani, VP of Partnerships at UE LifeSciences. In this interview, we discuss the devices created to improve early detection of breast cancer, how to make breast care something that women are excited about, and the One Balloon One Life Campaign to provide Breast and Cervical cancer exams for women.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioSmita lost her sister at the age of 44 to late stage triple negative breast cancer. Since then, she has made it her life's mission to ensure women understand the importance of early detection and how it relates to increased chances of survival.
Organization bioUE LifeSciences, is a femtech company that creates screening devices for the early detection of women's cancers. We have the iBreastExam and the Selfi, both portable, radiation-free devices that use sensors to detect small lumps through changes in skin elasticity.
Globally, with the assistance of Pfizer, Siemen’s Healthineers in the United States, and in the near future, Roche, we currently provide proactive breast screenings in 13 countries through hospitals/clinics in rural, underserved and underprivileged areas.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[03:38] Smita’s background
[04:59] UE Life Sciences
[06:53] Stages of cancer
[10:31] The ‘iBreastExam’ device
[12:35] The ‘Selfi’ device
[17:47] Device Availability
[20:11] Doctor attitudes to the devices
[21:55] Working with underserved areas
[23:33] Dense breasts
[24:55] Could the devices help women advocate for themselves?
[26:28] #OneBalloonOneLifeCampaign
[28:02] CervAIcal device
[30:48] What’s next for UE Life Sciences?
[37:12] What does women’s health need the most right now?
Call to Action!Join in with the #OneBalloonOneLife campaign! Share a picture of yourself holding a pink balloon on social media with the hashtag #OneBalloonOneLife, and UE LifeSciences will provide a breast and cervical exam to one woman for every photo.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast, and leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsSmita Asrani
LinkedIn: @Smita Asrani
Instagram: @smitaasrani
UE Life Sciences
Website: https://www.uelifesciences.com/
LinkedIn: @UE LifeSciences
Twitter: @UELifeSciences
Instagram: @ibreastexam
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: @FemTech Focus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Ula Sankowska, Co-Owner and Co-CEO of MIM Fertility. In this interview, we discuss the use of machine learning to analyze IVF imagery, and how this software can expand access, & increase success rates for women.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioUla is an Economist, and graduated from the Warsaw School of Economics and University College Dublin, in Ireland. She has 15 years of professional experience in business and government and at MIM Solutions, she is responsible for the company’s business strategy, marketing and customer contacts.
Organization bioMIM Fertility was founded in 2015 as the first spin-off of the Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics, and Mechanics at the University of Warsaw. They combined the most advanced machine learning, imaging solutions, and data mining algorithms with clinical knowledge of reproductive medicine. Their goal is to empower doctors and patients to make well-informed decisions about fertility treatments.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[02:39] Femtech in Poland
[03:43] Women’s health issues specific to Poland
[06:20] IVF treatment in Poland
[08:04] Ula’s background
[15:15] MIM Fertility
[18:30] MIM’s software
[23:46] Training an AI algorithm on something subjective
[29:56] Quirks when training an algorithm
[33:11] Utilizing the software in clinics
[35:59] Will AI replace embryologists?
[38:20] Folliscan
[46:25] At-home scanning
[48:55] Future direction for MIM fertility
Call to Action!Don’t forget to subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast, and leave us a review!
Sponsor InfoThis episode is brought to you by Guidea your go-to UX design consultancy specializing in digital health innovation. Guidea isn't just any design firm. They're a women-owned, women-led powerhouse team that's partnered with 20 of the Fortune 100 companies and impacted over a billion lives through dozens of live products, clinical trials, and even FDA approvals.
Speaking from personal experience, the Guidea team excels in translating your vision into transformative solutions that not only win awards but significantly improve outcomes. And, driven by their passion for health equity, Guidea is also the team behind Femovate, a sponsorship program focused on uplifting underrepresented founders and reaching underserved populations. They've already collaborated with over 30 Femtech startups across 14 different verticals, offering personalized, one-on-one mentorship and guidance in UX research, strategy, and design.
So, if you're in the Femtech space—whether you’re just starting out or scaling up—Guidea wants to hear from you.
Don’t miss this chance to work with a team that's as committed to your vision as you are. Visit www.guidea.com and let's raise the standard for digital healthcare, together.
Episode ContributorsUla Sankowska
LinkedIn: @Ula Sankowska
MIM Fertility
Website: https://www.mimfertility.ai/
LinkedIn: @MIM Solutions
Twitter: @SolutionsMim
Instagram: @mim_solutions_pl
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Theresa Neil, Founder of Guidea. In this interview, we discuss easy improvements femtech founders can make to enhance their pitch decks, trends in branding design for femtech companies and how Femovate is truly backing the women’s health movement.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioTheresa is an O’Reilly author and is recognized as a “Top Designer in Technology” by Business Insider. Her client list includes Humana, Cigna, Johnson & Johnson and global biopharma companies. Her company Guidea, is an award-winning women-owned UX design consultancy specializing in Digital Health and FemTech.
Organization bioGuidea, is an award-winning women-owned UX design consultancy specializing in Digital Health and FemTech. Alongside the day-to-day of Guidea, the team also apply their digital health expertise to advance the femtech industry and the wellness of 1 billion women through their Femovate program.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[03:37] Theresa’s background
[07:13] Guidea’s services
[09:59] What is Femovate?
[16:22] Trends in Femovate applications
[21:00] Feedback from Femovate clients and applicants
[26:34] Unique UI & UX features specific to women’s health
[35:08] User research for women’s health compared to other industries
[39:18] Brand design trends in FemTech
[43:17] Stereotypical feminine imagery
[44:33] Future vision for Femovate
[46:00] What’s an area that still needs innovating?
[48:55] What does femtech need to be successful?
Call to Action!Apply to Femovate by September 18! femovate.com
Don’t forget to subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast, and leave us a review!
Sponsor InfoThis episode is brought to you by Guidea your go-to UX design consultancy specializing in digital health innovation. Guidea isn't just any design firm. They're a women-owned, women-led powerhouse team that's partnered with 20 of the Fortune 100 companies and impacted over a billion lives through dozens of live products, clinical trials, and even FDA approvals.
Speaking from personal experience, the Guidea team excels in translating your vision into transformative solutions that not only win awards but significantly improve outcomes. And, driven by their passion for health equity, Guidea is also the team behind Femovate, a sponsorship program focused on uplifting underrepresented founders and reaching underserved populations. They've already collaborated with over 30 Femtech startups across 14 different verticals, offering personalized, one-on-one mentorship and guidance in UX research, strategy, and design.
So, if you're in the Femtech space—whether you’re just starting out or scaling up—Guidea wants to hear from you.
Don’t miss this chance to work with a team that's as committed to your vision as you are. Visit www.guidea.com and let's raise the standard for digital healthcare, together.
Episode ContributorsTheresa Neil
LinkedIn: @Theresa Neil
Guidea
Website: https://guidea.com/
LinkedIn: @Guidea
Twitter: @TeamGuidea
Femovate
Website: https://www.femovate.com/
LinkedIn: @Femovate by Guidea
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
It’s the fourth and final summer throwback! This week, we’re replaying our episode with Dr. Roopan Gill, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Vitala Global. We discuss reproductive health for adolescent girls, self-managed medication abortions and did some abortion myth-busting.
This episode was first released in 2020, so there may be one or two references that are slightly out of date. There’s some golden content here though, so let’s get into it.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioDr. Roopan Gill is an obstetrician gynecologist with expertise in family planning and abortion care and also the Co-Founder & Executive Director of Vitala Global. Dr. Gill is a Women’s Health Advisor for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Paris section and has worked as an emergency obstetrician gynecologist in Nigeria and Yemen and has supported projects in countries such as Malawi, Chad and Pakistan. Her research interests include human-centered design, innovative approaches to improving abortion access, sexual and reproductive health in humanitarian contexts and knowledge translation to improve health policy. She completed her training in Canada and holds a Masters in Public Health in Global Health from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Organization bioVitala Global Foundation is a Canadian non-profit seeking to understand the challenges women and adolescent girls identify when accessing SRH tools and services. Through user-centered and in-depth contextual and cultural research, Vitala co-creates and implements digital solutions that allow women and girls to make healthy, informed choices and to engage in appropriate self-care. 25 million unsafe abortions occur every year worldwide, leading to over 22,000 avoidable maternal deaths and millions of serious complications. Accessible and reliable safe comprehensive abortion care and family planning reduces maternal mortality and morbidity from unsafe abortions. Vitala’s projects provide people with evidence-based digital platforms to support their safe abortion and family planning journeys.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Call to Action!Don’t forget to subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast, and leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsDr. Roopan Gill
LinkedIn: @Roopan Gill MD MPH FRCSC (ObGyn)
Twitter: @Roops22
Vitala
Website: https://www.vitalaglobal.org/
LinkedIn: @Vitala Global Foundation
Twitter: @VitalaGlobal
Instagram: @vitalaglobal
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
Resourceshttps://www.vitalaglobal.org/
It’s the third of our summer throwbacks! This week, we’re replaying our episode with Kristen Carbone, Founder and CEO of Brilliantly, a company improving the lives of women that have been impacted by breast cancer. Their wearable, Brilliantly Warm, helps women who have had implant reconstruction after a mastectomy and feel constantly cold. We discussed breast implants, preventative mastectomies and fundraising during a pandemic.
This episode was first released in 2021, so there may be one or two references that are slightly out of date. There’s some golden content here though, so let’s get into it.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioKristen spent ten years working in the curatorial departments of museums throughout New York and New England, founded an artists' advocacy business and acted as the project manager for two business consulting companies. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Art History from Skidmore College. Shen then founded Brilliantly in 2018 in an attempt to solve a problem that was personal - feeling cold after having a preventative mastectomy and implant reconstruction.
Organization bioBrilliantly is a company improving the lives of women that have been impacted by breast cancer. Their wearable, Brilliantly Warm, helps women who have had implant reconstruction after a mastectomy and feel constantly cold. Brilliantly Warm was developed with medical device engineers to create the most innovative and effective warming product for women. Studies show that feeling physically comfortable improves cognition, focus, and enhances women’s overall sense of wellbeing.The patent pending technology delivers safe, natural-feeling warmth for the whole body with no stickies, no chemicals, and no cords.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Call to Action!Don’t forget to subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast, and leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsKristen Carbone
LinkedIn: @Kristen Carbone
Twitter: @k_carbon
Instagram: @k_carbon
Brilliantly
Website: https://www.brilliantly.co/
LinkedIn: @Brilliantly
Twitter: @HBrilliantly
Instagram: @brilliantly.co
YouTube: @brilliantlyco
Facebook: @Brilliantly.co
Pintrest: @BrilliantlyCo
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
It’s the second of our summer throwbacks! This week, we’re replaying our episode with Jackie Rotman, Founder of the Center for Intimacy Justice. A social entrepreneur for over 15 years, Jackie has also worked in venture capital with a particular focus on women's health and sexual wellness. In 2019 she wrote a New York Times investigative op-ed on the sexual wellness market, which made the NY Times "Most Popular" list and was the Opinion section's display piece. Center for Intimacy Justice is leading the movement to rewrite corporate advertising policies in tech companies to allow sexual health and wellness ads for women and people with vulvas. These ads are systematically censored which causes huge barriers for femtech companies. The Center for Intimacy Justice believes in catalyzing greater technological innovation and investment, education, and cultural understanding toward female sexual health - and building a culture of greater equity, agency, and wellbeing.
This episode was first released in 2022, so there may be one or two references that are slightly out of date. There’s some golden content here though, so let’s get into it.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioJackie Rotman is the Founder and CEO of Center for Intimacy Justice, a nonprofit that works to expand equity and wellbeing in people’s intimate lives. Jackie led an investigation that was published in 2022 in The New York Times and 80 other media outlets, highlighting that of 60 women’s health businesses interviewed or surveyed, 100% of them experienced Facebook or Instagram rejecting their ads. Within months of this investigation being published, Meta changed multiple of its global advertising policies towards sexual health.
Jackie holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business, MPA from Harvard Kennedy School, and BA in Public Policy with University Distinction from Stanford. She founded her first nonprofit aged 14, and during her MBA, worked in women's health investing with Rhia Ventures, on investments in contraception technology and online sex education.
Today, Jackie speaks around the world on topics including digital censorship of sexual and reproductive rights, and other topics at the intersections of sexuality, gender and technology. She regularly briefs US Congressional officies, state Attorneys General. And other tech and human rights leaders on the findings of CIJ’s investigations.
Organization bioCenter for Intimacy Justice is leading the movement to rewrite corporate advertising policies in tech companies to allow sexual health and wellness ads for women and people with vulvas. These ads are systematically censored which causes huge barriers for femtech companies. The Center for Intimacy Justice believes in catalyzing greater technological innovation and investment, education, and cultural understanding toward female sexual health - and building a culture of greater equity, agency, and wellbeing.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Call to Action!Don’t forget to subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast, and leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsJackie Rotman
LinkedIn: @Jackie Rotman
Twitter: @jackierotman
Instagram: @jackierotman1
YouTube: @jackierotman9082
Center for Intimacy Justice
Website: https://www.intimacyjustice.org/
LinkedIn: @Center for Intimacy Justice
Twitter: @IntimacyJustice
Instagram: @intimacyjustice
Facebook: @Center for Intimacy Justice
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
ResourcesSign CIJs petition urging the FTC to take action against Meta’s discrimination. The petition asks the US Federal Trade Commission to investigate and act on Meta’s discriminatory censorship of sexual health information for women and people of underrepresented genders.
In this episode, we talk to Kristina Cahojova, Founder and CEO of Kegg, the world's first 2-in-1 fertility tracking kegel ball. We discuss the biology of cervical mucus and why it's important for fertility and can be used as a measure of a woman's health.
This episode was first released in 2020, so there may be one or two references that are slightly out of date. There’s some golden content here though, so let’s get into it.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioKristina Cahojova had always struggled with tracking her fertility. Stress and traveling meant that ovulation tests and temperature methods provided limited information and none about her fertile window. After refusing to “fix the problem” with hormonal contraceptives, Kristina was told by a fertility specialist to track her cycles. But as is so often the case in women’s health, there was no technology to help.
So, after more than 7 years working at Amazon and eBay, Kristina decided to launch Kegg - the worlds first 2-in-1 fertility tracking kegel ball. For decades, women have not been taught that fertility is about more than just making babies. In fact, our fertility is our fifth vital sign.
Organization bioKegg is an intuitive fertility tracker that measures changes in electrolyte levels of the cervical mucus —the golden metric to pinpointing your fertile window within each menstrual cycle. By using advanced sensing technology known as impedance, kegg can reveal your fertile window using your unique cycle data.
Following the 2 minute daily reading, kegg will send your reading data to the cloud for analysis. In real-time, the kegg app displays your daily kegg readings, cyclical trends, and fertility predictions. With consistent, once a day use, you can gain deeper insight into your own unique fertility pattern.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Call to Action!Don’t forget to subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast, and leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsKristina Cahojova
LinkedIn: @Kristina Cahojova
Twitter: @KristinCahojova
Kegg
Website: https://kegg.tech/
LinkedIn: @kegg
Twitter: @kegg_tech
Instagram: @kegg_tech
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
Resourceshttps://kegg.tech/
In this episode, we talk to Missy Lavender, Founder and CEO of Renalis Health. In this interview, we discuss what an Overactive Bladder is, how it differs from other pelvic health conditions such as incontinence and the cost of the condition to the economy and women's lives.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioMissy Lavender is the founder and CEO of Renalis Health; an innovator, patient, researcher, author, advocate and public speaker about the often difficult, but pervasive issues of pelvic health. She has partnered extensively with academic partners across the country to design ground-breaking products in the field of women’s pelvic health, specifically in the areas of digital therapeutics and pelvic wellness.
Missy has been an innovator and activist in the space of women’s pelvic health for over 20 years since experiencing symptoms following a difficult childbirth. Her experience allowed her to witness first-hand some of the largest challenges that females face in this area of medicine, including the shame and stigma around any of these conditions. Furthermore, she was driven by the lack of relevant and accessible treatments for most people, especially those outside of major metropolitan markets and lower income people. Using her background and skills in business, she first founded a successful non-profit, wrote three books for various audiences of females from seniors to adolescents, and was instrumental in creating award-winning, evidence-based pelvic wellness programs for persons assigned female called Total ControlTM, In 2017, she founded Renalis Health to create evidence-based digital therapeutics for pelvic health disorders, starting with Overactive Bladder (OAB) in females+.
Organization bioRenalis Develops FDA-Cleared Prescription Digital Therapeutics For The Treatment Of Pelvic Health Disorders
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[03:23] Missy’s background and Renalis Health
[11:16] Pelvic health definitions
[12:48] Overactive bladder
[15:14] Leaky VS Overactive
[15:44] What’s normal?
[17:35] Take 2 minutes
[22:20] Typical OAB patient
[24:44] Causes of OAB
[24:30] Aims of Renalis
[27:43] What is a digital therapeutic?
[29:39] Bladder irritants
[37:32] “Nurses/teachers bladder”
[39:49] Incontinence VS period pads
[44:00] Cost to the economy
[47:07] Cultural relevance
[49:43] How to get involved
Call to Action!Don’t forget to subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast, and leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsMissy Lavender
LinkedIn: Missy Lavender (she/her)
Twitter: @parisfan0316
Instagram: @missylavender
Renalis Health
Website: renalis.health
LinkedIn: @Renalis Health
Twitter: @RenalisHealth
Instagram: @renalishealth
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
ResourcesVisit the Renalis Health website
June 2023 marks 30 years since the Revitalization Act was passed. So in this episode, we deep-dive into the history of women in clinical trials, finding out more about the scandal that led to our removal in the first place and the long-term consequences that occurred as a result. We'll also be looking at what the Revitalization Act was, the changes it made, and what we have today as a result.
Remember to like, rate, subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioDr. Brittany Barreto is a trailblazer in the field of FemTech, using her scientific background, entrepreneurial spirit, and investment expertise to raise awareness of women’s health issues and showcase the importance of this vital industry.
Dr. Barreto is a proud advocate of FemTech founders and the FemTech Focus podcast is a space for honest and thought-provoking conversations about the past, present, and future of female health. Informative, shocking, and candid, this podcast exposes the truth about the status of female health globally and brings to light the opportunities and current innovations striving to achieve health equality.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[03:13] Thalidomide
[04:54] Morning sickness
[09:30] Thalidomide production and distribution
[10:52] Thalidomide tragedy
[15:05] The aftermath
[17:15] Consequences
[18:07] History of clinical trials in the US
[22:25] Women in clinical trials from 1977-1993
[28:30] The Revitalization Act
SourcesWe have done our absolute best to verify all of the information contained within this episode. However, due to the nature of women’s health - in that it is so under researched - there are some conflicting sources of information. A full list of sources is below.
The Embryo Project Encyclopedia
Science Museum
Mayo Clinic
Tommy’s
Morning Sickness: A mechanism for protecting mother and embryo
The Thalidomide Trust
Birth Defect Research for Children
The Importance of Good Clinical Practice guidelines and its role in clinical trials
History of Women’s Participation in Clinical Research
The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same: A Study to Evaluate the Compliance With Inclusion and Assessment of Women and Minorities in Randomized Controlled Trials
Women’s involvement in clinical trials: historical perspective and future implications
Additional ResourcesCall The Midwife - Season 5
Call to Action!Don’t forget to subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast, and leave us a review! Spotify users can also drop a question in the Q&A box below.
Episode ContributorsDr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
Apoorva Sudini
Linkedin: @Apoorva Sudini
Instagram: @apoorvasudini
Megan Fuller
LinkedIn: @Megan Fuller
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Danika Kelly, Co-Founder and CEO of My Normative. In this interview, we discuss the male default, how data collection methods can change outcomes for health research and how femtech founders could benefit from utilizing My Normative.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Episode SponsorThis episode is sponsored by our friends at Guidea, a women-owned, women-led design consultancy that specializes in bringing femtech innovations to life. They have extensive expertise in healthtech and medtech and are a trusted partner to 20 Fortune 100 companies. They’ve launched more than 300 products to date, including the flagship products for 7 unicorn status startups. Guidea is known for creating research-driven products and services that are engaging, useful and easily integrated into customer lives and provider workflows. Guidea’s deep knowledge of medtech, IOT, wearables, population health insights, digital therapeutics and healthcare software, they can help you prioritize opportunities, and focus on key features for clinical studies and MVPs. They also have extensive experience with regulated device approval and can help you plan and prepare for the process. Learn more at Guidea.com.
Guest bioDanika Kelly is a health and wellness professional and trained socio-cultural scholar in issues around female health and representation. For the past 14 years she’s worked globally focusing on health advancement and knowledge translation in developing economies. Danika has a strong history of leadership excellence in the social innovation space —winning awards and recognition from Telus and The Future of Good, DMZ Woman of the Year, Rainforest Alberta, FemTech Analytics, Alberta Women Entrepreneurs, and more.
Organization bioMy Normative is a female-focused health research platform driving innovation in the life sciences through validated data management & analysis.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[03:57] Danika’s background
[08:10] What is My Normative
[14:54] Male Default
[21:21] The My Normative Product
[25:32] Benefits of the app
[31:16] Female participation benefits
[32:24] Current projects
[34:38] Diversity
[35:41] Spreading the word
[37:01] Interesting research outcomes
[39:22] Potential My Normative studies
[42:03] Benefits to FemTech Founders
Call to Action!Don’t forget to subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast, and leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsDanika Kelly
LinkedIn: @Danika Kelly
Twitter: @NikaKelly
Instagram: @danikainc
My Normative
LinkedIn: @My Normative
Twitter: @MyNormative
Instagram: @my.normative
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
ResourcesVisit the My Normative website
In this episode, we talk to Tora Abrahams, Project Lead for the Black Women’s Reproductive Health Project. In this interview, we discuss stigmas around menstruation for Black communities, paid period leave and how to get men involved in the conversation.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioOriginally working in human rights law, Tora led a judicial review claim against the prison service for forcing a strip-search of her female client whilst she was menstruating. Following this successful claim, Tora identified other repeated misogyny within public services recognising that services were designed by men and for men, but failing women. After leaving the law, Tora moved to a charity specialising in gender specific services and soon after she found her passion in advocating for stronger conversations and attention to female reproductive rights. It was whilst managing a charity focusing on period poverty during the pandemic and following the global attention to BLM, Tora spearheaded the first ever UK project that looks into the menstrual-reproductive health journeys and needs of Black and Black-mixed British women.
Tora is a mixed-race woman of South African heritage and speaks proudly of her family's ethnicity and history in leaving apartheid South Africa and setting themselves up in a small working class town of North West England. She is a passionate advocate for marginalised people, working her day job as a Business Development Consultant for non-profits specialising in racial and gender equality. She also designed the first menstrual health empowerment education programme delivered in Uganda, East Africa that engages both boys and girls to talk about periods. Tora is passionate about work in this space and welcomes conversations from men and women on topics of female reproductive health and racial injustice.
Organization bioThe Black Women’s Reproductive Health project supports African and Caribbean women with access to information, advocacy, peer support and has created the first ever UK report that details the menstrual-reproductive needs and experiences of Black and Black-mixed women. We sit under T.A.P The African Pot Project who are a Manchester based non-for-profit working to empower and liberate African people across the diaspora, under 4 main pillars of practice: business, community, education and health.
(The BWRH project represents women and people with female reproductive systems.)
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[04:35] Tora’s background
[07:12] A magic wand to change the prison system for women
[13:12] The Black Women’s Reproductive Health (BWRH) Project
[19:45] Consulting on UK period poverty
[22:37] Stigma within the Black community
[27:14] Changing the narrative
[30:28] Paid period leave
[32:38] Tora’s work in Uganda
[35:23] What is motivating Ugandan men to be interested in the subject of menstruation?
[37:30] What can we learn from Uganda in getting UK or US men involved?
[39:47] What’s an area of Women’s Health and Wellness that still needs innovating?
[40:37] What does femtech need the most in order to be successful?
Call to Action!Don’t forget to subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast, and leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsTora Abrahams
LinkedIn: @Victoria Abrahams
T.A.P Project (BWRH Project)
LinkedIn: @T.A.P Project
Twitter: @TAP_PROJECT_MCR
Instagram: @t.a.p.project
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Ariela Marshall, a hematologist specializing in disorders of thrombosis and hemostasis (bleeding and clotting) in women. In this interview, we discuss blood thinners, the role of estrogen in blood clots and disorders of thrombosis and hemostasis throughout a woman's life.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioDr. Marshall is a hematologist specializing in disorders of thrombosis and hemostasis (bleeding and clotting) in women. She is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and completed her residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania followed by a fellowship in hematology-oncology at Dana Farber Cancer Institute/Massachusetts General Hospital. She worked as a hematologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota from 2015-2021 and in 2021 she moved to Philadelphia to became the Director of Women’s Thrombosis and Hemostasis at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Marshall is currently planning to move back to Minnesota in summer 2023 and will establish educational platforms and advocacy initiatives centered on women’s health, particularly women’s blood disorders. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Marshall is a medical educator with a focus on career development, leadership, mentorship, and work-life integration. She has a particular interest in gender equity for patients as well as for physicians. She leads several national advocacy initiatives, co-chairs several national working groups and task forces, and speaks regularly on a national scope to discuss her efforts to advance fertility/infertility awareness, parental health, and gender equity.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[04:10] Ariela’s background
[06:00] Definitions - hematology, hemostasis and thrombosis
[07:52] How does bleeding and clotting affect women?
[09:25] Disorders in younger women
[11:50] Contraception
[13:06] Blood clots
[20:39] Blood thinning
[22:58] Sex specific recommendations
[24:24] The role of estrogen in blood clots
[30:40] Bleeding and risk factors for menopausal women
[32:33] Bleeding PSA’s for women’s health
[36:48] What’s an area of women’s health and wellness that still needs innovating?
[38:03] Insurance for blood thinners
[38:58] What does the femtech industry as a whole need the most right now in order to be successful?
[39:37] Are medical schools starting to have the conversation about sex as a biological variable?
Call to Action!Don’t forget to subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast, and leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsDr. Ariela Marshall
LinkedIn: @Ariela Marshall, MD
Twitter: @AMarshallMD
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Carolee Lee, Founder and CEO of Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM). We discuss the need for more female-specific research in autoimmune, heart disease, brain health, and cancer, the returns to the economy when women’s health is invested in, and the best ways for femhealth founders to influence policymakers.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioCarolee is an innovator, entrepreneur and thought leader dedicated to improving women’s health and wellbeing, and their opportunities to succeed.
After the sale of her accessories business, Carolee focused her energies on women’s health and life planning. In 2008, she founded AccessCircles, a global, by-invitation network committed to bringing women access to leaders, resources and experiences that can help transform their lives. Carolee then launched WHAM in July 2018, as an initiative to focus on increasing awareness of women’s health issues, investing in women’s health research and implementing strategies to improve the inequities and bias in research while accelerating scientific discovery.
Organization bioWomen’s Health Access Matters (WHAM), a 501(c)(3), was launched by Carolee Lee in July 2018 as an initiative to focus on increasing awareness of women’s health issues, investing in women’s health research and implementing strategies to improve the inequities and bias in research while accelerating scientific discovery. A board of 25 leading businesswomen supported and steer this initiative. The Connors Center at Brigham/Harvard is WHAM’s Lead Scientific Partner.
Women’s health is an economic issue we can’t afford to ignore. WHAM works to increase awareness of and funding for women’s health research by accelerating scientific discovery in women’s health in four
primary disease verticals – autoimmune disease, brain health, cancer, and heart health. The WHAM Report quantifies the economic opportunity for investing in women’s health, looking across diseases that impact women differently and differentially.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[03:03] Carolee’s background
[07:08] Women drive economies
[08:04] The WHAM Report
[11:00] The four verticals
[12:53] Areas that WHAM is supporting research in
[15:55] Calculating the economic impact of health
[18:43] Understanding the influence of women
[19:48] How to get policymakers to make change
[20:59] The experience of going to Congress to make change
[22:36] Gender differences in receptiveness to WHAM’s mission
[24:50] WHAM’s future goals for Government
[29:28] WHAM’s goal for the next 3 years
[31:32] An area of Women’s Health that still needs innovating
[33:05] What femtech needs the most in order to be successful (aside from funding)
Remember...Read The WHAM report and check out their #3not30 campaign.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast, and leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsCarolee Lee
LinkedIn: @Carolee Lee
Twitter: @caroleewham
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
WHAM
Website: https://whamnow.org/
LinkedIn: @Women’s Health Access Matters
Instagram: @whamnow
Twitter: @WHAMnow
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
Megan Fuller (Show Producer)
LinkedIn: @Megan Fuller
In this episode, Dr. Brittany Barreto takes a deep-dive into the topic of Osteoporosis - a disease that affects over 10 million people in the US alone, 80% of which are female. We'll be going back to basics and learning what bones actually are, what happens to them throughout a persons life, what osteoporosis is and why it impacts females so disproportionately.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioDr. Brittany Barreto is a trailblazer in the field of FemTech, using her scientific background, entrepreneurial spirit, and investment expertise to raise awareness of women’s health issues and showcase the importance of this vital industry.
Dr. Barreto is a proud advocate of FemTech founders and the FemTech Focus podcast is a space for honest and thought-provoking conversations about the past, present, and future of female health. Informative, shocking, and candid, this podcast exposes the truth about the status of female health globally and brings to light the opportunities and current innovations striving to achieve health equality.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[02:38] What are bones?
[04:17] What are bones made of?
[06:16] How are bones maintained?
[10:10] The role of estrogen in bone formation
[11:06] How broken bones heal
[13:20] What bone diseases exist?
[15:09] What is osteoporosis?
[16:20] Osteoporosis risk factors
[18:30] Rates of broken bones and osteoporosis in females
[22:01] Economic impact of osteoporosis
[23:43] Diagnosis and Prevention
[25:46] Funding for Osteoporosis
[26:25] Treatment
Sources* Denver Health * Hackensack Meridian Health * Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation * Economic burden of Osteoporosis in the world: A systematic review * The socioeconomic burden of fractures: Today and in the 21st Century * Osteoporosis: impact on health and economics * Osteoporosis: Diagnosis, treatment and steps to take | National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases * Estimates of Funding for Various Research, Condition, and Disease Categories (RCDC) | NIH RePORT * Cost Helper Health * Mayo Clinic
Additional Resources* Osteoporosis | National Institute on Ageing * International Osteoporosis Foundation * Osteoporosis | NHS * Royal Osteoporosis Society
Call To Action!Let us know what you think of these new episodes. Tell us what you want to learn about in future!
Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, and if you like the show please leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsDr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
Apoorva Sudini (Episode Researcher)
Linkedin: @Apoorva Sudini
Instagram: @apoorvasudini
Megan Fuller (Show Producer)
LinkedIn: @Megan Fuller
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Swarnima Bhattacharya, Chief Product Officer at Gytree. In this episode, we discuss the history and current state of women's health in India, government thinking around women's health in the country, and the flourishing Indian femtech industry.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioSwarnima is the Chief Product Officer for Gytree, a virtual women's health clinic for total care. She is an AstraZeneca Young Health Scholar working on the digital future of women's health. She created the award-winning AR-based toy "Youterus" for interactive storytelling for comprehensive sexuality education in schools. She previously founded Thea, an advocacy platform to map Indian women's journey towards correct diagnosis of chronic illnesses.
Organization bioGytree is a venture-backed virtual women's health clinic in India, providing integrated care from menarche to menopause. We are trusted health partners for women for gynaecology, therapy, nutrition, fitness and more.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[03:42] Swarnima’s background
[06:12] Women’s health at the UN
[06:56] Gytree
[12:39] Female population in India
[15:23] History - maternal mortality, female is an afterthought, etc. GOOD REEL. Abortion legalised in the 70s. 1992 commission for women. India is very forward thinking. REALLY GOOD REELS!
[18:18] Why the Indian healthcare system is different from the US
[20:15] Does India have women's health deserts?
[22:07] Unique challenges facing women in India
[24:38] Health literacy before the internet
[26:53] How involved are men in women’s healthcare in India? 26:30 - endo/PCOS not suitable for marriage!!
[30:40] The femtech ecosystem in India
[33:36] Where is investment coming from for femtech in India?
[36:25] What area of Indian women’s health still needs innovating?
[38:55] What does Indian femtech need the most to be successful?
ResourcesSheThePeople
Call To Action!Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, and if you like the show please leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsSwarnima Bhattacharya
LinkedIn: @Swarnima Bhattacharya
Instagram: @swarnima.b
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
Gytree
Website: https://gytree.com/
LinkedIn: @Gytree
Instagram: @askgytree
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Dr. Karyn Frick, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Estrigenix Therapeutics. In this episode, we discuss Types of memory loss in humans, the relationship between estrogen and the brain and the link between hot flashes and dementia. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the science behind menopause and memory loss.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioDr. Karyn Frick is Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a co-founder and the Chief Scientific Officer of Estrigenix Therapeutics, Inc. She has nearly 30 years of experience studying the neurobiological mechanisms underlying memory formation, with a particular focus on the cellular and molecular mechanisms through which estrogens regulate memory, hot flashes, and mood. She has published >110 articles and book chapters and edited the 2020 book "Estrogens and Memory: Basic Research and Clinical Implications” (Oxford University Press). Dr. Frick is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and Association for Psychological Science, and has been awarded the Society for Women’s Health Research/Medtronic Prize for Scientific Contributions to Women’s Health.
Organization bioEstrigenix's mission is to develop drugs, based on our platform technology and expertise in estrogen biology, that can help women live healthier and longer lives. We aim to dramatically improve women’s health by developing safe, clinically proven treatments for the physical and mental effects of menopause. We are developing compounds to reduce menopause symptoms like hot flashes and memory dysfunction without the adverse health risks associated with traditional estrogen therapies. Because there is a correlation hot flash severity in the 50s and increased risk of dementia in the 60s and beyond, safe treatments for hot flashes may also alleviate women's increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[03:52] Dr. Frick’s background
[06:33] Measuring memory in rats and mice
[10:27] Do rats and mice go through menopause?
[11:50] Context of memory loss in humans
[19:00] Scientific history of estrogen and the brain
[23:07] Can we see memory changes in human women throughout the menstrual cycle?
[25:29] Contraception and memory
[28:44] Why has dementia previously not been researched very well?
[33:35] What is estrogen telling a cell?
[36:55] Funding this research
[41:42] Estrigenix
[53:10] What’s next?
ResourcesCheck out this recent article on Alzheimer's in women:
Alzheimer’s Association
Call To Action!Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, and if you like the show please leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsDr. Karyn Frick
LinkedIn: @Karyn Frick
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
Estrigenix Therapeutics
Website: https://www.estrigenix.com/
LinkedIn: @Estrigenix Therapeutics, Inc.
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, we talk to Dr. Yesmean Wahdan, Vice President for U.S. Medical Affairs in the Bayer Women’s HealthCare division. In this episode, we discuss the prevalence, causes and treatments for heavy menstrual bleeding. This is a great opportunity to learn more about Bayer’s new women’s health strategy which emphasizes partnerships with startups, and which companies they’re interested in working with.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioDr. Yesmean Wahdan, MD is the Vice President for U.S. Medical Affairs in the Bayer Women’s HealthCare division. She is the eldest of 6 children and was born and raised in the Northern Virginia area not far from the Nation’s Capital – Washington, DC. She received her bachelor’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia, and her Medical Degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. She completed her OB/GYN residency at a combined program at Georgetown University Medical Center and Washington Hospital Center in Washington, DC. She has also published several abstracts and articles in the field of Women’s Health. In her time at Bayer, Dr. Wahdan has served as Medical Science Liaison, a Medical Director, and most recently as head of the U.S. Medical Affairs group for Women’s HealthCare.
Dr. Wahdan is passionate about the care and health of women and is proud to work with an organization dedicated to advancing the health of women through science, research, and creating accessibility to options that impact the lives of women throughout their life journey. She believes that when women are healthy, informed, and can realize their full potential, their families, communities, and ultimately the world can have better tomorrows.
Dr. Wahdan is based in the US Bayer Headquarters office in Whippany, New Jersey, and lives in Northern New Jersey with her family.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[04:10] Dr. Wahdan’s background
[06:49] What is Bayer?
[09:10] Why is Bayer deprioritizing women’s health Research & Development?
[12:45] What is Heavy Menstrual Bleeding?
[15:14] Indicators of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
[16:06] Causes of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
[16:55] Prevalence of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding
[19:27] Disproportion based on race, ethnicity, age and location
[20:10] Are you born with Heavy Menstrual Bleeding or does it develop?
[20:32] Treatment options
[23:30] Hormonal contraceptive impact on bleeding
[24:43] Non-hormonal options
[25:34] Bayer’s clinical trials for endometriosis treatments
[28:03] What kind of partnership is Bayer looking for?
[28:35] What’s an area of Women’s Health that still needs innovation?
[30:42] What does the femtech industry as a whole need the most in order to be successful?
ResourcesBayer’s commitment to Women’s Healthcare - Episode 141
Episode ContributorsDr. Yesmean Wahdan
LinkedIn: @Yesmean H. Wahdan, MD
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: @Brittany Barreto, Ph.D.
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
Bayer
Website: https://www.bayer.com/en/us/bayer-united-states-of-america
LinkedIn: @Bayer
Twitter: @Bayer
Instagram: @bayerofficial
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, Dr. Brittany Barreto takes a deep-dive into the topic of Mifepristone - a drug that is used in almost half of US abortions, but is currently at risk of being removed from the US market. We dive into the detail of Mifepristone, finding out exactly where it came from, how it works, and the truth behind the debate on its safety.
Guest bioDr. Brittany Barreto is a trailblazer in the field of FemTech, using her scientific background, entrepreneurial spirit, and investment expertise to raise awareness of women’s health issues and showcase the importance of this vital industry.
Dr. Barreto is a proud advocate of FemTech founders and the FemTech Focus podcast is a space for honest and thought-provoking conversations about the past, present, and future of female health. Informative, shocking, and candid, this podcast exposes the truth about the status of female health globally and brings to light the opportunities and current innovations striving to achieve health equality.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[03:17] Context
[05:29] Abortion in the US
[08:09] How does Mifepristone work?
[10:25] Progesterone
[17:05] Misoprostol
[24:23] What’s it like to have a medication abortion?
[29:00] The history of mifepristone and misoprostol
[32:47] Who should not take mifepristone?
[33:25] FDA approval of mifepristone
[37:15] Side effects of mifepristone
[38:12] Safety of mifepristone
[39:59] Utilization of mifepristone
[42:03] The cost of a medicated abortion
[46:46] The Court debate about mifepristone
ResourcesWatch the episode livestream on instagram!
Call To Action!Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, and if you like the show please leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsDr Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanybarreto/
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, Dr. Brittany Barreto talks to Lauren Orlick, Co-Founder of HeartSnug. They discuss the benefits of providing privacy in medical settings, what medical privacy garments have looked like up to now and how HeartSnug is changing the status quo. Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioLauren's childhood best friend (and HeartSnug co-founder Sara), has a complex congenital heart defect which resulted in her undergoing open-heart surgery as a baby and throughout her life. She has therefore experienced first-hand the challenges inherent with being subjected to countless medical exams and procedures. Lauren also saw how dispiriting the medical process can be when her mother went through a battle with cancer. Lauren saw firsthand how dispiriting the medical process can be when her mother went through a battle with cancer. Always looking to be a part of the solution, Lauren was inspired to search for ways for patients to feel comfortable during procedures that are awkward and associated with physical exposure and emotional vulnerability. Lauren's extensive Human Resources background includes executing all levels of HR. She lives in San Francisco with her teenage twin boys.
Company bioHeartSnug is the first of its kind - a patented, adjustable (front Velcro closure & elastic at the bottom) disposable medical bra. It is X-RAY safe, making it viable for ultrasound and MRI procedures, and comes in three sizes. HeartSnug can be worn by itself or under a medical gown for an additional layer of support.The mission driven business was launched two years ago from Co Founder Sara Dorband’s lifelong challenges living with a chronic heart condition and being in and out of the hospital and undergoing procedures. She wondered why medical advancement hadn't caught up to include women’s chest privacy. Heartsnug was created with the goal of positively impacting female patients both mentally and physically. We aim to help patients feel dignity with an emphasis on patient privacy. We have conducted extensive research and utilized patient surveys to confirm that both medical facilities and patients have an increased focus in 2023 on patient satisfaction, and that is what HeartSnug offers.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[03:52] Lauren’s background
[07:32] Why HeartSnug is needed
[12:11] What is HeartSnug?
[16:27] Why do we need medical garments?
[17:34] The history of medical garments
[19:24] The impact of not having a privacy garment
[24:45] Guidelines for physicians around consent
[32:05] Other areas of improvement for respecting a female patient during exams
[33:00] Benefits of making the healthcare system feel safer for women
[36:22] How to get HeartSnug
ResourcesFor more information on the work in Isreal mentioned by Brittany - check out https://www.briah.org/
Call To Action!Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, and if you like the show please leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsLauren Orlick
Instagram: @sflauren
HeartSnug
Website: https://www.heartsnug.com/
Instagram: @heartsnug
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanybarreto/
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, Dr. Brittany Barreto talks to Dr. Jessica Gaulton, Founder and CEO of FamilyWell Health. They discuss how mental health disorders can manifest in birthing people, why 1 in 3 moms is experiencing post-partum depression and what FamilyWell is doing about it. This is a truly insightful episode, we learned a LOT - let us know what you think!
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioDr. Gaulton is a physician-entrepreneur whose expertise lies at the intersection of maternal & newborn health and healthcare innovation. She is a practicing Neonatologist at Harvard and also Founder and CEO at FamilyWell Health. Her inspiration to start FamilyWell comes from her own experience overcoming postpartum depression and struggling to find mental health resources as a patient herself. FamilyWell's mission is to solve the maternal mental health crisis and provide equitable access to mental health services for pregnant and postpartum patients.
Dr. Gaulton received specialized training in Innovation and Design at the Penn Medicine Center for Health Care Innovation. She completed her Clinical Fellowship in Neonatology at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia / Penn Medicine. Dr. Gaulton received her medical degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, a Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health, and completed her pediatric residency at the Boston Combined Residency Program at Boston Children's Hospital / Harvard Medical School. Jessica graduated Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Cornell University.
Company bioFamilyWell is a digital behavioral health company that integrates perinatal mental health services in Obstetric practices using a tech-enabled collaborative care model. FamilyWell's mission is to solve the maternal mental health crisis and provide equitable access to mental health services for pregnant and postpartum patients.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[04:32] Dr. Gaulton’s background
[06:54] How FamilyWell came about
[08:20] Intrusive thoughts
[13:14] Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMAD)
[15:20] What is FamilyWell?
[22:21] Mental Health crises before, during and after pregnancy
[27:17] Why are Mental Health disorders showing up during pregnancy?
[29:01] The current Mental Health of females in the US
[33:14] The impact of COVID-19
[35:07] How FamilyWell works
[38:00] OB/GYN providers and FamilyWell
[40:11] The Collaborative Care Model and Medicaid
[44:52] Creating a Medicaid model
Call To Action!Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, and if you like the show please leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsDr. Jessica Gaulton
LinkedIn: @Jessica (Schiffman) Gaulton MD, MPH
FamilyWell Health
Website: https://familywellhealth.com/
LinkedIn: @FamilyWell
Instagram: @familywellhealth
Twitter: @_familywell
Dr Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanybarreto/
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, Dr. Brittany Barreto talks to Professor Christine Metz, Co-Director of The ROSE Study. They discuss menstrual effluent, what it is, how it can be used as a diagnostic tool and what this means for people with endometriosis. This is an awesome episode - let us know what you think!
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioDr. Christine N Metz is a Professor at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health and the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. Her research primarily focuses on identifying mechanisms that underlie dysfunctional inflammatory responses. Most of this work centers on women’s health. Dr. Metz is the author of more than 160 peer-reviewed scientific research papers and more than a dozen review articles and book chapters. She was recently recognized as one of the top 100,000 scientists in the world (among 7 million) based on her productivity and the impact of her work (PLoS Biology, 2019).
Company bioThe ROSE study was developed in 2013 by Peter K Gregersen, MD and Christine N Metz, PhD, who serve as co-directors. The ROSE study enrolls menstruators ages 15-50 years to participate in research studies focused on using menstrual effluent (or menstrual blood) as a tool to study endometriosis (as well as as other uterine-health disorders). We are focused on 1) developing non-invasive methods for screening/diagnosing endometriosis (as well as uterine-health disorders) to reduce the delay in diagnosis and 2) better understanding endometriosis to develop more effective and tolerable treatments, which are sorely needed.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[04:03] Professor Metz’s background
[06:59] What is endometriosis?
[08:09] The ROSE Study
[10:02] Progress in understanding endometriosis
[10:53] Menstrual Effluent
[12:55] The uterus is not a closed system
[14:25] Research on Menstrual Effluent
[17:36] How to collect Menstrual Effluent
[20:23] Study findings so far
[22:49] How to get involved
[25:37] How quickly could a diagnosis be given with the tool?
[26:15] How soon could a tool be on the market?
[29:32] Attitudes to studying menstrual effluent
[32:19] Funding for endometriosis research
[34:23] What would be the impact if we could diagnose endometriosis earlier?
[36:00] Current endometriosis treatments
[38:33] What is an area of women’s health and wellness that still needs innovating?
[39:55] Potential law changes in Florida and the impact for endometriosis
[41:22] What does the femtech industry as a whole need the most to be successful?
Call To Action!Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, and if you like the show please leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsProfessor Christine Metz
LinkedIn: @Christine Metz
Twitter: @CN_METZ
The ROSE Study
Website: https://feinstein.northwell.edu/institutes-researchers/institute-molecular-medicine/robert-s-boas-center-for-genomics-and-human-genetics/rose-research-outsmarts-endometriosis
Email: rose@northwell.edu
Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health
Website: https://feinstein.northwell.edu/
LinkedIn: @Northwell Health
Twitter: @northwellhealth
Instagram: @northwellhealth
Youtube: @NorthwellHealth
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanybarreto/
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, Dr Brittany Barreto talks to Kimberly Haven, Executive Director of Reproductive Justice Inside. They discuss all aspects of an incarcerated woman’s healthcare experience, from access to menstrual products to what happens if you’re pregnant, to experiences with menopause. This is a truly fascinating and highly educational episode.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioKimberly Haven is a powerful voice and force in the social justice movement. She is a sought-after expert and a frequently called-upon speaker on issues such as Women in Prison, Women’s Reproductive Justice, and a broad range of criminal justice reform and advocacy issues.
She is uniquely familiar with the criminal justice system because of her own incarceration. She has the unique distinction of being the only formerly incarcerated woman in Maryland who has written and gotten passed into law, several pieces of legislation.
She has a strong passion for all justice issues, with a special focus on the reproductive justice issues facing incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women. She is the Executive Director of Reproductive Justice Inside (RJI) where she wrote the first-in-the-nation law prohibiting the forced solitary confinement of pregnant and post-pregnant individuals. This law ended an archaic practice that was tantamount to punishing a woman for being pregnant.
Company bioThe mission of Reproductive Justice Inside was initially to address the needs of systems-involved individuals in Maryland seeking quality and timely sexual and reproductive healthcare. Reproductive Justice Inside is now the go-to organization in Maryland on these issues. Our mission has expanded to support and protect, as a fundamental right and value, reproductive freedom for the entire reproductive lifespan of incarcerated individuals and to address the conditions of confinement where systems-involved individuals are not in complete control of their reproductive futures and freedom.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[03:46] Kimberly’s background
[05:47] Kimberly’s personal experiences
[12:14] Availability of menstrual products to incarcerated women
[15:11] Expansion of Reproductive Justice Inside
[16:46] Birth Control whilst incarcerated
[22:10] Pregnancy whilst incarcerated
[29:15] Boober
[34:00] Post-partum care whilst incarcerated
[35:00] Lack of care = increased healthcare costs
[37:00] Menopause whilst incarcerated
[42:22] How to help, get involved or find out more
Call To Action!Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, and if you like the show please leave us a review!
Don't forget to download the 2022 Landscape Report! Available via the link, or on our website: femhealthinsights.com
Episode ContributorsKimberly Haven
Email: kimberly@reproductivejusticeinside.org
LinkedIn: @Kimberly Haven
Instagram: @kimberlyhaven
Reproductive Justice Inside
Instagram: @rjinside
Dr Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanybarreto/
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, Dr Brittany Barreto talks to Dr. Neel Shah, Chief Medical Officer at Maven Clinic. They discuss how Maven Clinic is reducing employer healthcare costs, the challenges in serving women in over 175 countries, and what the future is for FemTech’s first US Unicorn.
Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!
Guest bioDr. Neel Shah, MD, MPP, FACOG, is Chief Medical Officer of Maven Clinic, the largest virtual clinic for women's and family health, and Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School. He is the co-founder of the March for Moms Association, a coalition of more than 20 leading organizations dedicated to increasing public and private investment in the wellbeing of mothers, and the founder of Costs of Care, an NGO that curates insights from clinicians and patients to help delivery systems provide better care. His work to build equitable, trustworthy systems of care is featured in the documentaries “Color of Care,” produced by Oprah Winfrey, and “Aftershock,” produced by Yance Ford. Dr. Shah serves on the advisory board of the National Institutes of Health, Office of Women's Health Research.
Company bioMaven is the largest virtual clinic for women's and family health, offering continuous, holistic care for fertility and family building through maternity, parenting, pediatrics and menopause. Maven's award-winning digital programs are trusted by leading employers and health plans to reduce costs and drive better maternal health outcomes, as well as enhance DE&I in benefits programs. Founded in 2014 by CEO Kate Ryder, Maven has been recognized as Fast Company's #1 Most Innovative Health Company and has 15 million lives under management. Maven has raised $300 million in funding from leading investors including General Catalyst, Sequoia, Oak HC/FT, Dragoneer Investment Group and Lux Capital.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[02:52] Dr. Neels Shah’s background
[04:27] Academics and Startups
[08:04] All about Maven Clinic
[18:38] Advice for founders thinking about business models
[10:50] How medical insurance works in the US
[22:28] Maternal care costs
[26:43] Challenges of serving women in 175+ countries
[28:36] Male usage of Maven
[32:18] Maven and Menopause
[36:12] Building Maven
[38:25] Focus V Marketplace
[39:48] Maven’s Exit Strategy
ResourcesMaven Clinic
March for Moms
Costs of Care
The Color of Care
Aftershock
Call To Action!Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, and if you like the show please leave us a review!
Sponsor InformationToday’s episode is sponsored by Guidea, a women-owned, women-led UX design consultancy that specializes in bringing FemTech innovations to life. This incredible team has extensive product and design strategy expertise in HealthTech and MedTech and is a trusted partner to 20 of the Fortune 100 companies. They’ve launched more than 300 products to date including the flagship products for seven unicorn-status start-ups.
Guidea is known for creating research-driven products and services that are engaging, useful, and easily integrated into patients' or customers’ lives and care providers’ workflows. Drawing on their deep knowledge of MedTech, IoT, wearables, population health insights, digital therapeutics, and healthcare software, they help founding teams prioritize opportunities and focus on key features for clinical studies or MVPs. The team also has extensive experience with regulated device approval and can help you both understand and plan for this rigorous testing and approval process. To learn more about Guidea and get to know their team, visit guidea.com.
Episode ContributorsDr. Neel Shah
LinkedIn: @Neel Shah
Twitter: @neel_shah
Maven Clinic
Website: https://www.mavenclinic.com/
LinkedIn: @Maven Clinic
Twitter: @mavenclinic
Instagram: @mavenclinic
Dr Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanybarreto/
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
It’s our 200th episode! And it’s a really great one. In this episode, Dr Brittany Barreto talks to Heidi Morin, Founder and CEO of Parity Healthcare Analytics. They talk all about the importance of hospital staffing to outcomes for women’s health. From the current system, to causes of burnout in nurses, to US maternal healthcare deserts - this is a truly fascinating episode. Remember to like, rate and subscribe, and enjoy the episode!
Episode NotesGuest bioHeidi Morin is founder and CEO of Parity Healthcare Analytics. Heidi has been a Registered Nurse for 20 years, specializing in Women’s Health and Neonatal Intensive Care. Heidi has been actively involved in the inside operations of healthcare - from the frontlines to Board Rooms, and is an expert in clinical care, multi-million-dollar business operations and labor productivity. Heidi is passionate about providing high-quality patient care and has a profound interest in how hospitals measure this care. As a result, Heidi founded Parity Healthcare Analytics Inc. in 2020.
Company bioParity Healthcare Analytics is challenging the status quo of how hospitals currently calculate and budget for nurse staffing in perinatal units (Obstetric & NICU).
The inaugural product is Parity, a cloud-based SaaS program with multi-purpose features to address the complex nurse staffing and patient needs uniquely found in the perinatal setting. We have a mission to improve maternal health outcomes by providing the clinical frontlines with real-time and objective data to ensure staffing levels and nurse-to-patient ratios are appropriate to provide safe patient care.
Ultimately, Parity Healthcare aims to revolutionize nursing productivity in healthcare, starting in the maternal health space.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast is brought to you by FemHealth Insights, the leader in Women’s Health market research and consulting. In this show, Dr. Brittany Barreto hosts meaningfully provocative conversations that bring FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[04:19] Heidi’s background
[05:39] Parity Healthcare Analytics
[06:45] Correct terminology for women’s healthcare
[11:16] The relationship between hospital staffing and outcomes for women’s health
[14:08] Staffing requirements of a women’s health ward in comparison to other wards
[17:39] Maternal Care Deserts
[19:30] Malpractice Insurance
[21:45] Burnout in Women’s Health Nurses
[27:13] Reasons for the current nursing shortage?
[28:52] Race implications
[32:58] Benefits of the Parity Healthcare Analytics Tool
[37:50] Payouts and Unconscious Biases
[39:28] What’s an area of women’s health and wellness that still needs innovating?
[42:07] What does women’s health as a whole need the most in order to be successful?
ResourcesParity Healthcare Analytics
Call To Action!Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, and if you like the show please leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsHeidi Morin
LinkedIn: Heidi E. Morin, MSN, MBA, RN, FABC
Email: hmorin@parityapp.health
Parity Healthcare Analytics
Website: https://www.paritystaffing.com/
LinkedIn: @Parity Healthcare Analytics, Inc
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanybarreto/
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, Dr Brittany Barreto talks to Surbhi Sarna, Author of Without A Doubt and Partner at Y Combinator. They discuss Surbhi’s company, which exited in 2018 for $275 million, advice for networking and pitching investors, plus how to recognise burnout and what to do about it. Enjoy the episode!
Remember to like, rate and subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast!
Guest bioSurbhi Sarna is the healthcare partner at Y Combinator, and is the founder and former CEO of nVision Medical, which sold to Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) for $275M. nVision developed a first-in-kind microcatheter for the detection of ovarian cancer. After raising $17M in venture funding, completing three clinical trials, and obtaining two first-in-class FDA approvals, nVision was acquired by Boston Scientific for more than 15X money-in. Surbhi then stayed at Boston Scientific for two years, running the 150+ person commercial organization in preparation for launch. She is now Y-Combinator's only and first partner focused exclusively on healthtech, medical devices, and therapeutics and sits on both private and public company boards.
Company bioIn Without a Doubt, Sarna gives us an inside look at her entrepreneurial journey and shows how she proved her naysayers and doubters wrong using the very qualities that had made her feel different her whole life. Instead, she leveraged these qualities to help her surpass the expectations of others and achieve her dream. In her book, she shares the practical skills and tools that are needed to face setbacks, not let impossible standards get in the way, lead empathetically, empower others to think differently, and how to convince the right people to help you accomplish your goal.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[04:48] Background to the book.
[07:32] What is the book about?
[08:29] Teenage cancer scare
[11:33] Advancement in ovarian cyst research or solutions.
[12:17] Why is it always birth control?
[15:05] Networking advice
[16:45] Making connections.
[17:41] Be excited about your business!
[22:20] Advice to founders who are being laughed at.
[27:45] What do you think of the word femtech?
[28:40] Using words to make people comfortable.
[30:20] Know your pitch and read the room.
[32:58] Handling insecurities about pivoting.
[36:49] Burnout.
[43:08] What Surbhi is up to now.
ResourcesWithout A Doubt: How to Go from Underrated to Unbeatable
Call To Action!Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, and if you like the show please leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsSurbhi Sarna
LinkedIn: @Surbhi Sarna
Twitter: @SurbhiSarnaSF
Y Combinator
Website: https://www.ycombinator.com/
LinkedIn: @Y Combinator
Twitter: @ycombinator
Instagram: @ycombinator
Facebook: @Y Combinator
Youtube: @ycombinator
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanybarreto/
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
Episode SummaryIn this episode, Dr Brittany Barreto talks to Dr. Sarita Maturu, Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurology at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and Board Member at My Epilepsy Story, a non-profit for women with epilepsy. They talk all about exactly what a seizure is, when women may be more susceptible to seizures, and what the female-specific impacts of an epilepsy diagnosis are. Enjoy the episode!
Remember to like, rate and subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast!
Remember to like, rate and subscribe to the FemTech Focus podcast!
Guest bioSarita Maturu is an Epileptologist at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Epilepsy Division and is the Director of Specialty Clinics within the Neurology department. She has a special interest in women with epilepsy along with young adults and adolescents with epilepsy. Pursuant to this passion, she has developed the Epilepsy Pregnancy Clinic at OSU and has helped start the Epilepsy Transition Clinic that is done in conjunction with Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She currently is a board member of My Epilepsy Story which is the only nonprofit organization for women with epilepsy.
Company bioMy Epilepsy Story (MES) is an international, non-profit organization that serves to bridge the gap for women and girls diagnosed with epilepsy, as well as the children impacted by their mother’s epilepsy, by Collaborating, Advocating, Researching, and Educating (C.A.R.E.) people everywhere about women’s health and epilepsy.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
FemHealth Insights bioLed by a team of analysts and advisors who specialize in female health, FemHealth Insights is a female health-specific market research and analysis firm, offering businesses in diverse industries unparalleled access to the comprehensive data and insights needed to illuminate areas of untapped potential in the nuanced women’s health market.
Time Stamps[02:26] Dr. Sarita Maturu’s background
[05:41] What is a seizure?
[07:15] What is epilepsy?
[11:10] Consequences of seizures
[12:40] Causes of epilepsy
[13:44] Prevalence of epilepsy
[15:09] Epilepsy in females
[17:27] Epilepsy medication
[20:59] Interactions with hormones
[24:46] Research
[27:13] My Epilepsy Story
[29:27] Female-specific impacts of living with epilepsy
[31:55] What is an area of women’s health and wellness that still needs innovating?
[34:29] What does the femtech industry need the most in order to be successful?
ResourcesMy Epilepsy Story
Call To Action!Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, and if you like the show please leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsDr. Sarita Maturu
My Epilepsy Story
Website: https://myepilepsystory.org/
LinkedIn: @My Epilepsy Story
Twitter: @myepilepsystory
Instagram: @myepilepsystory
Facebook: @My Epilepsy Story
Youtube: @myepilepsystory9968
Dr Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanybarreto/
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus Podcast
Website: https://femtechfocus.org/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
FemHealth Insights
Website: https://www.femhealthinsights.com/
LinkedIn: @FemHealth Insights
In this episode, Dr Brittany Barreto talks to Maurissa Bell, VP of Private Equity and Clairvest Group Inc. They take it back to basics and discuss what Private Equity actually is, how it works and how it can help a company. Maurissa also gives us the 411 on the relationship between Private Equity and FemTech, why Clairvest sees opportunity in the sector, and what they see as the future of women’s health and wellness.
Guest bioMaurissa Bell is Vice President of Private Equity at Clairvest Group Inc. She joined Clairvest focusing on Women's Healthcare and is involved in all areas of the investment process. She is a Chartered Accountant and has held various roles in investment and corporate banking, and Maurissa is also a recipient of the Women in Capital Markets 2021 Emerging Leader award.
Company bioClairvest is a top performing private equity management firm with over CAD $3.2 billion of capital under management. Founded in 1987 by a group of successful entrepreneurs, Clairvest’s mission is to partner with entrepreneurs to help them build strategically significant businesses.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Time Stamps[01:26] Maurissa Bell and Clairvest
[05:39] What is Private Equity?
[13:15] How does a Private Equity fund actually work?
[19:44] Why does Clairvest want to invest in Women’s Health?
[28:29] The relationship between Women’s Health and Private Equity today.
[33:53] Women’s Health in the future.
[38:43] Advice for founders considering Private Equity in their company’s future.
[44:31] What is an area in women’s health and wellness that still needs innovating?
[45:13] What does the femtech industry need the most right now to be successful?
Call To Action!Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, and if you like the show please leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsMaurissa Bell
LinkedIn: @Maurissa Bell, CPA, CA
Clairvest Group Inc.
LinkedIn: @Clairvest Group Inc
Website: https://www.clairvest.com/
Twitter: @clairvest_group
Dr. Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanybarreto/
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
Dr. Rasha Babikir is head of business development at Cedar Health Research, a Clinical Trials site in Dallas, Texas. In this episode, Dr. Rasha teaches us all about the different entities involved in a clinical trial, how much one costs, why women were excluded from clinical trials in 1977 and reintroduced in 1993, and what we can do to ensure equality in clinical trials moving forwards.
Guest bioDr. Rasha Babikir is a first generation American with Afro-Arabian origins in Egypt and Sudan. She acquired her medical education and training in Sudan before she immigrated to the United States. While living in the US, she succeeded in combining her passion for patient care and unfulfilled hunger for knowledge by becoming a clinical research professional. She gained her clinical research experience while working at UT Southwestern Medical Center and while working in academia, she pursued an MBA with a focus in Healthcare Management to expand her knowledge and support her professional growth.
Company bioCedar Health Research is a clinical trial site network in Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, that uses machine learning to match candidates to trials from their partner community practices. They then perform the trials themselves and they have a focus on recruiting diverse populations, leading to success in enrolling underrepresented groups to their trials.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Time Stamps[03:34] Dr. Babikir’s background
[06:40] What is Cedar Health Research?
[13:17] Diversity in Clinical Trials
[18:38] The different entities involved in a Clinical Trial
[24:17] The cost of a Clinical Trial
[28:31] The reason women were banned from Clinical Trials for 15 years
[35:18] Representation in Clinical Trials today
[41:15] How to increase female participation in Clinical Trials
[46:07] Birth control in Clinical Trials
[50:27] What’s an area of women’s health and wellness that still needs innovating?
[52:00] What does the femtech industry need in order to be successful?
ResourcesCedar Health Research: https://www.cedarhealthresearch.com/
Call to Action!Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, and if you like the show please leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsDr. Rasha Babikir
Cedar Health Research
Website: https://www.cedarhealthresearch.com/
Twitter: @CedarTrials
Instagram: @cedarhealthresearch
Facebook: Cedar Health Research
Dr Brittany Barreto
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
Dr. Kate Rhodes and Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz are researchers at the University of Arizona, looking at how the vaginal microbiome relates to gonorrhea and bacterial vaginosis. In this episode, Dr. Kate and Dr. Melissa talk to Brittany all about STI rates in the US, the impacts for women, the link between the vaginal microbiome and cancer, plus what it’s like to be a researcher of women’s health. Enjoy the episode!
Guest biosDr. Kate Rhodes is a Research Scientist at the Tucson Arizona Campus in the Department of Immunobiology., where her work is focussed on the complex interactions between infection-causing pathogens and the bacteria that live in the body. Dr. Kate is working to understand bacterial adaptation in the female reproductive tract.
Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz is an Associate Professor at College of Medicine Phoenix at the University of Arizona, in both the Department of Basic Medical Sciences and Obstetrics & Gynecology. Dr. Melissa has her own laboratory, currently studying the relationship between vaginal dysbiosis and HPV persistence, progression and carcinogenesis, endometrial cancer and other gynecologic sequelae.
Company bioThe University of Arizona Health Sciences is one of the top-ranked academic medical centers in the southwestern United States. The University of Arizona Health Sciences includes the College of Medicine (Phoenix), College of Medicine (Tucson), College of Nursing, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, and the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy.
The Herbst-Kralovetz research lab is broadly interested in understanding innate mucosal immune responses to resident bacteria, STI pathogens (e.g HPV, HSV), and microbial products at mucosal sites, including the female reproductive tract.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Time Stamps[03:00] Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz’s background
[05:18] Dr. Kate Rhodes’ background
[07:42] What is it like being a researcher of Women’s Health?
[11:33] An institute for Women’s Health?
[15:18] STI Statistics - globally and in women
[17:22] Consequences of STI infection in women
[23:33] Understanding the link between gonorrhea and the vaginal microbiome
[28:54] Lubricant and the vaginal microbiome
[32:38] The link between the vaginal microbiome and cancer
[38:21] The gut microbiome and the vaginal microbiome
[42:25] Is there “leaky vagina” like there is “_leaky gut_”?
[44.27] Dr. Melissa’s work with Native American communities
Research PapersPersonal and clinical vaginal lubricants: Impact on local vaginal microenvironment and implications for epithelial cell host response and barrier function.
Clinical and personal lubricants impact growth of vaginal Lactobacillus species and colonization of vaginal epithelial cells: an in vitro study.
ResourcesNative American Initiatives for training the next generation of students at University of Arizona
The Summer Internship for Indigenous Peoples in Genomics
American Indian Youth Wellness Camp
Call to Action!Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, and if you like the show please leave us a review!
Episode ContributorsDr. Kate Rhodes
Dr. Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz
Herbst-Kralovetz Lab
Twitter: @HerbstKralovetz
LinkedIn: Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz
University of Arizona Health Sciences
LinkedIn: University of Arizona Health Sciences
Facebook: @UAZHealthSciences
Twitter: @UAZHealth
Instagram: @uazhealthsciences
Youtube: @UAHSC
Website: https://healthsciences.arizona.edu/
Dr Brittany Barreto
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittanybarreto/
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/femtechfocus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
Guest bioOriginally from Boston, MA, Liz has 25 years of experience from working on health, Defense, high-tech and economic development issues in Congress and as an attorney and lobbyist. Starting as a student activist, she worked on health, Defense, high-tech and economic development issues in Congress, as an attorney and lobbyist. After meeting lots of entrepreneurs and nonprofits who didn’t know how to navigate government, Liz started G2G (Government2Growth) in 2007.
Company bioG2G is a bipartisan team of non-dilutive funding experts and government affairs professionals who work for and with government on the federal, state and local levels – successfully representing bioscience, healthcare, and high-tech innovators, entrepreneurs, research institutions, companies and nonprofits in securing $423 million in non-dilutive government funding to date.
FemTech Focus Podcast bioThe FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings FemTech experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as FemTech) that are improving women's health and wellness. Though many leaders in FemTech are women, this podcast is not specifically about female founders, nor is it geared toward a specifically female audience. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Time Stamps[03:09] Liz Powell’s background
[05:29] G2G and Women’s Health
[06:31] Women’s Health Innovation Coalition by Springboard Enterprises
[09:39] The relationship between Women’s Health and Policy
[14:06] Current temperature of Women’s Health of Women’s Health within the US Government
[16:45] How do we educate policy makers about women’s health?
[19:39] What was the impact of the Dobbs decision on the US Midterm Elections?
[25:22] How to get involved in crafting a policy proposal
[27:20] Collaborating with the Office of Research on Women’s Health
[28:34] If I had a magic wand…
[29:31] Letter Writing Campaigns
[32:43] Reimbursement as a policy that affects women’s health
[36:03] How to get involved with policy and G2G Consulting
[37:19] What is an area in women’s health and wellness that still needs innovating?
[38:28] What does the femtech industry need the most right now to be successful?
ResourcesG2G Consulting
Women’s Health Innovation Coalition
Call To Action!Make sure you subscribe to the podcast, and if you like the show please leave us a review!
Subscribe to G2G’s mailings
Episode ContributorsLiz Powell
Email: lpowell@g2gconsulting.com
G2G Consulting
Twitter: @G2GConsulting
Dr Brittany Barreto
Twitter: @DrBrittB
Instagram: @drbrittanybarreto
FemTech Focus
Twitter: @FemTech_Focus
Instagram: @femtechfocus
Dictionary.com announced the word of the year for 2022 is, "woman". That could not be more accurate as we have seen major growth in the women's health innovation industry. In this annual end of year review with our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, we cover the major trends, wins, and challenges facing this budding industry. We will discuss societal shifts affecting our industry, review last year's predictions and see if they materialized while making predictions for 2023, key industry influencers of 2022, investments, organizations, conferences, exits, startups that shined in 2022 and which one to watch for 2023, areas of most innovation, and where we still need to do better.
Head of Femtech Partnerships at Scrum Ventures Founding member at Femtech Community Japan Saki has been involved in collaborative projects between startups and Japanese large corporations her entire career. Saki's been leading femtech initiatives at Scrum connecting with femtech startups and Japanese large corporations. To raise more awareness of the women's health sector in Japan, she founded Femtech Community Japan as one of the founding members.
Scrum Ventures is an early-stage venture firm based in San Francisco with a growing Tokyo office. With entrepreneurial expertise and a strong network in Japan, Scrum Ventures actively supports portfolio growth and success. Scrum Studio is an open innovation platform launched in 2018 with the goal of incubating new businesses by connecting iconic Japanese corporations with startups from around the world. Programs include Sports Tech Tokyo, SmartCityX, and Well-BeingX.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/saki-oshima/
https://twitter.com/saki_oshima
https://www.linkedin.com/company/scrum-ventures/
https://twitter.com/ScrumVentures
Dr. Danos is an integrative biologist by training, currently working as an assistant professor at a primarily undergraduate institution, the University of San Diego. Her academic research has focused on how muscles and tendons function when animals, including humans, move. When she became pregnant she realized that there was a scarcity of data on the basic biology of the female body during pregnancy and lactation. Her current research program, engages undergraduate students, and addresses this gap, in particular how muscles and tendons change at these physiological stages. She is an advocate for more basic research on female biology in particular with respect to movement biomechanics and exercise. She is also putting together a FemTech innovation Engine to stir up the innovation ecosystems of Southern California, with the intention of filling both the knowledge and participation gaps.
www.instagram.com/professordanos
www.twitter.com/DrDanosNicole
Milena Bacalja Perianes is a femtech expert and gender lens investing specialist. Having worked across the public and private sector to create women-centered products, programmes and financing instruments. She is committed to driving more innovation and investment into women's health solutions that can close the gender gap. With an MPHIL in Gender Studies from the University of Cambridge, she is the co-founder of Madami and the Menstrual Health Hub (the latter being recently acquired) and founder of soon to be launched HerShare, a femtech focused angel investing network.
Madami is a purpose-driven advisory and innovation agency specialising in tailored consulting services in femtech, sextech and gender lens investing. HerShare is a femtech focused angel investing network that seeks to close the gender wealth gap by supporting more women to become angel investors in female founded femtech companies.
https://twitter.com/milenabacalja
https://www.linkedin.com/in/milena-bacalja-perianes-4833a8b2/
Social Handles
Linkedin: @FemTech Focus @Brittany Barreto
Twitter: @Femtech_Focus @DrBrittB
Instagram: @FemTechFocus @DrBrittanyBarreto
Facebook: @FemTech Focus @Dr. Brittany Barreto
FemTech Focus Bio:
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to bring awareness externally and internally for the FemTech industry and to empower the key stakeholders including entrepreneurs, investors, physicians, governments, and biopharma with resources and research to elevate women’s health and wellness globally. Subscribe and Donate: www.femtechfocus.org
FemTech Focus Podcast Description:
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings women's health experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products that are improving women, female, and girl's health and wellness, collectively known as FemTech. The podcast gives the host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. O’Neal is an expert in Women’s Neurology. She serves as the Director of the Women’s Neurology Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Further, she’s written multiple papers on this subject and edited several books including: the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Continuum edition of “Neurological Illness in Pregnancy”, “Women’s Neurology- what do I do now?”, the Neurologic Clinics edition on the “Neurology of Pregnancy” and “Neurology and Psychiatry of Women: A Guide to Gender-based Issues in Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Treatment”. She also directs a Harvard Medical School course in Women’s Neurology and Psychiatry and for many years directed the Neurology of Pregnancy course at the AAN.
Breast wellness starts here. Complex Creatures is a first-of-its-kind breast wellness brand that makes topical and ingestible products to support breasts. Through products, education and community, we're building the final frontier of personal care. Founded by industry marketing veterans, whose lives were impacted by breast cancer, we are bringing solutions to a much-neglected space. Women mostly pay attention to their breasts when there's a problem. We want to make breast care a regular practice, in the same way you take care of every other body part. We believe taking care of this part of our bodies should be easy, positive and accessible. Join us on this exciting journey to raise awareness and improve breast health for all women.
Laura Youngson is a STEM advocate, TED speaker, and four-time Guiness World Record Holder. After completing her physics degree at Wade Institute of Entrepreneurship in Melbourne, Australia, she worked at the 2012 Olympics and was immediately drawn to the power sport had in bringing people together. She’s always held a desire to make a lasting mark in sports and set out to do just that when she founded Ida Sports, makers of soccer cleats designed specifically for women, and Equal Playing Field, a nonprofit initiative challenging gender inequality in sports.
Ida Sports makes soccer cleats fit for female athletes because women and men's feet are different and more options are needed! From players looking for more comfort so they can focus on their game, to parents or coaches looking out for their players' health and safety, Ida Sports is changing the game for women and girls around the world.
IG @idasports
TW @idasportsco @laurayoungson
Podcast Link:
https://link.chtbl.com/FemTechFocus
Social Handles
Linkedin: @FemTech Focus @Brittany Barreto
Twitter: @Femtech_Focus @DrBrittB
Instagram: @FemTechFocus @DrBrittanyBarreto
Facebook: @FemTech Focus @Dr. Brittany Barreto
FemTech Focus Bio:
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to bring awareness externally and internally for the FemTech industry and to empower the key stakeholders including entrepreneurs, investors, physicians, governments, and biopharma with resources and research to elevate women’s health and wellness globally. Subscribe and Donate: www.femtechfocus.org
FemTech Focus Podcast Description:
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings women's health experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products that are improving women, female, and girl's health and wellness, collectively known as FemTech. The podcast gives the host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Cindy Eckert is a highly regarded entrepreneur, a strong advocate for female entrepreneurship, a pharmaceutical leader and one of the few women to have ever sold a company for a billion dollars. The New York Times called her pharmaceutical product the “drug of a generation” and Fortune called her a “tireless force of nature.” Associates of hers call her unapologetically pink.
Over a distinguished 24-year career in healthcare, she started and sold two businesses for more than $1.5 billion. Having co-founded and sold Slate Pharmaceuticals, which redefined long lasting testosterone treatment for men, she launched Sprout Pharmaceuticals immediately thereafter. As Co-Founder & CEO of Sprout, the company broke through with the first ever FDA-approved drug for low sexual desire in women named Addyi — dubbed “female Viagra” by the media. In 2015, Cindy sold the company to Valeant Pharmaceuticals for $1b cash. Everyone that was a part of the original Slate team was gifted shares in Sprout.
Shortly after the sale, Valeant became the subject of media scrutiny for the rampant price inflation of their drugs and an SEC investigation related to accounting practices. Not one to sit idly by, Cindy negotiated to reacquire Addyi at no cost, in order to properly launch it into marketplace on her own terms. Not only did she reacquire the drug, she also secured a $25m loan from Valeant to fund initial operating expenses.
Today, Cindy is focused on mentoring, investing in, launching and building other women-led or focused businesses. In 2016, she opened the doors to The Pink Ceiling — a cross between a VC firm, a ‘pinkubator,’ and a consulting enterprise — where she is CEO. At The Pink Ceiling, she has personally invested $15m across 10 different health tech companies at various stages of development.
Cindy’s work has been featured in countless major publications including The New York Times, Fast Company, Financial Times, Vanity Fair, Bloomberg, CNBC, CBS, Fox, Yahoo and on the cover feature of Entrepreneur Magazine. Cindy has been an invited speaker at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women, the Fast Company Innovation Festival, Ad Week, Inc. Magazine, and many more. She is on a mission to speak to as many women as possible about what it takes to achieve breakthrough business success. It’s no surprise that JJ Ramberg, the host of MSNBC’s Your Business says that “Cindy is one of our favorite guests. Though she has reached a level of success as a founder that most can only dream of, she is incredibly relatable and honest about what it takes to run a business. She offers the perfect combination of inspiration and advice and it’s hard to come away from listening to Cindy speak without wanting to hear more.”
https://thepinkceiling.com/
Podcast Link:
https://link.chtbl.com/FemTechFocus
Social Handles
Linkedin: @FemTech Focus @Brittany Barreto
Twitter: @Femtech_Focus @DrBrittB
Instagram: @FemTechFocus @DrBrittanyBarreto
Facebook: @FemTech Focus @Dr. Brittany Barreto
FemTech Focus Bio:
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to bring awareness externally and internally for the FemTech industry and to empower the key stakeholders including entrepreneurs, investors, physicians, governments, and biopharma with resources and research to elevate women’s health and wellness globally. Subscribe and Donate: www.femtechfocus.org
FemTech Focus Podcast Description:
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings women's health experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products that are improving women, female, and girl's health and wellness, collectively known as FemTech. The podcast gives the host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Lu Zhang is the Founder and Managing Partner of Fusion Fund, a renowned Silicon Valley based investor, a serial entrepreneur, and a Stanford Engineering alumna. Lu was recently selected as one of the Best 25 Female Early-stage Investors by Business Insider (2021). As one of the top female investors in America, Lu's story was a case study of the UN Women Leaders in Action series, she was a World Economic Forum – Young Global Leader (Class of 2018), as well as the Featured Honoree in VC of Forbes 30 Under 30 (2017). Prior to starting Fusion Fund, she was the Founder and CEO of a medical device company focused on non-invasive technology for the early diagnosis of Type II diabetes. Lu is a frequent speaker at tech events and conferences and also serves as a mentor and advisor to several tech innovation programs in Silicon Valley. Lu is the board member and chairman of the Youth Council of Future Forum and Future Science Award.
Fusion Fund supports early-stage entrepreneurs who are looking to build globally disruptive companies using innovative technologies to drive systemic change. We are entering the next wave of technological advancement and foundational innovation is required to enable massive growth. With Fusion Fund’s technical and entrepreneurial backgrounds, we seek to support entrepreneurs who are building companies with strong technical barriers and advantages in their business models. Fusion Fund explores both established industries and nascent markets as we search for the next teams of entrepreneurs. Areas we have strong conviction include: network technology, connected industry, AI, Health + medical, deep tech.
@FusionFundVC @luzhangvc
Podcast Link:
https://link.chtbl.com/FemTechFocus
Social Handles
Linkedin: @FemTech Focus @Brittany Barreto
Twitter: @Femtech_Focus @DrBrittB
Instagram: @FemTechFocus @DrBrittanyBarreto
Facebook: @FemTech Focus @Dr. Brittany Barreto
FemTech Focus Bio:
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to bring awareness externally and internally for the FemTech industry and to empower the key stakeholders including entrepreneurs, investors, physicians, governments, and biopharma with resources and research to elevate women’s health and wellness globally. Subscribe and Donate: www.femtechfocus.org
FemTech Focus Podcast Description:
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings women's health experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products that are improving women, female, and girl's health and wellness, collectively known as FemTech. The podcast gives the host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
OcciGuide is a revolutionary device that enables clinicians to provide specialized headache relief for many headache types including migraine and post traumatic headache. With OcciGuide, emergency room, urgent care, and primary care providers can provide guided occipital nerve blocks for fast, localized non-opioid pain relief. OcciGuide helps any practitioner to accurately and consistently perform occipital nerve blocks by locating the pathway of the occipital nerves. With Occiguide, all providers can deliver quick pain relief and patients can get back to life. Occipital nerve block, a proven headache relief treatment, typically hasn't been available in the emergency or primary care setting. With OcciGuide, you can receive this powerful headache treatment when you need it. Whether that's at the emergency room or from your primary care physician, you can get the fast, effective headache relief you deserve.
https://www.occiguide.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillian-fink-41764aa8/
Podcast Link:
https://link.chtbl.com/FemTechFocus
Social Handles
Linkedin: @FemTech Focus @Brittany Barreto
Twitter: @Femtech_Focus @DrBrittB
Instagram: @FemTechFocus @DrBrittanyBarreto
Facebook: @FemTech Focus @Dr. Brittany Barreto
FemTech Focus Bio:
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to bring awareness externally and internally for the FemTech industry and to empower the key stakeholders including entrepreneurs, investors, physicians, governments, and biopharma with resources and research to elevate women’s health and wellness globally. Subscribe and Donate: www.femtechfocus.org
FemTech Focus Podcast Description:
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings women's health experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products that are improving women, female, and girl's health and wellness, collectively known as FemTech. The podcast gives the host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Stack the Deck for FemTech Annual Census - https://www.bit.ly/3eCE0LE
As the Co-President and Chief Product Officer Jenny leads the product management, design and user research functions for Understood. After a decade of building innovative consumer products, she brings a user-centric and entrepreneurial perspective to her role as Chief Product Officer. With her specialty in launching and scaling consumer brands, Jenny also advises startups on how to build next-gen product experiences by applying a deeply empathetic approach to understanding and influencing user behavior. Prior to joining Understood, she led the launch of a new live-streamed, wearable-enabled fitness video product for fitness technology startup, ClassPass. Jenny holds an MBA and MA in Entrepreneurial Management from The University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton School and Lauder Institute.
Understood.org is the resource for the more than 70 million people with learning and thinking differences like ADHD and dyslexia. We help them understand and anticipate life’s challenges, and build their confidence through personalized and expert-driven experiences, community and content.Understood.org is a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation based in New York. For more information, to donate, or to become a partner, visit u.org/media and follow us on Twitter @UnderstoodOrg.
Twitter @UnderstoodOrg
Instagram: @understoodorg
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/understood
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Understood
Derek Sham is an engineer turned general manager with successful PE-backed exit in 2016 of a urology diagnostic company- launched 8+ medical devices in urology, gynecology, gastroenterology and cardiology. Inspired to launch Cosm by a health episode with his grandmother. Cosm Medical is creating Personal Pelvic Health – a digital gynecology platform to personalize care for women affected by pelvic floor disorders such as pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence. Using emergent ultrasound, artificial intelligence and 3D printing, Gynethotics will personalize pelvic health devices so more women can live and age with dignity and grace.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/derek-sham-87b1b114/
www.cosm.care
Podcast Link:
https://link.chtbl.com/FemTechFocus
Social Handles
Linkedin: @FemTech Focus @Brittany Barreto
Twitter: @Femtech_Focus @DrBrittB
Instagram: @FemTechFocus @DrBrittanyBarreto
Facebook: @FemTech Focus @Dr. Brittany Barreto
FemTech Focus Bio:
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to bring awareness externally and internally for the FemTech industry and to empower the key stakeholders including entrepreneurs, investors, physicians, governments, and biopharma with resources and research to elevate women’s health and wellness globally. Subscribe and Donate: www.femtechfocus.org
FemTech Focus Podcast Description:
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings women's health experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products that are improving women, female, and girl's health and wellness, collectively known as FemTech. The podcast gives the host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. Silvia Mah is the founder and chairwoman of Stella, a business accelerator for women, and the founder of Stella Angels, a network of accredited angel investors who fund women. A social impact investor, Mah is also funding women-led startups through various funds including Next Wave Impact, Stella Impact Capital, Portfolia and Ad Astra Ventures. Connect with Mah on Linkedin.
Stella Angels is a network of accredited angel investors who are funding women in two ways: by coordinating direct introductions to interested investors, and by creating special purpose vehicles (SPVs). When the Stella Angels community of investors has collectively committed $50K+ into one company, they can streamline the investment via an SPV, giving the founder just one line item on their cap table. Stella Angels is welcoming new members who are seeking to invest across industries in women-led companies with some traction. To get started, email Lauren@Stella.co. Stella Angels is a part of Stella, a membership community providing women founders with business courses, access to capital events, advisory services and funding opportunities. To join, visit https://community.stella.co/signup/.
Stack the Deck for FemTech Survey:
https://www.bit.ly/3eCE0LE
Podcast Link:
https://link.chtbl.com/FemTechFocus
Social Handles
Linkedin: @FemTech Focus @Brittany Barreto
Twitter: @Femtech_Focus @DrBrittB
Instagram: @FemTechFocus @DrBrittanyBarreto
Facebook: @FemTech Focus @Dr. Brittany Barreto
FemTech Focus Bio:
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to bring awareness externally and internally for the FemTech industry and to empower the key stakeholders including entrepreneurs, investors, physicians, governments, and biopharma with resources and research to elevate women’s health and wellness globally. Subscribe and Donate: www.femtechfocus.org
FemTech Focus Podcast Description:
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings women's health experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products that are improving women, female, and girl's health and wellness, collectively known as FemTech. The podcast gives the host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Stack the Deck for FemTech: https://www.bit.ly/3eCE0LE
Website: https://www.femtechfocus.org
Podcast Link: https://link.chtbl.com/FemTechFocus
Social Handles
Linkedin: @FemTech Focus @Brittany Barreto
Twitter: @Femtech_Focus @DrBrittB
Instagram: @FemTechFocus @DrBrittanyBarreto
Facebook: @FemTech Focus @Dr. Brittany Barreto
FemTech Focus Bio:
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to bring awareness externally and internally for the FemTech industry and to empower the key stakeholders including entrepreneurs, investors, physicians, governments, and biopharma with resources and research to elevate women’s health and wellness globally. Subscribe and Donate: www.femtechfocus.org
FemTech Focus Podcast Description:
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings women's health experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products that are improving women, female, and girl's health and wellness, collectively known as FemTech. The podcast gives the host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Beatrice Dixon: When she was younger, Beatrice Dixon suffered with bacterial vaginosis for eight months. One night, an ancestor gave her the ingredients to heal herself in a dream. From that insightful dream, she created the formula for a healthy, clean feminine wash. In 2014, Dixon launched The Honey Pot Company, a plant-derived feminine hygiene line created with a goal to provide humans with vaginas, a healthy alternative to feminine care that is made with powerful and efficacious ingredients that are kind and safe for skin. The rest is history. With experience in pharmaceuticals, retail and natural foods, Dixon has the insight and expertise to bring the innovative concept of a plant-derived feminine care systemto the marketplace. Unlike mass market and conventional feminine care brands, consumers are able to get all of their feminine care needs met under one brand as The Honey Pot Company currently offers feminine washes, wipes, tampons, pads, mommy-to-be products, sexual wellness and soon-to-be additional offerings in both the feminine hygiene and feminine care segments. Today, The Honey Pot Company’s products can be found online and in stores nationwide at Target, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Bed Bath and Beyond, Wegmans and other retailers. An empowering African American female entrepreneur, Dixon has been a recipient of the Sundial and Unilever’s multimillion-dollar New Voices fund; was 1 of the first 40 women of color to raise over one million in venture capital; and has been featured in T -Pain's School of Business, BuzzFeed's Ladylike series, Today Show, CNN, The New York Times, Entrepreneur, ELLE, and ESSENCE to name a few. Most recently, Dixon was recognized by Goldman Sachs as one of the 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs of 2021 at its Builders + Innovators Summit, Worth’s Worthy 100, Forbes Top 100 Female Founders, and one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 100 Women Entrepreneurs ; her company won a CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women’s) Beauty Creator Award in 2021, an ESSENCE Best in Black Beauty Award and a WWD Beauty Inc Wellness Award. Dixon also hosts “Your Next Move”, a Capital One Business and Inc. Magazine interview series in which she interviews other successful founders. Through her diverse background and experience, Dixon continues to make a mark in the world of natural health and retail with a truly revolutionary approach to human health and sexual wellness.
@iambeadixon
@thehoneypotco
Flowly is a science-backed and data-driven method designed to reduce chronic pain for 100 million Americans. Using a mobile app and VR headset, Flowly uses biometric data such as HR and HRV and converts it to visualizations in virtual experiences that reduce pain by over 46%.The founding team is made up of Yale, DreamWorks, and Hyperloop One alums in conjunction with a world-class clinical team at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and USC. Flowly has also been studied in NIH-backed clinical trials that show an average 40% reduction in opioid usage. Flowly is backed by Y Combinator and has been featured by Inc., People, US Pain Foundation and more.
Celine Tien is the founder and CEO of Flowly, a mobile app that combines Virtual Reality and biofeedback for pain and anxiety management. Celine is also Principal Investigator on NIH-backed clinical trials investigating opioid-sparing devices for pain management. Celine got her start in VR as the director and writer of Pippa’s Pan 盼, one of the world’s first immersive Virtual Reality hybrid live-action films. Pippa’s Pan 盼 was selected for the 2017 Festival de Cannes VR Library Showcase, making Celine the youngest director at Cannes with the youngest team. The VR film experience also won 3rd place at the 2017 AT&T VR/AR Challenge at the AT&T Developer’s Summit. Previously, Celine worked in feature development at Oriental DreamWorks in Shanghai and DreamWorks Animation in Los Angeles. She also founded a non-profit education-based organization: Zoom for Kids! Celine graduated with distinction from Yale University and is an alum of Y Combinator, Stanford StartX, and AARP Innovation Labs. Celine is a former film and television actor and model.
https://www.instagram.com/officialflowly
https://www.flowly.world
Podcast Link:
https://link.chtbl.com/FemTechFocus
Social Handles
Linkedin: @FemTech Focus @Brittany Barreto
Twitter: @Femtech_Focus @DrBrittB
Instagram: @FemTechFocus @DrBrittanyBarreto
Facebook: @FemTech Focus @Dr. Brittany Barreto
FemTech Focus Bio:
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to bring awareness externally and internally for the FemTech industry and to empower the key stakeholders including entrepreneurs, investors, physicians, governments, and biopharma with resources and research to elevate women’s health and wellness globally. Subscribe and Donate: www.femtechfocus.org
FemTech Focus Podcast Description:
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings women's health experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products that are improving women, female, and girl's health and wellness, collectively known as FemTech. The podcast gives the host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Lisa Falco is the author of the popular science book: “Go Figure! The astonishing science of the female body”. She has been working in the interface between medicine and technology for almost 20 years, on how data can be used to better understand the human body. She was previously Director of Data Science at Ava, a Swiss FemTech startup, where she led a team developing algorithms and artificial intelligence in order to help women get pregnant faster by using their physiological data based on their menstrual cycle. She is now working as a Lead Consultant for Data & AI at Zühlke with focus on healthcare, FemTech and Ethical AI.
This book unravels the mystery surrounding women’s biology and explains what is happening underneath the surface. We all know that the female body changes cyclically every month during the reproductive years, and that it completely transforms during puberty, pregnancy and menopause. However, most of us ignore the fascinating details. What triggers those changes and what are the sometimes unexpected consequences? The facts are as mind-blowing as entertaining. Based on the latest research, all information is presented in an easy to read manner with plenty of anecdotes; from historical prejudices to personal experiences, with some evolutionary ideas in between. But this book is about more than facts, it will teach you how to think whenever you get confronted with new information and how to judge whether new information you come across is valid or not.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisafalco_dsw/
Twitter: @lisafalco
Webpage: https://www.lisafalco.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-falco-jon/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisafalco.dsw
Podcast Link:
https://link.chtbl.com/FemTechFocus
Social Handles
Linkedin: @FemTech Focus @Brittany Barreto
Twitter: @Femtech_Focus @DrBrittB
Instagram: @FemTechFocus @DrBrittanyBarreto
Facebook: @FemTech Focus @Dr. Brittany Barreto
FemTech Focus Bio:
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to bring awareness externally and internally for the FemTech industry and to empower the key stakeholders including entrepreneurs, investors, physicians, governments, and biopharma with resources and research to elevate women’s health and wellness globally. Subscribe and Donate: www.femtechfocus.org
FemTech Focus Podcast Description:
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings women's health experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products that are improving women, female, and girl's health and wellness, collectively known as FemTech. The podcast gives the host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Moonai, the audio app for women’s health. Explore personalised & neuroscientific soundscapes and pain tracking insights to alleviate period pain.
www.instagram.com/moonai.app
www.moonai.es
Fundraise scheduled June // Looking for strategic investors in MusicTech, Health, or related.
Beta product stage in <1y / 10k downloads in 70 days, no marketing spendings
Founder @ Moonai: the audio app for women's health / functional music/neuroscience/Digital Therapeutics & drugs (DTx)
Entrepreneneur: co-founder @ Guacamole, music collective, founder @ Intami musictech consultant
Expertise: MusicTech, cultural creative arts, startups tech, monetization, fundraising, apps, strategy & business development partnerships +10 years
Pitch competition prize (AtticcoLab, Wallifornia MusicTech, ...)
MSc in Business Engineering / Innovation Management & Finance Assets Management.
Extensive Education in Applied AI, Music Business, Computer & Data Science, and Neuroscience
https://www.linkedin.com/in/juneclarke/
Podcast Link:
https://link.chtbl.com/FemTechFocus
Social Handles
Linkedin: @FemTech Focus @Brittany Barreto
Twitter: @Femtech_Focus @DrBrittB
Instagram: @FemTechFocus @DrBrittanyBarreto
Facebook: @FemTech Focus @Dr. Brittany Barreto
FemTech Focus Bio:
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to bring awareness externally and internally for the FemTech industry and to empower the key stakeholders including entrepreneurs, investors, physicians, governments, and biopharma with resources and research to elevate women’s health and wellness globally. Subscribe and Donate: www.femtechfocus.org
FemTech Focus Podcast Description:
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings women's health experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products that are improving women, female, and girl's health and wellness, collectively known as FemTech. The podcast gives the host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. Brittany Barreto Bio:
Dr. Brittany Barreto is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of FemTech Focus, Host of the FemTech Focus Podcast, Co-Founder of Coyote Ventures, Advisory Board Member for Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Indiana University, and an unconventional scientist, entrepreneur, and consultant that proves that anything is possible with hard work and heart. While finishing her doctorate in Genetics, Dr. Barreto founded Pheramor, the world's first DNA-based dating app. She shifted into investments as Senior Venture Associate and launched Capital Factory's Gulf Coast branch. Dr. Barreto noticed how underserved the FemTech industry was and founded FemTech Focus, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness for sex-specific healthcare innovation and supporting founders in the space. Today she hosts the #1 FemTech podcast, produces data-driven industry reports, co-founded the 6th FemTech fund, is recognized globally as a women's health leader, and is a highly sought-after speaker and industry consultant.
Dr. Caralynn Nowinski Collens is the CEO of Dimension Inx, a next-generation biomaterials and biofabrication company developing 3D-printed therapeutic products that direct cells to rebuild healthy tissues. She is passionate about building teams and organizations that harness technology to drive transformational change and improve the quality of people’s lives. Previously as the co-founder and CEO of UI LABS, a first-of-its-kind technology organization focused on the digital future of industries, Caralynn built the organization from concept in late 2011 through launch in 2014, raising $200M+ in investment and ultimately spinning out MxD (national digital manufacturing institute) and City Tech Collaborative as independent businesses in 2019. After starting her first company while a joint medical/business student at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Caralynn spent her early career in venture capital and corporate finance, primarily focused on technology-based university spin-outs. Caralynn is an Independent Director of Fathom Digital Manufacturing [NYSE:FATH] and serves on the Executive Council of Granite Creek Capital Partners. She is proud to have been a member of the Chicago Chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and recognized as one of Crain’s Chicago Business’ “Forty Under Forty”, “Notable Women in Manufacturing”, and “Tech 50”. In 2020, SME recognized Caralynn as one of “30 Leaders Transforming Manufacturing”.
Dimension Inx is a biomaterials platform company. We design and develop 3D- printed therapeutic products that restore tissue and organ function. Our materials-centric approach enables biofunctionality without compromising manufacturability. We precisely tune our biomaterials to create clinical solutions not otherwise possible. We work shoulder-to-shoulder with biotech and medical device partners to help solve their most challenging materials problems, and internally develop medical products for various therapeutic applications ranging from bone regeneration to fertility preservation. Dimension Inx is proudly based in Chicago, IL. To learn more about our team and our technology, please visit www.dimensioninx.com. Dimension Inx. Biomaterials, reimagined.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/caralynncollens/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/dimension-inx/
Social Handles
Linkedin: @FemTech Focus @Brittany Barreto
Twitter: @Femtech_Focus @DrBrittB
Instagram: @FemTechFocus @DrBrittanyBarreto
Facebook: @FemTech Focus @Dr. Brittany Barreto
FemTech Focus Bio:
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to bring awareness externally and internally for the FemTech industry and to empower the key stakeholders including entrepreneurs, investors, physicians, governments, and biopharma with resources and research to elevate women’s health and wellness globally. Subscribe and Donate: www.femtechfocus.org
FemTech Focus Podcast Description:
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings women's health experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products that are improving women, female, and girl's health and wellness, collectively known as FemTech. The podcast gives the host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
NUA Surgical is a multi-award-winning start-up dedicated to creating innovative surgical solutions in obstetrics and gynaecology. Headquartered in Galway, a global Medtech hub on the West Coast of Ireland, the company has developed the patented SteriCISIONTM C-Section Retractor, designed to improve ergonomics and make cesarean delivery safer by providing superior access and visualisation during surgery. The Founding team have over 50 years combined experience and are working with key opinion leaders around the world to answer the most pressing unmet clinical needs in women’s health. The company is currently raising investment to achieve the significant milestones of a First in Woman study and FDA Clearance.
Barry McCann is the Founder and CEO of NUA Surgical, an award-winning start up innovating in women’s health. Barry first graduated with a business degree from the National University of Ireland, Galway in 2003 and spent the next decade in commercial and fundraising management roles, primarily in the not-for-profit and professional sports sectors. In 2017, he returned to his alma mater to complete a Masters degree in Medical Device Innovation, in parallel with a full-time Fellowship at BioInnovate Ireland (Stanford Biodesign Affiliate). It was during this time that he identified significant unmet clinical needs in obstetrics and gynecology, resulting in NUA Surgical emerging as a spin out company. He also holds diplomas in Anatomy, Project Management & Online Marketing. Barry lives in Galway, Ireland with his wife (an abstract artist) and their two children, Elsie and Teddy.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/barrymccanngalway/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/nua-surgical/
https://twitter.com/NuaSurgical
https://twitter.com/barry_mccann
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to bring awareness externally and internally for the FemTech industry and to empower the key stakeholders including entrepreneurs, investors, physicians, governments, and biopharma with resources and research to elevate women’s health and wellness globally. Subscribe and Donate: www.femtechfocus.org
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings women's health experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products that are improving women, female, and girl's health and wellness, collectively known as FemTech. The podcast gives the host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Linkedin: @FemTech Focus @Brittany Barreto
Twitter: @Femtech_Focus @DrBrittB
Instagram: @FemTechFocus @DrBrittanyBarreto
Facebook: @FemTech Focus @Dr. Brittany Barreto
Natural Cycles° is a leading women’s health company that developed the world’s first birth control app, which has been used by millions of women around the world. As a Class II medical device, the NC° app is cleared by the FDA in the United States and certified to be used as a contraceptive in Europe, Australia, and Singapore. It has also received regulatory clearances to integrate with third party wearables. For a monthly or annual subscription fee, users have access to and can switch between NC° Birth Control, NC° Plan Pregnancy, and NC° Follow Pregnancy modes within the app. NC° Birth Control’s clinical effectiveness and real life effectiveness is proven to be 93% effective with typical use and 98% effective with perfect use. Founded in 2013 by Physicists Dr. Elina Berglund and Dr. Raoul Scherwitzl, Natural Cycles° is committed to pioneering women’s health with research and passion. The company’s on-staff research team has contributed to 14 peer-reviewed research papers.
Dr. Elina Berglund Scherwitzl is the CEO and co-founder of Natural Cycles - the world’s first app to be certified as a contraception both in Europe and by the FDA. She was part of the team that discovered the Higgs boson at the CERN laboratory, which led to the Nobel Prize in physics in 2013. Following this success, Elina applied her skills from particle physics to create a unique algorithm that could accurately pinpoint when a woman was fertile based on her body temperature.
https://www.naturalcycles.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturalcycles
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NaturalCyclesNC
TikTok: @naturalcycles
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to bring awareness externally and internally for the FemTech industry and to empower the key stakeholders including entrepreneurs, investors, physicians, governments, and biopharma with resources and research to elevate women’s health and wellness globally. Subscribe and Donate: www.femtechfocus.org
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings women's health experts - including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders - on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products that are improving women, female, and girl's health and wellness, collectively known as FemTech. The podcast gives the host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Linkedin: @FemTech Focus @Brittany Barreto
Twitter: @Femtech_Focus @DrBrittB
Instagram: @FemTechFocus @DrBrittanyBarreto
Facebook: @FemTech Focus @Dr. Brittany Barreto
Molly Broache serves as Associate Director, US Region, Medical Affairs for BD Integrated Diagnostic Solutions (IDS) and is also licensed as a women’s health nurse practitioner in both Maryland and Virginia. Molly manages a team of medical science liaisons responsible for specimen management, microbiology, and women’s health & cancer. Molly’s clinical areas of expertise include women’s healthcare, gynecology, infectious disease diagnostic tests, and women’s health screening guidelines. Molly is a member of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH), American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP), and the Medical Science Liaison Society (MSLS). She serves on the membership committee for ASCCP and the Cervical Cancer Screening Initiative – Provider Workgroup for the American Cancer Society. Molly holds two Bachelor’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University, in both molecular biology and nursing. She also holds a master’s degree in nursing from Georgetown University, where she received her training as a nurse practitioner. Molly is currently completing her Doctor of Nursing Practice degree at the University of Maryland, Baltimore.
BD is one of the largest global medical technology companies in the world and is advancing the world of health by improving medical discovery, diagnostics and the delivery of care. The company supports the heroes on the frontlines of health care by developing innovative technology, services and solutions that help advance both clinical therapy for patients and clinical process for health care providers. BD and its 75,000 employees have a passion and commitment to help enhance the safety and efficiency of clinicians' care delivery process, enable laboratory scientists to accurately detect disease and advance researchers' capabilities to develop the next generation of diagnostics and therapeutics. BD has a presence in virtually every country and partners with organizations around the world to address some of the most challenging global health issues. By working in close collaboration with customers, BD can help enhance outcomes, lower costs, increase efficiencies, improve safety and expand access to health care.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/bd1/ | Twitter @BDandCo | Instagram: @becton_dickinson
Natera™ is a global leader in cell-free DNA testing, dedicated to oncology, women’s health, and organ health. We aim to make personalized genetic testing and diagnostics part of the standard of care to protect health, and inform earlier, more targeted interventions that help lead to longer, healthier lives. Natera’s tests are validated by more than 100 peer-reviewed publications that demonstrate high accuracy. Natera operates ISO 13485-certified and CAP-accredited laboratories certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) in Austin, Texas and San Carlos, California. For more information, visitwww.natera.com.
@NateraGenetics, @NateraWomen
Laura is a Legal Officer at Privacy International, where leads the work on privacy and reproductive rights. Laura contributed to Privacy International’s 2020 report on data exploitation and reproductive rights, and currently supports research, advocacy and litigation efforts to hold Big Tech and governments accountable for unlawful interferences with privacy.
Prior to joining PI, Laura was a Litigation Fellow at the Open Society Justice Initiative, where she supported claimant-side human rights litigation globally. Previously, Laura was a Visiting Professional at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.
@lauralazc @privacyint
Beth A. Brooke, VERITY NOW Co-Chair Beth A. Brooke retired as the Global Vice-Chair – Public Policy at EY and a member of the firm’s Global Executive Board. Ms. Brooke had public policy responsibility for the firm’s operations in over 150 countries and was the global sponsor for EY’s Diversity and Inclusiveness efforts.
During the Clinton Administration, she worked in the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where she was responsible for all tax policy matters related to insurance and managed care. She played important roles in the healthcare reform and Superfund reform efforts.
Ms. Brooke serves on the board of The New York Times Company, eHealth, Beta Bionics, Tricolor Holdings, and SHEEX. She is also a member of the Board of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, the Partnership for Global LGBTI Equality, The Conference Board, The Aspen Institute, and Out Leadership. She is a member of the inaugural class of the Henry Crown Fellows of The Aspen Institute, the Committee of 200, and the International Women’s Forum.
Ms. Brooke is a prominent voice around the world on Diversity and Inclusion, including most prominently on LGBT inclusion and women. She has been named eleven times to the list of Forbes “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women“. In 2017, she received the Theodore Roosevelt Award, the top individual honor bestowed by the U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). She has also been inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
Company bio
In the United States, women are over 17 percent more likely to die and 73 percent more likely to be seriously injured in a vehicle crash than men. VERITY (Vehicle Equity Rules in Transportation) NOW unites people to fight for equality in vehicle safety by educating on, and advocating for, crash testing standards that protect men and women equally to make cars safer for all.
Connect:
- Twitter: @BethBrooke_EY
- Twitter: @Veritynow_
- LinkedIn: Beth A. Brooke
- LinkedIn: VERITY Now
- Facebook: VERITY Now Coalition
In today’s episode, I interview Jackie Rotman, the founder of the Center for Intimacy Justice. Jackie has been a social entrepreneur for over 15 years. She has also worked in venture capital with a particular focus on women's health and sexual wellness. In 2019 she wrote a New York Times investigative op-ed on the sexual wellness market, which made the NY Times "Most Popular" list and was the Opinion section's display piece. Today Jackie is the founder and CEO of the Center for Intimacy Justice. This organization is leading the movement to rewrite corporate advertising policies in tech companies to allow sexual health and wellness ads for women and people with vulvas. These ads are systematically censored which causes huge barriers for femtech companies. The center for intimacy Justice believes in catalyzing greater technological innovation and investment, education, and cultural understanding toward female sexual health - and building a culture of greater equity, agency, and wellbeing. Learn more at www.intimacyjustice.org Enjoy the episode!
In today’s episode, I interview Glenise Kinard - Moore, the Founder and CEO Skii MooTech which produces their product the VDOM. SkiiMoo Tech was created to disrupt the status quo and break through societal barriers by leveraging "all things tech". Their focus is on creating tech-based consumer products for niche markets that are usually not at the forefront. Their premier product, The VDOM, is the first app-connected prosthetic penis that can go from flaccid to erect at the push of a button or via a swipe on a smartphone or smartwatch. This device is specifically designed to enhance the lifestyles of LGBTQ+ people, Erectile Dysfunction sufferers, and Spinal cord injury patients. While pre-order quantities have sold out, you can join our waitlist at www.thevdom.com Enjoy the episode!
In today’s episode, I interview Pilar Diaz, the Global Head of FemTech at MAS holdings. MAS specializes in creating reusable and sustainable apparel and textile solutions for women’s health and hygiene. They work in collaboration with femtech companies and startups such as Thinx period underwear and Become menopause sleepwear to create apparel and textile solutions across all female life stages, from menstruation to maternity to menopause, and everything in between. Headquartered in Sri Lanka, MAS Holdings is one of the world’s most recognized design-to-delivery solutions providers in apparel and textile powered by 30 years of operations, 53 manufacturing facilities across 16 countries, and 99,000 employees. Pilar is eager to work with more femtech companies to bring their textile and apparel visions to the market. I would be happy to introduce you to Pilar if you send me an email at brittany@femtechfocus.org Learn more about MAS holdings at www.masholdings.com. Enjoy the episode!
In today’s episode, I interview Candace Mitchell, the CEO and Founder MYAVANA. Candace is a computer scientist and visionary entrepreneur transforming the hair care industry through science & technology. She serves as Founder & CEO of MYAVANA, a beauty technology company that uses artificial intelligence to recommend the perfect products for your hair. Through their mobile application, you're able to take a photo of your hair and receive an instant analysis of your hair type along with recommended products, consultations with an expert, and healthy hair guidance. For customers with specific hair challenges, MYAVANA offers a hair kit to send strands of your hair for a detailed hair analysis and personalized hair care plan. MYAVANA has developed it's own patent-pending proprietary technology to help women choose the best haircare products, ingredients, regimens, and professional salons to achieve desired styles and hair health. Our listeners get a special offer. Use promocode FEMTECH at www.myavana.com to save 20% on a hair analysis kit. Enjoy the episode!
In today’s episode, I interview Melissa Kramer the CEO and Founder of Live UTI free. As a women's health advocate Melissa works closely with researchers, clinicians, and members of the public to ensure the patient perspective is acknowledged, particularly in the area of recurrent urinary tract infection - the second most common infection in adults, globally. In 2017, she founded Live UTI Free, a patient advocacy and research organization with a highly engaged community. 7 million females experience a UTI each year in the United States with about 35% of them having another UTI within 6 months. Many of these reoccurring infections may be caused by an underlying bladder infection that goes undiagnosed and ineffectively treated. My favorite resource they offer is the ‘take to your doctor’ and ‘patient guide’ resources. These are documents that help empower women to speak with their physicians about what they believe they are experiencing. Get these resources and more at www.LiveUTIfree.com. Enjoy the episode!
In today’s episode, I interview Madeline Waugh, a social scientist with a focus on reproductive rights in the United States. In this episode, we walk you through the history of abortion in the United States and the present-day situation we find ourselves in. Unfortunately, it feels like most of the world is in chaos so many of us may not realize how close we are in the United States to losing our right to an abortion. In June the Supreme Court will review a Mississippi abortion law and there is a high probability that the court will overturn Roe v Wade making abortion no longer a constitutional right. This will cause a domino effect state by state of the elimination of a female’s right to decide what’s best for her and her body. Although this seem very gloom for women’s rights today we still have an opportunity to improve our chances for the future. The opportunity lies in voting, especially in local elections. I recently met Lisa Mead, a woman running for election in my community. If elected, she would be the youngest female County Commissioner and only parent of school aged children. In Wake County North Carolina we have a very important local election on May 17, with early voting beginning April 28. If you live elsewhere, please make sure to check with the Board of Elections to see when your primary election is, many are occurring in the next month! Local elections can have huge impacts on women's rights and health, so it is important to vote. Please share this episode with your networks because female rights may take a huge setback but we must be prepared to fight for our right to choose. If you benefited from listening to this episode, please consider donating to FemTech Focus which is a 501c3 non-profit empowering the women's health innovation industry. https://femtechfocus.org/donate/
In today’s episode, I interview Erin Parks, PhD the co-founder and chief operating officer of Equip Health. Equip helps families recover from eating disorders at home. Equip’s virtual, evidence-based care is provided by a dedicated five-person team that empowers families to help their loved ones achieve lasting recovery. In the US alone 5 million people will develop an eating disorder which has the 2nd highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses. In fact, there’s been a 70% increase in eating disorders since the start of the pandemic indiscriminate of gender, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Did you know that 40% of people struggling with anorexia are males? When a disease is considered a female disease it is wildly underserved. If you’re a male suffering from a culturally-perceived female condition, you may even have it worse than the females suffering from that illness because of the bias. If you or someone you know is wondering if their disordered eating is actually an eating disorder then please take a free assessment at www.equip.health
In today’s episode, I interview Claire Schmidt the founder & CEO of AllVoices. AllVoices is an employee feedback management platform that is taking a modern approach to driving change within organizations by giving all employees a way to speak up, provide feedback, ask questions, share positive input, and report harassment, bias, or culture issues directly to their company’s leadership. Before founding AllVoices, Claire served as Vice President of Technology and Innovation at 20th Century Fox and she came across Susan Fowler's blog, exposing the toxic harassment she experienced as a software engineer at Uber. The story occupied part of Claire’s mind for months. She began speaking with CEOs, lawyers, HR professionals and other employees (including Susan Fowler) and discovered that the tools available to employees to share feedback or report issues were ineffective, ominous and rarely used. The whistleblower hotlines in the market were outdated and clunky. This lack of an effective and comprehensive employee feedback management platform, was encouraging toxic workplace cultures of silence and unresolved, systemic issues. So Claire began building AllVoices. Now, AllVoices is the leading Employee Feedback Management Platform, trusted by leading companies and preferred by employees. Learn more at www.allvoice.co Enjoy the episode!
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
Bowdoin Group -- Founded in 1994, The Bowdoin Group is an executive search firm that specializes in leadership and strategic roles, recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) services, and major hiring projects for a wide range of companies, from small firms building out their executive team to larger firms sourcing talent for rapid market expansion. With deep expertise in Life Sciences, Digital Health, Software and Technology, and FinTech, The Bowdoin Group is a national leader with strong partnerships across the Private Equity and Venture Capital ecosystems. The company’s service reputation has earned it a ranking in the top 2% of the recruiting industry for client satisfaction year after year, and most recently won Best of Staffing 2020 Diamond Awards for both Client and Talent based on our NPS for Placed Talent of 95 (compared to the staffing industry average of 24). The Bowdoin Group is also active in supporting the entrepreneurial ecosystem as well as several non-profit causes, including Life Science Cares, NEVCA, Hack Diversity, and FinTech Sandbox.
Katelyn Marini -- Katelyn has over 10 years of executive and strategic search experience. Her responsibilities as a Managing Director include managing key accounts within our Life Sciences and Digital Health practices and ensuring internal search teams deliver excellence to our clients. Recently she has completed a number of C-level searches across product, marketing, sales, business development, and clinical operations. Katelyn leverages her domain expertise working across the healthcare and life sciences ecosystem to deliver top-tier talent for rapidly growing organizations. She has successfully helped many early-stage and venture-backed companies build out commercial teams and attract key executive hires. Katelyn has a passion for working with companies that are truly trying to change healthcare via innovative technology, influence drug discovery, and improve patient outcomes. A graduate of Boston College, Katelyn lives in Marshfield, MA, with her husband and three sons, Nicolas, Max, and Brody. She is very involved in the youth sports communities in Marshfield, in particular with fundraising activities for the local youth hockey and baseball organizations.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
Harpreet Nagra, PhD, is a behavioral scientist, clinical researcher, licensed psychologist, and equity expert with over 15 years of experience in non-profit organizations, academic institutions, medical clinics, and private practice. At One Drop, Dr. Nagra serves as the VP of Behavior Science and Advanced Technologies. In her role, Dr. Nagra guides the application of behavioral science frameworks and methodologies across key components of our AI-powered platform, including one-on-one coaching, goal setting, health predictions, and an interactive learning experience.
One Drop is a digital health company harnessing the power of behavioral science, mobile computing, and data science to transform the lives of people with diabetes and other chronic conditions worldwide. Evidence-based and clinically effective, the One Drop app brings affordable, accessible self-care to every person with a smartphone, as well as their insurers, employers, and healthcare providers.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
Deborah Copaken is the New York Times bestselling author of several books, including Shutterbabe, The Red Book, and Between Here and April, among others. A contributing writer at The Atlantic, she was also a TV writer on Emily in Paris, a performer (The Moth, etc.), and an Emmy Award–winning news producer and photojournalist. Her photographs have appeared in Time, Newsweek, and The New York Times. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Financial Times, Observer, The Wall Street Journal, The Nation, Slate, O, the Oprah Magazine, and Paris Match, among others. Her column “When Cupid Is a Prying Journalist” was adapted for the Modern Love streaming series. Her seventh book, Ladyparts, a memoir of bodily destruction and resurrection during marital rupture, was just published by Random House.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Shutterbabe comes a frank, witty, and dazzlingly written memoir of one woman trying to keep it together while her body falls apart.
I’m crawling around on the bathroom floor, picking up pieces of myself. These pieces are not a metaphor. They are actual pieces.
Twenty years after the publication of her iconic Shutterbabe, we remeet Deborah Copaken at her darkly comedic nadir: battered, broke, divorcing, dissected, and dying––literally––on sexism’s battlefield as she deliriously scoops up what she believes to be her internal organs, which have fallen out of her body, into a glass Tupperware container before heading off to the hospital for emergency surgery . . . in an UberPool.
Part cri de coeur cautionary tale, part dystopian tragicomedy, Ladyparts is Copaken’s irreverent inventory of both the female body and the body politic of womanhood in America. With her journalist’s eye, her novelist’s heart, and her performer’s sense of timing, she provides a frontline account of one woman brought to her knees by the one-two-twelve punch of divorce, solo motherhood, lack of healthcare, unaffordable childcare, shady landlords, her father’s death, college tuitions, sexual harassment, corporate indifference, ageism, sexism, and just plain old bad luck. Plus seven serious illnesses, one on top of the other, which provide the book’s narrative skeleton: vagina, uterus, breast, heart, cervix, brain, and lungs. She keeps bouncing back from each bum body part and finding the black humor in every setback, but in her slippery struggle to survive a steep plunge off the middle-class ladder, she is suddenly awoken to what it means to have no safety net.
Turning her Harlem home into a commune to pay rent and have childcare, she trades her life as a bestselling novelist to apply for full-time corporate gigs that come with health insurance but often not scruples. She gets fired from an online health magazine for being unhealthy; laid off from a PR firm soon after rushing home to deal with a child’s medical emergency; and sexually harassed out of her newspaper column, only to be grilled by the FBI when her harasser is offered a plum job in the White House.
Side-splittingly funny one minute, a freak horror show the next, and quintessentially American, Ladyparts is an era-defining memoir for our time.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
CoFertility is a platform that provides resources and tools to answer the tons of unanswered questions around fertility. Infertility affects 1 in 8 couples trying to conceive, and with information vastly spread out across forums, blogs, and clinic websites, Co provides helpful, digestible fertility content all in one place—while keeping it real. We aim to un-complicate the fertility journey.
Prior to founding Co, Arielle led digital marketing strategy initiatives at Victoria's Secret PINK, Coach, and many other consumer brands. She thrives on bolstering brand relevance among key audiences, especially when they involve first-to-market technology and content partnerships.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
Morgan King - Co-Founder and Product Manager
At Orchyd, Morgan is responsible for product research, trend reporting, and is the primary contact on day-to-day operations with suppliers and vendors. Morgan’s experience in the fashion industry has been utilized in many unique design elements of Orchyd’s brand identity. Morgan’s creativity has also been harnessed to create a unique tampon design that is 100 percent sustainable, which the team has dubbed “the perfect tampon.”
Courtney King - Co-Founder and Head of Content
Courtney is primarily responsible for Orcyhd’s content development including messaging, blogging, website and social media copy, and more. Courtney’s passion for humanitarian issues and social justice is the driving force behind Orchyd’s mission to ensure inclusivity, accessibility, and transparency in period care. Courtney uses Orchyd content to educate and inform on menstrual equity, period poverty, and encourage fair and equal access to period care products.
Orchyd is a femtech and period care company that provides inclusive and sustainable support to women and everyone who has a period by reshaping the way we look at menstrual care. Through its free period tracking app, with built-in product usage timer SafeFlow™, and on-demand telemedicine with OrchydMD™, Orchyd provides a modern-day solution to old-world problems. Orchyd’s founders Courtney and Morgan King are modernizing menstrual care by removing stereotypes, respecting identity and sexuality, encouraging accessibility, guaranteeing privacy, and supporting sustainability. From sustainable period care products to a trailblazing health app, Orchyd breaks through barriers with innovative technology valuing inclusivity and accessibility.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
Sarahjane Sachhetti is CEO of Cleo, the leading family benefits platform reinventing how forward-thinking employers support working families. Sarahjane joined Cleo as CEO in 2019, bringing her leadership experience from leading Collective Health as CMO and having served as the head of marketing for more than 15 venture backed technology companies in a variety of industries, from social media to enterprise technology, adtech to energy. Earlier in her career, Sarahjane led political campaigns for healthcare and education districts across California. Sarahjane has a BA in political science from NYU.
Cleo is the most comprehensive support benefit for working families, reinventing how forward-thinking employers improve family health, control costs and attrition and build inclusive cultures. From the earliest stages of planning for a family to parenting older children and beyond, Cleo families are happier, healthier, and more engaged as they balance their roles at home and work, supported by proactive, expert guidance for every stage.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward-thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
Amy Beckley - PhD scientist with a background in hormone signaling. My personal battle with hormone imbalance leading to infertility and recurrent miscarriage led me to invent Proov, the first and only FDA cleared test to help determine ovulation quality. High quality ovulation leads to more pregnancies and better hormone balance in women, so they can live their best lives.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward-thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
Everyday women wear uncomfortable and unsupportive bras. Without effective support, women suffer pain and limit exercise – this leads to many more illnesses than men. Mary Fenske, inventor, CEO of Posture Wings™ top 100 in FemTech & Health Tech, HAX Incubator attendee, and Seattle Health Innovation awardee is leading the disruption of the outdated bra industry by engineering garments with industry leaders, and PhDs from multiple universities in biomechanics, physical therapy, lymphedema, wearables, technical textiles and garment construction. Fashioning a new breed of bras that are comfortable, effective and beautiful will increase women’s health.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward-thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.
The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.
Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
FemTech back a hot topic in 2021. How has this affected our industry? What are the risks and benefits of FemTech becoming mainstream? In this episode, our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto discusses the industry year in review plus predictions for where the industry is headed in 2022. Check out FemTech Focus at www.femtechfocus.org Rate, Review & Subscribe!
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.
In today’s episode, I interview Etta Watts-Russell the Founder and CEO of Lactamo. Lactamo is a specialized ball specifically designed and developed to facilitate and promote breastfeeding. Lactamo harnesses the power of breast massage, compression, heating, and cooling. Breast massage and temperature may be helpful in providing relief for the most common breastfeeding challenges. Lacatamo helps clear blocked ducts, relieve swelling and pain, fight off infection, stimulate milk production and flow and aid the let-down reflex. Check out the lactamo ball at www.lactamo.com
In today’s episode, I interview Lina Chan CEO and founder Parla. Parla is a digital health company revolutionizing reproductive health by providing greater access to diagnostic tests and proactive support. Parla was inspired by Lina’s own experience with fertility. She always felt on the back foot. Like many women, she found it difficult to understand what was going on with her body, get trusted support, and take care of her emotional health. Parla means to speak, and Lina believes it’s time to make women’s health an ongoing informed conversation. She is breaking taboos and making misinformation a thing of the past by creating a space that empowers women as they become the authority of their health, body, and choices. Parla supports women in 3 main ways: It empowers women with knowledge about their bodies through at-home tests, predictive data reports, and health quizzes. Second - It makes women feel supported by connecting them with a community of engaged experts and other women in similar reproductive life journeys. And third It nurtures women’s minds and emotional well-being through audio health guides and mindfulness content. The Parla app includes Free fertility health checks, Free meditation programs, Fertility experts for support, and a Community to share and learn with. The thing I was most inspired by in this interview was Lina’s attention to miscarriages and stillbirths. Both miscarriage and stillbirth describe pregnancy loss, but they differ according to when the loss occurs. In the United States, a miscarriage is usually defined as the loss of a baby before the 20th week of pregnancy, and stillbirth is the loss of a baby at 20 weeks of pregnancy and later. 8 out of 10 miscarriages happen in the first 3 months. 10-20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage. Learn more at www.myparla.com
In today’s episode, I interview Maria Velissaris, the founding general partner of Steelsky ventures. Steelsky is one of only 6 femtech specific venture funds. Their thesis is driven by their belief that women’s healthcare is a global market opportunity in the nascent stage that is primed for exponential growth. They invest across several verticals in women’s health including medical devices, consumer health, digital health, new healthcare delivery models, ePharmacy, and retail therapeutics. As a femtech investor myself it was great to speak with another woman on the same mission. To be considered for investment, submit your startup information at www.steelskyventures.com. Enjoy the episode!
In today’s episode, I interview Claire Coder the Chief Estrogen Officer (CEO) and Founder of Aunt Flow. Aunt Flow is making the world better for people with periods. Aunt Flow is the first full-solution to help businesses and schools stock their bathrooms with freely accessible tampons and pads. Their free-vend, wall-mounted dispenser allows companies to provide 100% organic cotton menstrual products at no charge to their employees, students, and guests. So no more quarters! No more giant metal boxes! No more low quality menstrual products! tampons! Please be sure to visit their website at www.goauntflow.com. Enjoy the episode!
In today’s episode, I interview Isharna Walsh, the CEO, and founder of Coral. Coral is a venture-backed app that shows you how to have your best sex life through personalized lessons, guided exercises, real stories, and more. Coral is here to challenge sexual complacency and wake people up to the wonders of investing in their sex life - because sexuality is an integral part of happiness, health, and identity. Coral is an app that facilitates sexual education, acceptance, and connection, to improve happiness and impact lives, relationships, and society. The founder, Isharna Walsh is an investor turned founder. At one point she was even the Economic Advisor to the Australian Prime Minister and Cabinet. She is a global woman who was born and educated in Australia but has also lived in Indonesia, Italy, Sri Lanka, and the US. Over 300K individuals and couples have used Coral’s science-based app to learn and play their way to less stress, better sex, and deeper intimacy. Learn more at www.getcoral.app. Our listeners get a 20% membership discount. Go to www.trycoral.app/podcast and get 20% off your membership. Enjoy the episode!
In today’s episode, I interview Joni Hanson Davis the CEO of Beli. Beli is a prenatal vitamin system designed to help women, men, and babies reach their full potential from day one. Together, Beli for Women and Beli for Men is a winning combination to help increase chances for conception and a healthy baby. Beli for Women offers nutrient-rocking supplements that nourish the female body from preconception to increase chances of fertility, once pregnancy occurs to boost energy and comfort, and post-birth when a woman’s body is recovering. Our listeners get a special discount. Go to www.BeliBaby.com and use promo code Femtech15 for 15% off your order. Enjoy the episode!
In today’s episode, I interview Cheryl Campos the head of venture growth and partnership at Republic. Republic is a private investing platform. Republic curates private investment opportunities with high-growth potential across startups, gaming, real estate, and crypto. Investing in startups was previously available to only the wealthiest 3% of the US population. With Republic, everyone both accredited and non-accredited individuals can invest in private startups for a chance to own equity and hopefully a future return. Republic gives people the power to invest in the future they believe in by providing access to investment opportunities. Focused on creating a diverse, sustainable, connected world, Republic has facilitated over $250 million in investments from over one million global community members. In this interview, we review some very successful femtech deals that fundraised using Republic and discuss why we think crowdfunding could be the right choice for many women’s health consumer products and services. Enjoy the episode!
In today’s episode, I interview Rory Staton, the Founder and CEO of Aila Health. Aila Health is tackling autoimmunity. They are on a mission to improve the healthcare experience for autoimmune patients which are disproportionately female. Aila Health uses data to bring the "invisible" into view, to support shared decision-making with a care team that listens to the patient, and to develop a personalized care plan that works for the patient’s life. Aila empowers its users to understand & manage their symptoms with online education, supportive communities & expert care from their board-certified doctors. To learn more visit www.ailahealth.com Enjoy the episode!
In today’s episode, I interview Dr. Fazila Seker co-founder and CEO of MOLLI Surgical. MOLLI Surgical has developed a device that creates a better treatment journey for breast cancer patients. The device is a cutting-edge magnetic technology that shows surgeons where to remove tissue inside the breast, either a lumpectomy to test for cancer or to remove a cancerous mass. The current procedure is called a wire-guided excision biopsy which includes putting a thin wire into the breast tissue to show a surgeon the exact area to remove. The other end of the wire hangs outside the body and is taped to the woman’s side for up to 1 day before surgery. MOLLI on the other hand is a small magnetic bullet that is inserted into the breast into the target surgical site. No wires are hanging outside the body and there's no rush into surgery within the next 24 hours. The radioactive seed also helps surgeons remove lesions more efficiently and accurately. MOLLI is approved for use in Canada and the US. Fazila hosts a weekly Facebook Live show called “Breast Practices” where experts and patients discuss topics in patient-centered care. Learn more about MOLLI and check out the show breast practices at mollisurgical.com. Enjoy the interview!
In today’s episode, I interview Megan Pearson the Founder and Executive Director of PCOS Awareness Association. PCOS Awareness Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advocacy of polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS. The organization and its volunteers are dedicated to raising the awareness of this disorder worldwide, providing educational and support services to help people understand what the disorder is and how it can be treated. The Association also provides support for people diagnosed with PCOS to help them overcome the syndrome and decrease the impact of its associated health problems. Public awareness of PCOS is necessary because although 10M people are affected, over half of them are unaware of it. Awareness helps the public understand that symptoms like irregular periods and pelvic pain are not something to be ignored and getting it checked is necessary. While there is no cure for PCOS, there are treatments that can help ease the stress and complications of specific symptoms. The exact cause is unknown, but it is considered a hormonal problem. Genetics and environmental factors are believed to be involved in the development of PCOS. It is a leading cause of female infertility and is responsible for a number of symptoms that can affect the body physically and emotionally. Despite the name, many people do not have cysts on their ovaries. The hormones involved in PCOS include androgens, insulin, and progesterone. This was a fascinating interview and I'm sure you’ll love it. Enjoy!
In today’s episode, I interview Alyx Coble-Frakes, the CEO and Co-founder of The Agenda Period. The Agenda Period is a new type of period tracker that tells, you based on your menstrual cycle, what kind of work you should be doing. The idea is that today’s work life is based on a 24-hour cycle, which is the hormonal cycle of males. Females have an approximately 28-day cycle. Depending on which of the 4 menstrual phases a female is in, certain tasks should be performed. Such as pitching your startup while ovulating and cleaning out your inbox while bleeding. Download their app for free on the App Store. If you’d like their physical agenda book, go to TheAgendaPeriod.com and use promo code AGENDA10 for 10% off your order.
In today’s episode, I interview Marina Pavlovic Rivas CEO and Co-founder of Eli Health. Eli Health enables women to take control of their health across their lives, by providing them with powerful information on their daily hormone profile. They are creating a small at-home device to monitor hormones in your saliva on a daily basis. This data then syncs with their app to provide personalized insights into your daily hormone fluctuations. With this powerful information, users know their precise fertile days which is useful for couples who want to conceive and women who want a safe contraceptive method that’s hormone-free and non-invasive. The long-term mission goes beyond fertility and contraception. Hormones are at the very root of women’s health for diet, mental health, bone health, you name it! Yet, no solution allows for daily monitoring of the fluctuations of multiple hormones over many years. This lack of data has led to women’s health needs being poorly understood and thus poorly addressed. Learn more at https://www.eli.health
In today’s episode, I interview Heather Bowerman, the CEO, and founder of DotLab. DotLab is a women’s healthcare technology company with a breakthrough, non-invasive, blood test that aids in the diagnosis of active endometriosis. Today, 1 in 10 women and people with menstrual cycles suffer from endometriosis. But it takes an average of 7 to 10 years to receive a diagnosis. That’s 120 excruciating periods. The lack of innovation in this space is because painful periods have been normalized for far too long and there aren’t enough tools to catch the disease early. DotLab measures microRNAs in the blood that acts as a unique signature to identify active endometriosis across all stages of the disease, regardless of hormones, cycle, or symptoms. Learn more at https://www.dotlab.com
Ok femfans, in today’s episode I interview Leah Sparks the CEO and founder at Wildflower Health. Wildflower Health is a healthcare software tool that accelerates virtual and value-based care between physicians, insurance companies, and the patient. They engage patients with a combination of high-tech and high-touch support. Telehealth and healthcare software that connect doctors, patients, and insurance may seem like old news especially after this past year with Covid-19. But Wildflower has been doing this for women’s health since 2012 with their maternal health app. Today, they support the entire ecosystem - the provider, the payer, and the family - with a clinically-integrated solution that is purpose-built to advance more effective, efficient care, as well as the payment models that fuel it. Learn more at https://www.wildflowerhealth.com
Funk It Wellness is a cycle support company that builds products and community to support menstruators through their hormonal journey. Their products include a seed cycling kit to support PMS symptoms and an organic maca concentrate for increasing libido. The founder and CEO, Kate Morton, is a Registered Dietitian with a Master’s Degree in Human Clinical Nutrition and a passion for talking about periods & hormones. A little over 4 years ago she got off birth control after years and years and experienced all of the side effects of hormonal imbalance which lead her to create Funk It. Funk It is a 100% food-based hormone support company with its star product being their Seed Cycling Kits. Don’t know what seed cycling is? Tune in to find out more! Use promocode "femtech" at https://www.funkitwellness.com for 20% off your order.
Meet the newest women's health and wellness venture fund, Coyote Ventures. Coyote Ventures is a Seed-stage venture fund in the United States investing in companies innovating in women’s health and wellness. Jessica Karr is the General Partner and Dr. Brittany Barreto is the co-founding FemTech Partner of Coyote Ventures. As scientists (MS in Biochemistry and PhD in Genetics) with entrepreneurial (Impossible Foods) and venture experience (Capital Factory), Jessica and Brittany are uniquely positioned to empower our portfolio companies in the women’s health and wellness space. https://www.coyote.ventures
Crave aims to make buying and using a sex toy an elevated experience. One that leads to fulfillment and thoughtful conversations about sexuality. All of Crave’s products are designed and developed by our women-led team in their advanced R&D center and micro-factory in San Francisco. Ti Chang is an award-winning industrial designer committed to creating innovative products with years of experience working in designing products for women. At Crave, Ti leads the design vision of the company’s full line of products and has been the leading voice in bringing modern sex toys into the mainstream. Use promocode FEMTECH for a free engravement on your sex toy, www.lovecrave.com
AOA is a team of entrepreneurs and experts that bring innovative, impactful and cost-effective medical technologies from research and development into the hands of providers and patients. AOA's mission is to bring to market the first accurate early stage ovarian cancer diagnostic test that will improve clinical practice, help reduce patient mortality and deliver cost savings to payers.Their first product, is the first liquid biopsy test that accurately enables early diagnosis of ovarian cancer through the analysis of tumor marker gangliosides. This episode features an interview with Oriana Papin-Zoghbi, the CEO and Co-Founder of AOA Dx. She has global experience creating and leading teams and organizations resulting in successful strategic exits. Oriana brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise from women's health startups and large life science companies, and a passion for entrepreneurship and solving problems that disproportionately affect women.
Carli Sapir is a Founding Partner of Amboy Street Ventures, a venture capital fund investing in Seed and Series A sexual health & women’s health technology startups that are progressing the industry in America and Europe. She is also the Founder of the Female Founded Club (FFC), a global platform that introduces VC investors to high-quality female founded startups. Carli has an affinity for startups in the sexual health and women's health technology landscape due to personal health experiences. While running the FFC, she recognized that the lack of venture capital flowing to the SH&WHT market is stunting the growth of startups that tackle significant health problems for all genders. Prior to Amboy Street Ventures, Carli worked in private equity and engineering. We discussed VICE clauses, FemTech startups Carli is excited about and the Healthy Pleasure Group.
Check out Amboy Street Ventures at www.amboystreet.vc Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Rosemary Morgan, PhD, is an Associate Scientist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the Department of International Health. Dr. Morgan has expertise in gender, gender analysis, and intersectionality within health and health systems. Some of her current work includes: Leading the Sex and Gender Analysis Core for the NIH funded Sex and Age Differences in Immunity to Influenza (SADII) Center; co-primary investigator on a project exploring the gendered effects of COVID-19 in Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria, DRC, and Brazil; co-primary investigator for the project Risk and Resilience in the Health Workforce: Understanding and Supporting the Experiences of Women Health Workers during COVID-19 in British Columbia, Canada; and Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) advisor for Learning, Acting and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems Consortium (ReLAB-HS). She also coordinates an international Gender and COVID-19 Working Group. We discussed differences between gender and sex, how gender bias is embedded in the healthcare system, how COVID-19 and vaccines affect women differently.
Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Marissa Fayer is the Founder and CEO HERHealthEQ, a social enterprise non-profit on a mission to close the gap in health equity around the world by provide medical devices to detect non-communicable diseases in developing countries. Marissa is a 20-year medtech executive, entrepreneur, and philanthropis and also serves as the president of advisory firm Fayer Consulting LLC, Executive Vice-President of Women’s Health at DeepLook Medical, and Venture Partner at Assiduity Capital. Marissa has also previously served as an executive at Hologic, Olympus, Maquet-Gettinge, Providien Medical, and Accumed Innovative Technologies. She serves on the board of medtech companies Welwaze Medical, DeepLook Medical, and PMD Medical. Marissa graduated from Boston University with a BS in Manufacturing Engineering and from University of Connecticut with an MBA and is a TEDx Speaker (2019 at TEDxLugano), and has been listed as one of the Top 100 Women in Medtech in 2018, a Top Woman Activist to Watch, awarded the 2018/9 Africa Development Award, a Wonder Women in Medtech in 2017, has spoken globally and been published widely. We discussed how HERHealthEQ came about, barriers to donating medical equipment and barriers to care in developing countries.
Check out HERHealthEQ at www.herhealtheq.org Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Melanie Goldey is the COO & CFO at TMRW Life Sciences, a fertility tech company bringing safety, security, and automation to the long-term care and storage of the frozen eggs and embryos at the heart of nearly every IVF birth. Before TMRW, Melanie was CFO at Refinery29, where she led the company’s merger with Vice Media Group, creating the largest digital media company in the world, valued at over $4 billion. Prior to Refinery29, Melanie was an executive at Everyday Health, a multi-platform digital healthcare company using data and technology to service patients, professionals, payers, and providers. There, she helped grow the company’s capabilities through acquisitions, a $100 million IPO, and ultimately to acquisition by J2 Global/Ziff Davis for nearly $500 million. Melanie was previously a technology banker at J.P. Morgan. Melanie graduated with her BA in Economics from Wellesley. We discussed the power of community combined with technology, the egg freezing and thawing process, democratizing IVF and fertility services and women in STEM.
Check out TMRW at www.tmrw.org Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Dr. Amrita Karve is the Co-Founder and Co-Director of Women's Heart Program at Mount Carmel Health System. Dr. Karve, MD, FACC, is a cardiologist at Mount Carmel Health System, a large private community health system in Columbus, Ohio. The Women's Heart Program was created to increase awareness of heart disease in women, reduce gender disparities in diagnosis and treatment, and to provide a concierge experience for women of all socioeconomic classes to be more engaged in their health. Dr. Karve is a member and guest speaker for the American Heart Association and is board-certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, and echocardiography. Her special interests include women's health and innovative clinical approaches to obesity medicine. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from George Washington University's BA/MD program in 2004, completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Michigan in 2014, and cardiology fellowship at Ohio State University in 2017. We discussed underdiagnosis for women's heart diseases, risk factors for women's heart diseases and the women's heart program at the Mount Carmel Health System.
Check out The Women's Heart Program at the Mount Carmel Health System at https://www.mountcarmelhealth.com/find-a-service-or-specialty/womens-heart-program/ Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Kaitlin Christine is the CEO & Founder of Gabbi, a FemTech company aiming to solve delayed diagnosis of preventable diseases that affect women, starting with breast cancer. Kaitlin is a breast cancer survivor and ovarian cancer previvor who has made it her life's mission to empower women to understand their bodies and advocate for themselves. Kaitlin has spent over 9 years in women’s health--working for leading nonprofits, as a sought after national speaker, was the youngest hire for the world’s leading genetic testing company where she led sales and eventually transitioned to a role as a hereditary cancer specialist, and most recently was the VP of Growth for an e-commerce marketing startup. Kaitlin earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Denver. We discussed Kaitlin's personal journey with breast cancer, barriers to entry in healthcare, gaps in awareness and innovation for breast cancer.
Check out Gabbi at www.begabbi.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Catherine Hendy is Co-founder of ELANZA Wellness, a behavioral health coaching platform that helps fertility clinics easily provide lifestyle and emotional support to patients, for better experiences and outcomes. ELANZA was recently selected for Techstars New York, an accelerator program for the world’s most promising startups. Catherine and her cofounder, Brittany Hawkins, started the company after their own experiences of gaps in fertility care and have just launched the ELANZA Wellness Whole Patient Care Initiative - asking clinicians who care about diversity, equity and inclusion, emotional support and patient-centric operations to sign the pledge, as well as past and current patients to share their experiences of care. We discussed types of fertility-related issues, fertility clinics and egg freezing.
Check out ELANZA Wellness at www.elanzawellness.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Somer Baburek is the CEO, President and Co-Founder of Hera Biotech. Hera Biotech is a biotechnology company that was formed to address unmet needs in the field of women’s health and specifically, in reproductive medicine. Hera’s initial goal is to commercialize the MetriDx™, a non-surgical method for the definitive and early diagnosis of endometriosis. Prior to founding Hera, Somer spent 7 years with the largest life science venture capital fund in San Antonio assisting with due diligence activities and served in 2 of the fund’s sister companies as the Director of Clinical Operations. During her time with the companies, she was part of the senior management team that took them from a single investigator-initiated IND to 4 open INDs, saw the successful license of a 5 sku product line to the largest industry participant and successfully managed an End of Phase 2 Meeting with the FDA before they were acquired for $250M USD. Somer took a short break following the exit, while she looked for available technology in her field of passion, women’s health. We discussed menstrual reflux, the stages of endometriosis and endometriosis diagnosis.
Check out Hera Biotech at www.herabiotech.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Sophie is the Co-founder and CEO of Nabta Health, a Hybrid Healthcare company for women headquartered in the United Arab Emirates. Prior to co-founding Nabta, Sophie worked for Accenture as a technology consultant and then founded several impact startups including myZindagi (a doctor-finding platform based in Pakistan) and Le Plastics (a plastic recycling company based in Sierra Leone). Sophie’s lifetime ambition is twofold: to empower women to manage their health with privacy, autonomy and convenience, and to make healthcare affordable and accessible for all women. Sophie read History at the University of Cambridge and completed an MBA with Quantic School of Business and Technology. We discussed the differences between healthcare systems between the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, what the ecosystem for women's health is like in emerging markets and Sophie's journey with fundraising for Nabta Health thus far.
Check out Nabta Health at www.nabtahealth.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Michelle Egger, CEO & Co-founder of BIOMILQ, is a diversely experienced food scientist with an eye to global food systems change. She looks to combat global food security and malnutrition in everything she does. Inspired by upstream solutions for infant nutrition at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, she became obsessed with advancing human nutrition through better infant feeding options. Michelle seeks to harness the capacity to drive environmental and social change through creative food solutions with a consumer-first design. Her entrepreneurial expertise in social impact and sustainable business models drives her commitment to seeking mission-aligned partners. Michelle believes that providing all infants with optimal nutrition in their first 1,000 days of life should be a human right for every parent on the planet. We discussed Michelle's mission to advance society through nourishment, how BIOMILQ produces the breastmilk, Michelle's fundraising mandate for BIOMILQ.
Check out BIOMILQ at biomilq.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Christine Goudie is the Co-Founder and CEO of Granville Biomedical, an all female tech company specializing in the design and manufacturing of women’s health anatomical simulation models for surgical training around the world. Cow tongues, orange peels and car wash sponges are being used as vulva simulation models for medical trainees, Christine and her partner at Granville Biomedical aspire to offer trainees to practice and learn on life-like 3D printed models that reflect the real human body and offer opportunities for hands on training that reflect real world, culturally respective, situations that the current simulation models don't offer. Granville Biomedical is also the first female-led company to receive Health Canada approval to begin clinical trials for their COVID-19 testing product. Christina has a background in Industrial Design and Biomedical Engineering. We discussed vaginal models, normalizing the aesthetics of vulvas, vaginas and making women's health devices less invasive.
Check out Granville Biomedical at www.granvillebiomedical.ca Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Dr. Fatima Ahmed is a physician entrepreneur and an ObGyn from the UK with 10 years’ experience working as a doctor. Her passion for improving women’s health on a global scale led her to working at ORCHA, a game changing & world leading company in health and care app evaluation, as their clinical lead in maternity & women’s health. Her strive to improve women’s health and wellbeing globally is what lies behind her motivation to support Femtech founders develop the best products they can to solve some of women’s most urgent needs. How digital health can increase accessibility, app review requirements and making digital health apps safer for everyone.
Check out ORCHA at www.appfinder.orcha.co.uk Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Jane Sagui is the co-Founder at Pollie, a personalized telehealth marketplace that matches people with ovaries to hormonal health specialists. They make it easier to manage reproductive hormonal conditions like PCOS and endometriosis, as well as hormonal imbalance symptoms like infertility, acne, hair loss, irregular periods, blood sugar imbalances, PMS, cramping, and more. Jane holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government from Georgetown University.
Femtech Focus listeners can participate in Pollie's pilot PCOS program for 20% off with the code "FEMTECH21" by signing up at the following link: https://www.pollie.co/pcos-eligibility
Check out Pollie at www.pollie.co Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Wendy Anderson and Cristina Ljungberg are the Co-Founders of The Case for Her, a philanthropic investment portfolio addressing the key women’s health issues of menstruation and sexual health and pleasure through grants, investments, convenings, and advocacy. Founded in 2017, The Case for Her brings together decades of experience working and investing in women’s health and rights. This dynamic and flexible portfolio spans the globe and includes investments in product companies, tech innovations, research initiatives, and grassroots organizations.
Wendy is a graduate of Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada. Wendy Anderson spent over a decade working in the financial industry before transitioning to strategic philanthropy. In 2009, she became founder and director of Futura Foundations, Social Initiatives. Wendy chairs the board at Be Girl, a mission-driven menstrual products company, is an active board member of Women Moving Millions and sits on the advisory board of Saral Designs. Cristina Ljungberg has a Master’s in Biotechnology from Northwestern and an MBA from Dartmouth College and this combined expertise in business and healthcare has propelled her nearly two-decade journey in health and philanthropy. Before The Case for Her, Cristina spent five years on the Board of Directors for Global Grassroots and established the nonprofit foundation Giving Wings in 2010. In 2016, Cristina became a founding member of the Maverick Collective, an initiative to eliminate extreme poverty created by Population Services International (PSI) in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In addition to her work with women’s health, Cristina is also a Partner at Influence Film—a foundation, investment fund and online platform that supports feature-length documentary film production. She is also an active board member of Acumen, a leader in the impact investment space and AFRIpads, a Ugandan manufacturer of reusable menstrual pads.
Check out The Case for Her at thecaseforher.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Valentina Milanova is the CEO and Founder of Your Daye, a female health research and development company on a mission to bridge the gender gap in product innovation. She founded and scaled the company through its clinical validation, regulatory approvals, proprietary in-house manufacturing, the creation of our unique brand, and the launch of our tampons in D2C and retail. She also developed the company’s product portfolio across period care, vaginal health screening and improved contraception. Prior to Your Daye, Valentina worked in Techstars UK and Founders Factory. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Economics, Business & Law from University of Buckingham and also her Master of Laws in International and Commercial Law from the University of Buckingham too. We discussed Valentina's personal story with painful periods, what Daye is doing to fight menstrual pain, the process of using CBD for feminine care products and convincing physicians about other solutions for menstrual pain.
Check out Your Daye at yourdaye.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Nnenna Umelloh is the Founder and CEO of Black Hair Management, a wellness brand with hair care at the center. They function as a trusted guide in the natural hair care journey and ship high-quality hair care and wellness products based on their hair texture and lifestyle. Their goal is to help women grow healthy hair. Prior to launching B.H.M, Nnenna was a Higher Education Consultant and taught students how to go to college, grad school, or trade school with scholarships based on personal experience. She has earned over $100,000 in scholarships to graduate debt-free in the United States and in the United Kingdom with her bachelors and masters. She also has created a 2 hours online scholarship course and published a book on scholarships. We discussed Nnenna's personal experience with her own hair care, confidence of knowledge for hair care and pubic hair care.
Check out Black Hair Management at www.blackhair.management Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Suzanne Sinatra is the CEO and Founder of Private Packs, a New York City based FemTech company. A former Event Planner turned Accidental Entrepreneur. Private Packs has reimagined the therapy pack and sculpted it for the intimate areas to deliver discrete wearable and reusable comfort. Private Packs was born out of a traumatic Brazilian waxing incident that prompted Suzanne to design a product that currently was an unmet need in the marketplace and aims to transform the healing process for women in their most sensitive areas, specifically after childbirth, bikini waxes, intercourse, and surgery. We discussed her personal journey launching Private Packs, prototyping for her product, secret sauce compared to competitors and transforming the sex lives of women.
Check out Private Packs at privatepacks.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Katie is the Founder & CEO of Viv for your V. Katie grew up in Tampa, Florida with a big Egyptian-American family. She graduated from Boston College where she studied Marketing and Managing Social Impact. Katie combined her passion for women empowerment and sustainability to create Viv for your V. Katie’s experiences in marketing, creative strategy, and nonprofit work have shaped her to build this mission-driven brand. Both Katie & Viv for your V have been featured in Forbes, Her Campus, Medium, Ramona, The Boston Globe and Harness magazine. We discussed building a mission-driven brand, FemTech supply chain management advice and patenting your idea.
Check out Viv for your V at vivforyourv.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Celeste Mergens is the founder and CEO of Days for Girls International, an award-winning NGO that works to shatter stigma and limitations associated with menstruation for improved health, education and livelihood outcomes. To date, Days for Girls has reached more than 2.1 million women and girls in 144 countries on 6 continents with quality, sustainable menstrual care solutions and health education. Celeste is a sought-after speaker who has been featured in Oprah’s O Magazine and Forbes, among other top-tier publications. She was recently named an AARP Purpose Prize Award winner, a Conscious Company Global Impact Entrepreneur of the year and Women Economic Forum’s Woman of the Decade. We discussed the lack of proper feminine menstrual products for many menstruators around the world, the menstrual shame, menstrual education and advocacy.
Check out Days For Girls at daysforgirls.org Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Kristy Goodman is the Co-founder and CEO of PreConception Inc, an online service that provides consumer-driven preconception testing for women planning a pregnancy. Kristy earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science with a minor in Health and Wellness from the University at Buffalo and completed a dual-degree program at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey where she earned a Master of Science in PA Studies and a Master of Public Health in Health Education and Behavioral Science. Kristy completed a postgraduate fellowship in Ob/Gyn and has worked in a variety of women's health settings providing preconception and prenatal care, emergency obstetric triage, labor and delivery services, and infertility evaluation and treatment. We discussed postpartum hemorrhage, what is pre-conception care, the importance of pre-conception testing, and the most common medicines women take before pregnancy.
Check out PreConception at preconceptiontest.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Teneha Brown is the CEO & Founder of VagiPlug, a woman’s protective plug that assists with the reduction of vaginal infections associated with perfumed bathing soaps. As a Chemistry Pre-Med student at Xavier University, health-related issues have always been of interest to Teneha especially feminine-related health issues as they are understudied, underfunded, and sometimes misunderstood. Teneha holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Xavier University.
Check out Vagiplug at www.vagiplug.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Maryon Stewart is the author of "Manage Your Menopause Naturally" and 27 other books. A world-renowned healthcare expert, she has helped tens of thousands of women around the world overcome PMS and menopause symptoms without using drugs or hormones. In 2018 she was awarded the British Empire Medal and was recognized as one of the 50 most inspirational women by the Daily Mail. We discussed, natural solutions for PMS, managing menopause symptoms and more.
Check out Maryon's book, Manage Your Menopause Naturally at www.maryonstewart.com/book Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Debra Bass is a growth-oriented business and team leader who has built iconic brands at some of the world’s most admired Fortune 50 companies. Debra is currently President of the United States and Global CMO at Nuvo Group, an emerging leader in maternal-fetal health with a bold ambition to reinvent pregnancy care for the 21st century with new technology, tools, and practices that give every life a better beginning. Before joining Nuvo, Debra spent 15 years at Johnson & Johnson (J&J) Companies in a variety of commercial leadership roles, including President, Global Marketing Services at J&J Consumer Companies. Before joining J&J, Debra gained general and brand management training at Procter & Gamble, working on iconic brands such as Tide detergent and Cover Girl Cosmetics. Throughout her career, Debra has been committed to advancing women’s leadership. Debra holds a B.A. in Public Policy from Duke University and an M.B.A. in General Management from the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business.
Check out the Nuvo at www.nuvocares.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Yvonne Lin is a designer and an expert at considering gender in developing compelling and functional solutions to complex design problems. She was named a Master of Design by Fast Company. Yvonne is a founder of 4B Collective and the Femme Den. She has designed numerous award-winning and best-selling products and services for clients such as Nike, Under Armour, Lego, Hasbro, UNICEF, Proctor & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, PepsiCo, Nissan, and American Express. She is the inventor of more than 20 patents. In addition, she shares her knowledge by writing for Fast Company and teaching at Parsons. Previously, she was an Associate Director at Smart Design. She also spends a lot of time skiing, cooking, and dressing up her small kids in a variety of unwieldy and fuzzy outfits. We discussed examples of product designs that were not done with women in mind, designs for medical instruments, consumer products and consulting companies on women-centered design.
Check out the 4B Collective at www.4bcollective.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Michel Alvarez is the Founder & CEO of Alvalux Medical SA and its USA spinout CicaLux Inc, an award-winning wearable for post-surgery scar therapy. Michel has 24 years of medical device industry experience in North America and Europe leading international teams, raising capital, and developing innovative medical devices from concept to market. His prior startup roles include: Founder & CEO of iSTAR Medical; co-Founder, CEO & Chairman of Healionics; and co-Founder & Director General of Medimexico (acquired by NxStage / Fresenius Medical Care). A passionate entrepreneur and patented inventor, he is excited about pioneering the next generation of wearable therapeutic devices to benefit patients. Michel earned an MBA from the University of Washington in Seattle, a BSc from San Francisco State University, and an AA from De Anza College in Cupertino CA. We discussed how to take care of scars, cesarean scars, how the Cicalux scar therapy works, and how to improve scar outcomes for women.
Check out the Cicalux Inc. at www.cicalux.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Celina Gorre is the CEO of WomenHeart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. WomenHeart’s mission is to improve the health and quality of life of women living with or at risk of heart disease and to advocate for their benefit. Prior to WomenHeart, Celina served as executive director of the Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD). In that role, she led the GACD Secretariat team based in London. She was also the managing director of the Foundation for the United Nations Global Compact and worked with the United Nations Populations Fund and UNICEF in Angola as a senior HIV/AIDS advisor. She consulted the government of Angola on its HIV strategy, child survival, and nutrition programs, and local companies on their social and community investments. She earned her Bachelor's in Psychology and Masters in Public Health from UCLA and Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University. In this episode, we discussed stresses that women experience that contribute to heart diseases, the importance of knowing your body intimately, the lack of symptoms for high blood pressure, and prevention of hypertension.
Check out the WomenHeart at www.womenheart.org Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Kim Palmer is the CEO and Founder of the hypnotherapy app Clementine, which aims to improve the emotional wellbeing of women all over the world. Born after Kim experienced a number of panic attacks whilst pregnant, Clementine has been created to make women feel calmer, more confident, and better equipped to cope with everyday life. The hypnotherapy sessions available on the Clementine app can be used to boost confidence or help you return to sleep by guiding you to a relaxed state, similar to daydreaming, and suggests new ways to deal with everyday grievances; allowing you to kick back and continue your daily routine. Kim is listed as one of the top 100 women in Fem Tech & Health Tech and winner of the IPA Campaign Women of Tomorrow in 2018, which recognises female industry leaders of the future. Whilst working at Wunderman Thompson as a strategy director, Kim also helped some of the world’s biggest brands with their global marketing campaigns and was able to develop her personal resilience and kick-start a women’s mentoring programme. We discussed what is hypnotherapy and how it functions in an app, emotional wellbeing in the FemTech lens, self-confidence and self-esteem.
Check out the Clementine at www.clementineapp.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Amanda French is the Co-Founder and CEO of Emme, a contraception company home to the Emme Smart Case system that automatically tracks when a user takes their pill and reminds them when you don't, so they can live stress-free. Amanda has over a decade of experience bringing innovative products to the market with a focus on women’s health, including a product that facilitated the distribution of antiretrovirals to mothers in the developing world which was recognized by Hilary Clinton and won USAID’s Saving Lives at Birth Grand Challenge. She also developed heart valve technology as an R&D engineer with Edwards Lifesciences and went on to develop state-of-the-art hearing aids at Earlens. Amanda was a 2016-2017 Innovation Fellow at the Stanford-Byers Center for Biodesign, and a Ferolyn Fellow in 2018-2019 with the Fogarty Institute for Innovation. She holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University. We discussed the barriers to accessing contraception, fundraising by grants, research and investment in FemTech.
Check out the Emme at www.emme.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Allison Kasirer is the Founder and CEO of Robyn, a company on a mission to make maternal wellness and education accessible to all. Today, Robyn is a digital platform for aspiring, expecting, and new parents featuring 200+ meticulously selected providers across specialized fields including acupuncture, nutrition, lactation, mental and physical health and personal coaching. Robyn has also launched Parentbirth™, a modern and inclusive virtual childbirth education class featuring real stories and parent-centric care. Prior to launching Robyn, Allison was a Vice President at J.P. Morgan’s Corporate & Investment Bank. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. We discussed maternal mental health, FemTech marketplace, "Parentbirth" and reproductive justice.
Check out the Robyn at www.wearerobyn.co Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Dr. Olivia Ahn is the CEO and co-founder of Planera. Her indignation at the current femcare industry and a recent eco-convert makes for a good co-founder and a bad dinner guest. Olivia founded Planera as a result of mounting frustration with companies forcing the burden of waste onto us as individuals. She believes that a well-designed product should be intuitively simple to use and to dispose in a sustainable manner. Here, the flushable and biodegradable sanitary pad was born and three years of research and development later, Planera has launched the world's first and only certified flushable and 100% biodegradable sanitary pad. Planera's pads have a similar impact to toilet paper and give back the guilt-free choice and freedom to the consumer. Planera will be bringing a range of personal hygiene products to the market from 2021. We discussed how Planera products work, the double-standards for pads among the genders, the eco-conscious responsibility in the femcare space and material engineering in FemTech,
Check out the Planera at www.planera.care/ Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Dr. Jane van Dis, MD, is an Ob Hospitalist, Medical Director at MavenClinic, Co-Founder of Equity Quotient, Co-Founder of OB Best Practice in partnership with OBGProject, and a Co-Founder of TIME'S UP Healthcare. Dr van Dis also co-admins the non-profit OB Mom Group – a group of 4800+ women ObGyns. She is a national expert and speaker on equity in healthcare, as well, she currently advises 4 health care startups and was recently selected to serve as a medical advisor to Europe’s first FemTech accelerator, FemTechLab, and is a medical advisor with Portfolia. She is a single mom to twins Brooklyn and Miles. We discussed the doctor that changed her life, accessibility in healthcare and telehealth and how to create more equity in healthcare.
Check out the Maven Clinic at www.mavenclinic.com/ and Equity Quotient at www.eqmedicine.com/ Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Mitchella Gilbert is the Founder & CEO of OYA Apparel, a FemTech apparel company on a mission to create technical clothes that support women’s health. OYA, aims to provide give all women more control over their health and create safe spaces to discuss feminine care. Based out of UCLA and born in a fashion lab, OYA engineers for women’s health, style, functionality, and comfort. Think: breathable, silky, leak absorbent, and curve shaping. Mitchella earned her Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy from The University of Chicago and is currently pursuing her Masters in Business Administration from the University of California - Los Angeles. We discussed the relationship between bacterial vaginosis and leggings, diversity in the apparel industry and societal pressures in the apparel industry.
Check out the OYA Leggings at www.wearoya.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Quinn Edgecomb is a the Founder and CEO of Cali Balance, Inc. and leads a team who are developing CALI to alleviate the burdens of life with Benign Proximal Positional Vertigo (BPPV, commonly referred to as vertigo). Cali is a human centered designed product enabling people to perform vertigo alleviating maneuvers effectively, independently, and accurately. Outside of Cali Balance, she also works at Brochsteins, where she program machines to turn creative designs into real woodworking products and furniture. Quinn earned her Bachelor of Science in Industrial Design from the University of Houston. We discussed benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), how prevelant vertigo is in women, physical therapy for vertigo and the dix-hallpike test.
Check out the Cali Balance at www.calibalanceinc.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Dr. Jerrica Kirkley is the Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Plume. She's also a mom, physician, trans woman, educator, fierce social justice advocate and lover of all things athletics and the outdoors. She started Plume, the first health technology company dedicated to the transgender community, to radically redefine the way healthcare is delivered and to ensure that every trans person in the US has access to gender-affirming care at the convenience of a smart phone. She has provided training on gender-affirming care around the country to academic institutions, community health centers, private clinics and national conferences. She grew up in North Carolina and now lives in Denver, Colorado. She loves anything to do with bicycles, hiking, yoga and spending time with her 3-year old. Fun fact - She used to own a bike shop! We discussed access to care & discrimination in trans health, identity-based care, gender affirming care and inclusive healthcare.
Check out the Plume at www.getplume.co Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Sateria Venable is a patient advocate who was diagnosed with fibroids at the age of 26. After receiving the recommendation of a hysterectomy in her 20s, she was prompted to explore other options to manage her fibroid diagnosis. She began a quest for information, which led her to found The Fibroid Foundation. The Fibroid Foundation is a non-profit taking a multi-faceted approach to Fibroid education. By developing a collaborative partnership with fellow patients and healthcare providers, they are fostering a supportive relationship where informed women have proactive conversations with trusted providers on a regular basis. As a patient-founded organization, their unique insights layered with a unique mix of digital and in-person outreach drives exponential change. Sateria has been featured in the Washington Post and Huffington Post, and is published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. She holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Carnegie Mellon University. We discussed the variety of symptoms of fibroids, how women can get diagnosed and the fibroid bill.
Check out the Fibroid Foundation at www.fibroidfoundation.org Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Lilly Sparks is the Co-Founder and COO of Afterglow, a porn company centered around female pleasure and the unabashed enjoyment of sex. Afterglow merges adult media and sexual wellness. Their mission is to create a comfortable home for pleasure on the internet and to cultivate the unabashed enjoyment of sex. Lilly is a serial entrepreneur who's grown 4 early-stage companies to millions of revenue. She saw a huge untapped opportunity in women's sexual wellness and decided to create afterglow and make porn that's good for you. We discussed how common it is for women to watch porn, women's spending power for adult content and helping women feel comfortable with their sexuality.
Check out the Afterglow at www.xoafterglow.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Aagya Mathur is the Co-Founder & CEO of Aavia, a smart pill case and app that learns and improves pill-taking habits. The Aavia smart pill case knows when a user takes their pill and sends reminders to your app if it hasn't been taken your pill and will keep sending reminders until it's actually taken. The app automatically records what time a user takes the pill so they can visualize how they are managing their birth control pills over time. They are also regularly rolling out new features that allow users to gain personalized insights about their hormonal cycle over time with use. Aagya earned her Bachelor's in Neuroscience from the University of Virginia and her MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has been honored Forbes 53 women-led startups disrupting health tech, Top 100 Women in FemTech and HealthTech, MedTech Boston 40 under 40 Healthcare Innovators, and BostInno's 50 on Fire. We discussed, what it means to "build in public", the Aavia smart pill case and the consequences of irregular intake of birth control.
Check out the Aavia at www.aavia.io Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Cindy Gallop is the Founder & CEO of Make Love Not Porn, the world's 1st user-generated, human-curated social sex video sharing platform. Cindy has a significant reputation as a highly compelling and inspirational speaker at events and conferences all around the world. Cindy’s 30 years of experience in brand building, marketing and entrepreneurialism, combined with a razor-sharp analytical mind, wide-ranging business experience, future-forward approach to technology, a compellingly charismatic presence and a uniquely inspirational approach, equip her perfectly to address the theme of leadership and inventing the future across a range of business sectors. She earned her Master of Arts from University of Oxford and currently serves as an advisor for Awkward Essentials. We discussed MakeLoveNotPorn, the psychology of porn and starting a Sextech company.
Check out the MakeNotLovePorn at makelovenotporn.tv Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Kristen Carbone is the Founder of Brilliantly, a company improving the lives to women that have been impacted by breast cancer. Brilliantly recently launched Brilliantly Warm, their first wearable designed for women who have had implant reconstruction after a mastectomy and feel constantly cold. Prior to Brilliantly, Kristen spent ten years working in the curatorial departments of museums throughout New York and New England, founded an artists' advocacy business and acted as the project manager for two business consulting companies. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Art History from Skidmore College. We discussed breast implants, preventative mastectomies & breast reconstruction, fundraising during COVID-19.
Check out the Brilliantly at brilliantly.co Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Blythe Karow is the Co-Founder, President and CEO of Evren Technologies. They are working to advance the treatment of PTSD and other related issues through discreet, wearable products that fit into the user's daily life. They developed Phoenix, an earbud device that will be used to reduce symptoms of long-term PTSD, speed recovery from traumatic events, and improve quality of life by delivering tVNS therapy that responds to your own body’s signals. Blythe has over 20 years of experience in medical device strategy, product development, product launch, and marketing. Her prior experience includes work both as a consultant and with medical device companies, ranging from startups to Fortune 100s, including Medtronic, J&J, and Boston Scientific. She holds an MBA from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia and a BS in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. We discussed neural modulation, neurostimulation, PTSD and treatments for trauma.
Check out the Evren Technologies at www.evrenvns.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Dr. Gabriela Gutiérrez is the founder, CEO & CSO of Microgenesis, a biotech company helping women discover the causes behind their fertility problems and recover to their full potential in order to get pregnant. Dr. Gutiérrez is a scientific researcher and molecular biologist by training and spent 15 years working on complex fertility cases globally with a main focus on Latin America and Spain. She holds a PhD in medicine from the University of Buenos Aires. We discussed the impact of microbiota on fertility, the importance of the microbiome, intestinal health and mRNAs.
Check out the Microgenesis at www.microgenesis.net/en/ Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Evi Heilbrunn is the CEO of Privy, the first, women-led, feminine care company developing innovative and clinically proven solutions for women’s health issues ranging from bladder leaks to UTIs and yeast infections. The company was founded to bring to market the Finess softpatch, the first FDA-cleared, over-the-counter product that prevents light to moderate bladder leaks before they happen. Evi is a digital health leader and investor in FemTech. She has a proven track record of scaling early-stage products and audiences whether for health consumers or providers. She has worked for some of the largest digital health companies & brands in the world. She earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. We discussed causes of bladder leaks, preventing bladder leakage & women having options for incontinence products.
Check out the Privy at www.privywoman.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Ida Tin is the co-founder and CEO of Clue, a mobile app that enables women and people with menstrual cycles to make good choices for themselves and live full lives not in spite of their biology but in tune with it. The app’s mission is to help people all around the world benefit from insights into female health. Ida is credited with coining the term "femtech". She was a speaker at prestigious conferences such as TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, LeWeb in Paris, Slush in Finland and many more. We discussed the need for "FemTech", how the term came about and her journey of building Clue.
Check out the Clue at www.helloclue.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Since starting the podcast in early 2020, the listenership and FemTech Focus community has grown so much since then. In this episode, Dr. Brittany Barreto discusses the year in review from our successes to new discoveries.
Check out FemTech Focus at www.femtechfocus.org Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Cindy Gu is a feminine energy coach with a mission to elevate femininity as a source of power by helping high-impact women in tech create 5D success with inner alignment, abundance, and freedom, without compromising lifestyle goals to thrive in work and life. She was the previous founder of VITALI Wear, a bra startup founded with the mission to bring daily improvement to people's lives and make personalized health fashionable which has appeared on Mashable, VentureBeat, Engadget, Cosmopolitan and Conan O'brien's Show. Cindy earned herBachelor of Engineering from The University of British Columbia. We discussed feminine energy, founder burnout and what femininity looks like.
You can download Cindy's free guide to raise feminine energy under 10 minutes here: https://mailchi.mp/3ff4d12559ed/quick-guide and check out her website at www.thefemininecoach.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Gail Anderson is a Harvard-trained counselor with over 20 years of experience helping intended parents, and one of the fertility industry’s leading innovators and creative thinkers. After doing postgraduate research at Yale, she started two egg donor agencies, became the executive director of one of the top surrogacy programs in the United States, and founded Donor Concierge. Gail is a past Executive Director of the Society for Ethics in Egg Donation & Surrogacy. Tulip Fertility is a do-it-yourself online search platform helps intended parents navigate the challenging process of finding an egg donor through their proprietary database of almost 20,000 egg donors (nearly 90% of all U.S. donors). We discussed the ethics and process of egg donations & surrogacy.
Check out the Tulip Fertility at www.tulipfertility.com and Donor Concierge at www.donorconcierge.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Claire Rosario is the User Experience & IT Infrastructure consultant at Hyivy Health, a rehabilitation company developing products to improve pelvic health for womxn and vaginas everywhere. She has worked in IT infrastructure for over a decade with clients and employers in various fields, including the financial, fashion, and non-profit sectors. A self-proclaimed “vagina hacker,” Claire contributes her expertise in engineering, network security, data compliance, and quality assurance to the advancement of vaginal health. She enjoys prototyping new hardware designs using her 3D printers and electronics. Claire brings a unique perspective to the challenges surrounding vaginal healthcare, being both a transgender woman of color and a patient who has gone through sexual reassignment surgery. In this episode we discuss gender reassignment surgery, the similarities between trans & cis women’s health, vaginal dryness and painful sex.
More about Claire's at www.rosario.one and HyIvy at www.hyivy.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Teo Tijerina is the CEO of Hera Medical Devices, a cancer diagnostics startup currently focusing on bringing a cervical cancer screening tool to market. A bilingual Spanish/English executive with a career trajectory that spans organizational leadership, business development, marketing, corporate management, entrepreneurship, manufacturing, and innovation, he has been a Corporate Manager for Fortune 1000 companies and the Founder of for-profit and non-profit ventures. Teo has extensive experience in analysis, relationship building, creative problem solving, and leadership, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University. Teo is passionate about innovation and delivering value to health technology markets, and holds citizenship in both the United States and Mexico. We discussed accuracy of pap smears, HPV vaccines, InstaPAP, accessibility of pap smears in developing communities and symptoms of cervical cancer.
Check out the Hera Diagnostics at www.hera-diagnostics.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Kim Rodriguez was the President, CEO and Co-Founder of Acessa Health, Inc. who successfully sold to Hologic. Prior to Acessa Health, she served as president & CEO of Halt Medical. Prior to that, senior vice president of the Vascular Intervention business unit at Spectranetics, a publicly-traded cardiovascular company acquired by Royal Philips for $2.2B. Over the course of a 20+ year career in cardiology, radiology, vascular surgery, neurology and women’s health, Kim has been involved in the commercialization of dozens of innovative medtech technologies and M&A transactions. Kim received her Executive MBA at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and B.S. in Management from Pepperdine University. We discussed being a FemTech exit, uterine fibroids and hysterectomies.
Check out the Acessa Health at www.acessaprocedure.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Dr. Berkley Luck & Pedro Silva are the Co-Founders of Milkify, the 1st breast milk freeze-drying service available direct to consumers in the United States. Their powdered breast milk does not have any additives or chemicals and can be stored on the shelf for 2 years while retaining it's vital nutritional and probiotic properties. Their service empowers new moms to breast feed for the entire first year of an infant's life by providing a more convenient way to pump at work, store their milk, and take it on-the-go. Dr. Luck has a PhD in Molecular Biology from Baylor College and her Bachelor’s in Microbiology from the University of Texas - Austin. Pedro received his Bachelor’s in Economics from Rice University and prior to Milkify has a background in finance and investment banking. We discussed how the freeze-dried breastmilk process works, the barriers for breastfeeding-working moms, the microbiome in pre-term babies and milk banks.
Check out Milkify at www.milkify.me Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Eric Dy is the Co-Founder of Bloomlife, a remote prenatal care platform combining technology, data science, and medical expertise with the goal of improving the quality of care for women, providers, and health plans. Eric Is a biomedical engineer turned business development manager turned entrepreneur specializing in application of mobile and wearable technology for health and wellness. Bloomlife's goal is to provide evidence-based solutions combining connected devices with data analytics to increase access to care, provide personalized feedback to moms, and help doctors earlier predict and manage pregnancy complications. We discussed the need for prenatal care, pre-term births, reasons for unecessary C-sections and the need for updated research in maternal health.
Check out Bloomlife at www.bloomlife.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
In this episode we interviewed both Kerry Costello and Rebecca Babcock. Kerry is the Co-Founder, COO & Product Owner of HeadCheck Health. She was a former athlete, with a wealth of expertise to her role, including extensive operations and multi-unit management for an international Fortune 500 company. She is also a University of British Columbia MBA graduate. Rebecca is a research reviewer for HeadCheck Health and graduated from the University of Otago in New Zealand with a Master’s in Bioethics and Health Law. Her thesis examined the ethical and legal issues surrounding concussion management. HeadCheck Health aims to improve outcomes for athletes by preventing mismanaged head injuries. Their tools help all those involved in the identification, management, and care of a suspected concussion. In this episode, we discussed how concussions differently affect women, CTE, concussions in women's sports.
Check out Jubel at www.headcheckhealth.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Rachel Bond is the Founder and CEO of Jubel Health, a personal, virtual fertility guide that provides people looking to form a family with 24/7 access to personalized, unbiased, medically vetted information while keeping users connected to supportive resources like dedicated fertility coaches, community of peers and a panel of professional experts. Starting her career at Deloitte, Rachel’s spent over a decade working to transform healthcare through digital innovation that reimagines patient education. You may sign-up for their waitlist and get early access and specials with their upcoming release in iOS this year. We discussed personalized fertility coaching, the need for support in every woman's fertility journey and fertility planning.
Check out Jubel at www.jubelhealth.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Rachel Bartholomew is the CEO and Founder of HyIvy Health, a pelvic rehabilitation company with products for women who have pelvic cancers and diseases to help improve sexual recovery after a devastating diagnosis, treatment or surgery. They are the first company to perform therapy while also tracking data in real time on pelvic health. She is a previous founder and has is worked in the entrepreneurship, tech and innovation space all 3 of which are areas she is extremely passionate about. Rachel earned her Bachelor's of Commerce from York University and Master’s in Entrepreneurship & Technology from University of Waterloo. We discussed Rachel's personal journey with cervical cancer, pelvic floor examinations, Hyivy's IoT vaginal wand, pelvic floor health issues and gender reassignment surgery.
Check out Hyivy Health at www.hyivy.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
On this episode, FemTech Focus's co-founders, Dr. Brittany Barreto and Dr. Julie Hakim are back again with the BODY 101 series! This time they discuss the beautiful, milk-producing and tender breasts. This episode includes everything from breast anatomy to how to examine your breasts, nipple discharge and common breast issues. Tune in and let's be breast-ies!
Check out FemTech Focus at femtechfocus.org Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Bill Gruber is currently the President and CEO of Solace Therapeutics, an emerging women’s health company focused on a revolutionary non-surgical office based treatment for unexpected bladder leaks, the primary symptom of female Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI). Bill was the President and CEO of Interlace Medical. While at Interlace he raised over $28MM in venture capital for the development and launch of devices for the treatment of Abnormal Uterine Bleeding caused by fibroids. The company was purchased by Hologic in 2011. Bill began his career in sales and marketing roles at Procter and Gamble before transitioning into the medical device sector. We discussed the types of urinary incontinence, what is the urethral sling, product design in FemTech and how to convince investors to care about women's health & wellness.
Check out Solace Therapeutics at www.solacetx.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Dr. Roopan Gill is an obstetrician gynecologist with expertise in family planning and abortion care and also the Co-Founder & Executive Director of Vitala Global. Dr. Gill is a Women’s Health Advisor for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Paris section and has worked as an emergency obstetrician gynecologist in Nigeria and Yemen and has supported projects in countries such as Malawi, Chad and Pakistan. Her research interests include human-centered design, innovative approaches to improving abortion access, sexual and reproductive health in humanitarian contexts and knowledge translation to improve health policy. She completed her training in Canada and holds a Masters in Public Health in Global Health from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. We discussed reproductive health for adolescent girls, self-managed medication abortions and did some abortion myth-busting.
Check out Vitala Global at vitalaglobal.org Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Sabrina Johnson is the founder, CEO and is a member of the Board of Directors of Daré Bioscience, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to the advancement of innovative products for women’s health. Daré in Italian, it means“ To Give” while Dare in English, it“ To be Bold.” Sabrina has had an extensive career in healthcare industry and bringing products to market. She previously served as President of WomanCare Global Trading, Chief Financial Officer of Cypress Bioscience, Inc. Sabrina has a Masters of International Management degree with honors from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird), a MSc in Biochemical Engineering from the University of London, University College London and a BSc in Biomedical Engineering from Tulane University. We discussed the various products currently in Daré Bioscience's portfolio, bacterial vaginosis, female sexual arousal disorder andbarriers in bringing FemTech products to market.
Check out Daré Bioscience at darebioscience.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Jannine Versi is the COO & Co-Founder of Elektra Health. Elektra Health is on a mission to smash the menopause taboo by empowering women with world-class, evidence-based care, education and community. We’re building a movement to bring high-quality hormonal healthcare into the 21st century alongside some of the best investors in the space. Two million women enter menopause every year in the US. A majority face the transition unprepared, unsupported and under-cared for, just when they need it most. Prior to Elektra Health, she worked at Google, The White House National Economic Council, the U.S. Department of Commerce and Cityblock Health. Jannine earned her BA in International Relations & History from University of Pennsylvania and her MBA from Harvard Business School. In this episode we discussed integrative care with menopause, the history of hormone therapy and breathing techniques for hot flashes.
Check out Elektra Health at elektrahealth.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Shara Raqs is the inventor and founder of MUSE.CYCLES. A guided experience to optimize one's hormone cycle for creative thinking, inspiration and pleasure. Prior to MUSE.CYCLES, Shara was a creative artist and former professional dancer. MUSE.CYCLES started as a personal experiment with everyday self-trackers which later turned into collaborations with other neuroscientists and a study with the Kriegsfield Neuroscience lab at Berkeley. In this episode we discussed how how fertility is linked to creativity, Shara's personal journey through self-tracking and filling the gap in research for women's brain health.
Check out MUSE.CYCLES at discoveryourmuse.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Saundra Pelletier is the CEO of Evofem Biosciences, a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative women's sexual and reproductive health products. In September 2020, Saundra led the successful launch of Phexxi – the first and only FDA-approved non-hormonal, female-controlled, on-demand prescription contraceptive vaginal gel. Saundra is also advancing the Company’s pipeline product, EVO100, into a Phase 3 clinical trial for prevention of urogenital chlamydia and gonorrhea in women. During her tenure, Saundra has led multiple equity financing rounds, raising more than $425 million in capital. Prior to joining Evofem, Saundra founded WCG, a global non-profit organization focused on creating access to reproductive health products in over 100 developing countries. Saundra is a breast cancer survivor, single mother, published author, skilled moderator, and coveted keynote speaker. She was recently named to Inc. Magazine’s 2020 Female Founders 100 List. We discussed Phexxi's launch and becoming a public company.
Check out Evofem at evofem.com and Phexxi at phexxi.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Kimberly Seals Allers is an award-winning journalist turned speaker and advocate focused on advocating for equity in maternal and infant health. For the past seven years, she has ran on-the-ground community-partnered projects in Birmingham, AL, New Orleans, LA, Detroit and Philadelphia, to name a few, to better understand the lived experiences of birth and breastfeeding in low-income communities of color. Kimberly was recently named one of “21 Leaders for the 21st Century” for 2018 by Women’s eNews for her media advocacy work. Her fifth book, The Big Let Down—How Medicine, Big Business and Feminism Undermine Breastfeeding was published by St. Martin’s Press in January 2017. Kimberly has appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, Anderson Cooper, the Tom Joyner Morning Show, Fox News and has been featured in various international and national media outlets, including The Guardian (U.K.), U.S. News & World Report, Essence, Black Enterprise, Pregnancy and in various online media properties. Kimberly is a graduate of New York University and Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. We discussed black maternal health, disparities in maternal health, dismantling biases for all women's health and the intersection of policy & health.
Check out Irth at birthwithoutbias.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Dr. Andrea Lukes has an extensive career in women’s health ranging from being a board-certified OB/GYN to the Chief Medical Officer of Health Decisions. Dr. Lukes currently advises Health Decisions on the development and implementation of research protocols and communications to the FDA. Dr. Lukes has conducted and/or overseen more than 80 clinical trials of investigational women’s health products over the last ten years. Her articles have appeared in journals including the Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the International Journal of Women’s Health, Cancer and Current Medical Research & Opinion and Drug Safety just to name a few. She also founded the Carolina Women’s Research & Wellness Center, co-founded and served as the Director of Gynecology for the Women’s Hemostasis and Thrombosis Clinic at the Duke University Medical Center and founded and chaired the OB/GYN Alliance, an online network of 8,000 OB/GYN physicians in the United States. We discussed heavy menstrual bleeding, clinical trials and barriers to getting women medical device getting approved.
Check out Health Decisions at healthdec.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Suzanne Strong is the Chief Strategic Solutions and Programs Officer at Livestrong, an organization that is helping cancer survivors and their loved ones improve their quality of lives. They believe in putting the survivor first, by creating tools and resources to help ease the challenges of a cancer diagnosis. Suzanne is a graduate from Texas Christian University and started her career in the television industry, telling stories of the people and places which make Texas so unique. Over the years she started leading local non-profits in New York around the state like Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and the Children’s Miracle Network. In this episode we discussed cancers that greatly affect women, the lack of innovation for mammograms and quality of life for all cancer patients.
Check out Livestrong at livestrong.org Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Amy Fan is the Co-Founder, President & CPO of Twentyeight Health, a digital health platform on a mission to empower individuals with trusted information, affordable access and convenience for their reproductive and sexual health. They have partnered with Bedsider and the National Institute for Reproductive Health to donate 2% of their revenues to support their work to improve access to reproductive and sexual healthcare for underserved communities. Leading a DTC skincare & makeup startup, Amy was inspired by the focus on deeply understanding her customers by having a human-centric approach to healthcare and putting the patient first. Amy holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University in Canada and a MBA & Master of Public Health from University of California, Berkeley. In this episode we discussed digital health platforms for underserved communities, the U.S. healthcare system and contraceptive deserts.
Check out Twentyeight Health at twentyeighthealth.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Dr. Jessica Grossman is the CEO of Medicines360, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit global women’s health pharmaceutical company with a mission to expand access to quality medicines for all women regardless of their socioeconomic status, insurance coverage or geographic location. Dr. Grossman is a seasoned industry executive and serial entrepreneur with a proven track record leading successful women’s health companies. Prior to joining Medicines360, she has founded Sense4Baby, Inc. and Gynesonics. Under her leadership, she invented and developed the first intrauterine ultrasound guided radio frequency ablation device for fibroid tumors. Dr. Grossman has performed research at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, one of the teaching hospitals of Harvard Medical School. In this episode we discuss increasing affordability and accessibility in women's health, equity in clinical studies and demystifying birth control.
Check out Medicines360 at medicines360.org Rate, Review & Subscribe!
On this episode, FemTech Focus's co-founders, Dr. Brittany Barreto and Dr. Julie Hakim discuss their favorite topic... the VAGINA! The magical, vital and self-cleaning organ that's part of the female reproductive system. From the anatomy & parts of the vagina to discharge, hymens and vaginal rejuvenation, Drs. Brittany & Julie share this educational episode to demystify common misconceptions and empower us with knowledge about our own vaginas!
Check out FemTech Focus at femtechfocus.org Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Dr. Taylor Sittler is the co-founder & CEO of The Cusp, a digital platform that provides comprehensive, collaborative, compassionate menopause care that’s built around—and with—women. Their platform includes private chat options, 1-on-1 meetings with menopause specialists and personalized care plans. Taylor previously co-founded Color Genomics (now known as Color), a startup that created affordable genetic tests to help people understand their risk for hereditary cancer. He attended the University of Massachusetts Medical School, worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and then at University of California San Diego under a Howard Hughes Medical Training Fellowship. On this episode we discussed predicting menopause, education on menopause and getting men involved in femtech.
Check out The Cusp at thecusp.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
On our first ever 3-way interview, we have Abby Stern and Savira Dargar from HITLAB. Abby was the Manager of the Women's Health Tech Initiative & Innovation Research & Evaluation and previously has a maternal and child health background with a Master's Public Health from Columbia University. Savira was the Deputy Director, Innovation Research, Strategy, & Compliance and the Director, Women’s Health Initiatives and has a clinical research background with a Master's degree in Health Policy & Economics from Cornell University. HITLAB is a research, advisory and educational organization focused in the digital health space and believe in the greater in academic research aiming to help people and startups in the community of digital health to gather the scientific knowledge needed to advance their technology. In this episode we discussed The Women's Health Tech Challenge, how public health relates to femtech and destigmatizing abortion.
Check out HITLAB at hitlab.org Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Trish Costello is founder and CEO of Portfolia, which offers a radically different investing process designed for women and other emerging investors. She is also co-founder and CEO Emeritus of the Kauffman Fellows Program, Center for Venture Education, the global educational institute preparing the leaders of the venture capital industry, located in Palo Alto, CA. Portfolia brings investing into the 21st Century, creating entrepreneurial funds focused where women make markets, such as women's health, active aging, consumer, enterprise, food & agtech, and fashion, tech and beauty. The investing experience is smart, personalized, and educational, providing returns and market impact customized to your interests. Portfolia is building a powerful global community of sophisticated investors focusing their money and influence to build the world they want. In this episode we discussed how Portfolia came to be, the first ever femtech-focused fund and how to empower more womxn to be investors.
Check out Portfolia at www.portfolia.co and to sign up for early access to their FemTech II Fund check out info.portfolia.com/femtech-ii Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Eva Galant is the founder of Hashiona, the first all-in-one app for Hashimoto patients. Hashimoto patients are 90% female. Eva is a serial entrepreneur having co-founded 3 startups and experienced a small exit for one of her companies. She founded Hashiona after her own personal struggle with hashimoto disease at her previous startup. Eva earned her Bachelor of Science from West Pomeranian University of Technology and her Masters in Investment Management from University of London. In this episode we discussed Hashimoto's disease and how autoimmune diseases work, women disproportionately affected by it and how it deeply affects every aspect of one's life.
Check out Hashiona at www.hashiona.com Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Jenna Ryan is the co-founder & CEO of Uqora, a urinary track health company that creates a range of products to support urinary track health for those fed up with heavy antibiotic rotations. Since 2017, Uqora has helped over 100,000 women get ahead of UTIs. Jenna graduated with a Bachelors of Art from UC Santa Barbara. In this episode Jenna shared her personal struggle with UTIs, we discussed the vaginal microbiome, debunking the cranberry myth and consequences of taking too much antibiotics to battle UTIs.
Check out Uqora at www.uqora.com Rate, Review & Subsribe!
Sheri Jacobs is the author of The Friendship Diet, a book about how women use food to cope with relationship troubles. She is a published, award-winning author, a certified and tenured NY teacher as well as a Texas certified teacher with ELA and ESL certification. She's also an active client of Pastorini-Bosby Talent Agency in Houston, TX with an extensive background performing on stage and in commercials and film. Sheri earned her Bachelor of Arts from Binghamton University and her Masters in English & Education from Stony Brook University. In this episode we got up close and personal with Sheri and I both opening up about their personal relationships and struggles with nutrition. We also discussed the correlation between unfilled relationships and self care, how loneliness is as dangerous as obesity and how you can "nourish" yourself.
Check out Sheri's website at www.sheri-jacobs.com/book-bonus Rate, Review & Subscribe!
Helene Guillaume is the founder & CEO of Wild.AI, a training app designed for womxn that is building the largest knowledge base of female datasets, across all ages, life stages and ethnicities. Starting with their B2C app, serving their first cohort of womxn: kickass females doing sports. Helene holds an Master’s Degree in Finance & Financial Risk Management from Audiencia Nantes Ecole de Management and a MBA from Universidad ESAN. She previously had an extensive career in financial services and consulting from working at BNP Paribas, Bank of America to Deutsche Bank. Wild.AI has been featured on Forbes, Wired and backed by Entrepreneur First and The Refiners. Wild.AI was also named one of the Top 10 London-based advanced digital technology startups to watch in 2020 by Digital Catapult. We discussed nutritional imbalances, maximizing your training while taking into account your menstrual cycle and the importance of building up research on a diverse range of womxn.
Check out Wild.AI at www.wild.ai Rate, review & subscribe!
Dr. Amy Divaraniya is the co-founder & CEO of OOVA, a fertility tracking kit that allows couples to measure, track and predict ovulation cycles from home. Dr. Divaraniya has a PhD in Biomedical Sciences with a focus in Genetics and Genomics from Mount Sinai School of Medicine. In this episode we discussed how Oova works, the progesterone and luteinizing hormones and empowering women with their own fertility knowledge.
Check out Oova at www.oova.life Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Marsha Stephanson is the founder & CEO of Cater to Mom, a monthly subscription box catered to the needs of moms during their fourth trimester, better known as postpartum. Their subscription boxes include monthly recovery essentials such as beauty or bath products, healthy snacks, books, self care tips and helpful postpartum care resources. Marsha is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, a degreed HR professional, an entrepreneur and she earned her BA from Ashford University in Human Resources Management. Cater to Mom was featured on Stories of Austin for highlighted Austin Entrepreneurs and won first place at the FordFund Pitch Competition 2019. In this episode we discussed Marsha's own struggle with postpartum depression, PTSD and what parents need & can expect postpartum.
Check out Cater to Mom at www.catertomom.com Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Terri Hanson Mead is an experienced IT consultant, expert witness, angel investor, startup advisor, podcaster, YouTuber, and award-winning author of Piloting Your Life. Her award-winning book Piloting Your Life was written to embolden women over the age of 40 to take the controls and be the pilots in their own lives. Terri has spent over 20 years working in and with biotech, medical device, diagnostic and digital health companies on IT strategy, IT compliance, data integrity, and business/technology alignment to meet corporate objectives. She earned her BS & MBA from California Sate University-Hayward and also has a commercial pilot helicopter license. In this episode we discussed angel investing to expand the power and influence of women, how COVID-19 affects women and leveraging midlife as an opportunity, not a crisis.
Check out Terri's website at www.terrihansonmead.com Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Keira Kotler is the CEO & Founder of Everviolet, an adaptive lingerie company that designs with the changes in a woman’s body following treatment for breast cancer and other meaningful life events in mind. Their lingerie are not only comfortable and functional but are also beautiful pieces of intimate apparel. Keira is a creative at heart, with a MFA in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute and has previously worked as a marketing professional. On this episode, Keira shares her journey after being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40, Everviolet's mission with sustainability and developing products that adapt to women's ever-changing needs. Keira & Everviolet have been featured on top media platforms such as, Business Insider, Forbes and Create & Cultivate.
Check out Everviolet at www.everviolet.com Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Marija Butkovic is the Founder & CEO of Women of Wearables, a leading global organisation aiming to support, connect and mentor women and diverse groups in wearable tech, fashion tech, health tech and IoT with more than 20,000 members located across the globe. Marija is a digital marketing & business consultant and Forbes contributor who has worked across a range of projects in different industry sectors, including legal, journalism, tech, IoT, wearable tech and fashion tech. She has been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, The Next Web, Huffington Post, was selected as one of the Most Influential Women in UK tech, Top 100 Influencers on Gender Equality & Diversity and Top STEM Entrepreneurs by Onalytica. We discussed women-centered design, what are wearables and data privacy in women's health research.
Check out Women of Wearables at www.womenofwearables.com Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Colleen Fisher Tully is a freelance writer and editor. She writes content for magazine media, lifestyle websites, agencies and business clients (B2B and B2C). Her portfolio includes longform articles, web articles, ghostwriting, white papers, advertorial, blog posts, e-newsletters, landing pages, display copy, press releases, product descriptions and SEO. She has contributed numerous articles to Leafly with topics ranging from the history of cannabis in women's health to cannabis as medicine in ancient Egypt. We discussed the history of CBD in women's health, it's use for women's health, the current state of CBD use.
Check out Colleen's CBD-related articles here: www.leafly.com/news/author/colleen-fisher-tully Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Sylvia Kang is the Co-Founder & CEO of Mira, a women's health monitoring platform with that tracks cycles, predicts ovulation, monitors fetal health, measures ovarian reserve and detects menopause at home. Sylvia earned her BS in Bioengineering from the University of Pittsburgh, MS in Biomedical Engineering from Columbia University and MBA from the Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management. She has extensive experience in P&L general management and has worked in product director roles in a Fortune 500 life science company. Mira's fertility racker is clinically validated with 99% accuracy and has won the Best Startup of CES 2018 by Tom’s Guide and Finalist company of 2018 TechCrunch Disrupt SF Battlefield. We discussed all things hormones, the social stigma of infertility and when should people start tracking their fertility.
Check out Mira by visiting www.miracare.com Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Liz Klinger is the Co-Founder & CEO of Lioness, a sexual health & wellness startup home to the Lioness Smart Vibrator, the first and only vibrator to improve orgasms through biofeedback and data. The Lioness Smart Vibrator was developed from over half a decade of research and development with sex researchers, doctors and analyzing 50,000+ orgasms. It has also won multiple Best of awards at CES, the Women's Health Innovation Spotlight, and was a finalist for Last Gadget Standing. Liz graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and previously worked in the finance and sex toy industry prior to starting Lioness. We discussed improving orgasms through biofeedback and data, whether sextech is considered femtech and the life-sized vulva sculptures.
Check out Lioness by visiting www.lioness.io Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Dr. Fahimeh Sasan the founding OB/GYN of Kinbody, a fertility & family-building clinic that is making it more accessible, intuitive, and empowering – for all. They serve patients and employers in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and nationally online and through their partner clinics. Dr. Sasan completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC and has been practicing and delivering clinical excellence for 12 years. She was rated one of NY Times Top Doctors in 2016 and 2017 and is passionate about helping women better understand their fertility and their options for the future. We discussed why employers should care about fertility benefits, transparency in healthcare and supporting the LGBTQ community's family needs.
Check out Kindbody by visiting www.kindbody.com Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Christina Vanvuren is the Founder & CEO of Future of Femtech, a lifestyle wellness community for women’s health and femtech leaders. Christina is a mother, Navy veteran, and crisis counselor at Crisis Text Line. She is currently studying for a trauma-informed yoga instructor certification, as well as completing an intensive leadership program through Co-Active Training Institute. We discussed pivoting during COVID-19, the Wellness & Self-Care Summit and womxn's mental health.
Check out Future of Femtech by visiting www.futureoffemtech.com Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Cathy Sebag is the CEO & Co-Founder of Hela Health, the one-stop-shop for employee health & wellness that allows users and their family to choose their own tools to manage their care. Ranging from hundreds of teleconsultation platforms, apps, wearables, products and services, Hela Health features some other well-known femtech brands such as Elvie, Pearl, Joylux, Twentyeight Health and more! Everything that can be found on Hela Health has gone through a rigorous review process by Hela's medical board from the Harvard School of Medicine, Beth Israel and Genesis Fertility. Cathy obtained her Bachelor's degree from George Washington University in International Development and previously. On this episode we discussed women's willingness to spend money on their health & wellness, access to healthcare and why should employers care about women's health.
Check out Hela Health by visiting www.helahealth.io Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Shakun Sethi is the CEO & Founder of Tickle.life, a community based online discovery platform and marketplace which is a one-stop-shop for sexual wellness content, products and services. Their platform has over 300 sex therapists, sex-positive groups, coaches and sex-perts. Prior to Tickle.life, Shakun founded Dizuna Communications, a crisis communication startup. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Psychology & English Literature from Jammu University & Master's degree in International Communications from The Hague University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. On this episode we discussed the stigma around sexual discovery, sex positivity and the sextech industry.
Check out Tickle.life by visiting www.tickle.life Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Maria Berruezo es la cofundadora de LactApp Women's Health con sede en Barcelona, España. LactApp, la primera aplicación dedicada a la lactancia y la maternidad con consultas individuales con especialistas sin la molestia de visitas en persona o largos períodos de incertidumbre. LactApp tiene 40,000 usuarios mensuales y responde a más de 90,000 preguntas cada semana y fue seleccionada por Apple como una de las 10 empresas dirigidas por mujeres en el mundo para su Campamento de Emprendedores de Apple. María es consultora certificada en lactancia desde 2012 y tiene una maestría en Gestión del Conocimiento y una Licenciatura en Publicidad y Comunicación de Relaciones Públicas. Hablamos sobre cómo funciona LactApp, la baja por maternidad en España y la educación en lactancia.
Echa un vistazo a LactApp visitando www.lactapp.com ¡Califica, revisa y suscríbete!
Title translation: LactApp, the breastfeeding expert in your pocket!
Maria Berruezo is the Co-Founder of LactApp Women's Health based in Barcelona, Spain. LactApp the first app dedicated to breastfeeding & motherhood with one-on-one consultation with specialists without the hassle of in-person visits or long periods of uncertainty. LactApp has 40,000 monthly users and responds to over 90,000 questions each week and was selected by Apple as one of 10 female-led companies in the world for their Apple Entrepreneur Camp. Maria is a certified lactation consultant since 2012 and has a Master’s Degree in Knowledge Management & Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising & PR Communication. We discussed how LactApp works, maternity leave in Spain and lactation education.
Check out LactApp by visiting www.lactapp.com Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Dr. Kelly Teagle is the Founder & CEO of WellFemme, a Telehealth service provided by female General Practitioners who specialize in menopause and midlife care. They provide evidence-based menopause information, advice and treatment in collaboration with our clients’ usual General Practitioners. She graduated in Medicine from the University of Queensland in 2001 and worked in the Royal Australian Air Force as a Medical Officer until 2010. As a civilian GP she gained Fellowship of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and developed her interest in women’s medicine with a Graduate Diploma of Women’s Health, further studies in reproductive and sexual health and surgical assisting. On this episode we discussed the barriers in telehealth for women in Australia, educating on menopause, cultural differences in menopause and the goal of building a global pipeline for access to women's health services & products.
Check out WellFemme by visiting www.wellfemme.com.au Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Aneela Idnani is the Co-Founder of HabitAware. Through HabitAware, Keen was invented. It is a smart bracelet that uses gesture detection technology to bring awareness to hair pulling (trichotillomania), skin picking and nail biting disorders. These disorders are part of an umbrella term called Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRB). HabitAware aims to spread awareness of these behaviors and empowering people to “Retrain The Brain” with healthier coping mechanisms. She’s spoken at TEDxFargo and been named a Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal 40 under 40. Aneela graduated from Binghamton University School of Management in Accounting and also the Miami Ad School. On this episode we discussed Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors (BFRB), Aneela's personal journey with trichotillomania and the diverse spectrum of mental health.
Check out HabitAware by visiting www.habitaware.com Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Chantell Preston is a serial entrepreneur, femtech founder & an active investor. She is a lead partner in the Portfolia Active Aging & Longevity fund and has over 20 years of healthcare operations & management. Within her extensive experience in the healthcare industry, she has successfully founded & exited several healthcare companies. On this episode we discussed how healthcare management relates to women's health, how women make 80% of all the healthcare decisions in their household (in the U.S.) & current investing trends.
Check out Portfolia by visiting www.portfolia.co Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Dirty Lola is the Founder & CEO of Sex Ed A Go Go, a sex Q&A and variety show. It's hosted live in New York City featuring burlesque and go-go dancers to liven up the mood. Dirty Lola is a huge advocate for sex positivity and has a vast experience being a performer and sex educator. She's spent the last 6 years working to end the stigma, shame & lack of accessible sex education. During my interview with Dirty Lola we discussed the female orgasm, pubic hair, butt play and how these relate to women's health & wellness.
Check out Sex Ed A Go Go at www.sexedagogo.com Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Dr. Helen O'Neill currently serves as the Founder & CEO of Hertility Health while also being the Programme Director, Reproductive Science and Women's Health at University College London and Lecturer in Reproductive and Molecular Genetics. Hertility Health is creating an easier way for women to get personalised insights into their digital biological clock, whenever they need it. Their Hertility Health Test is a proactive hormone test that gives insights into egg count, ovulation and how general health might be impacting reproductive biology. She was selected for 10W London- "Highlighting Impressive Women Leaders around the World" and one of the Top Twenty in Data and Technology in the United Kingdom by Women in Data UK. She's also appeared on BBC News and spoken at The Royal Society. We discussed egg freezing, biometrics and my personal favorite topic: genetics!
Check out Hertility Health at www.hertilityhealth.com Rate, Review, and Subscribe!"
Kristen Comer is a program manager at Springboard Enterprises who carries out their signature accelerator programs, focusing on the Tech and Health Innovation Hubs. Springboard's mission is to accelerate the growth of entrepreneurial companies led by women through access to essential resources and a global community of experts. Since 2000, over 800 Springboard portfolio companies seeking financial and human capital for product development and expansion have created over $20B in value, are revenue generators and job creators. With 200 exits to strategic acquirers and 20 IPOs, Springboard Entrepreneurs are transforming industries. Kristen holds a BA in Psychology and Dance from University of California, Santa Barbara. She also obtained her MSc in Management from Lund University School of Economics and Management in Lund, Sweden. We discussed the changing the narrative of looking at women's hollistic health, the women's health coalition and what is considered "Femtech".
Check out the Women's Health Coalition at www.womens.health Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Dr. Alice Zheng is a women's health practice leader at McKinsey in the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device and Global Public Health practices. She leads women’s health efforts at the Firm, including internal research on industry sub-segments such as FemTech and pharma. Previous to McKinsey, she worked in women’s health as a clinician and also as a public health practitioner in reproductive health in East Africa and Asia. Alice holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and MD/MPH from the University of Michigan Medical School and School of Public Health. We discussed the definition of women’s health, what needs innovating in various women’s health sectors & femtech trends.
Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Brionna Ned is the Co-Founder & Lead Facilitator of Bask + Being, a mental health startup on a mission to reduce workplace stress, anxiety & burnout. She co-founded Bask + Being to help others and organizations understand and remove the institutional barriers to employee success and well-being. Prior to Bask + Being, Brionna received her MA & BA from Stanford Sociology with a focus on Organizational Behavior & International Relations, respectively, and her J.D. with honors from the University of Texas. She has prior experience in big law, intellectual property and has served as in-house counsel. We discussed the elusive "work-life balance", how stress manifests in your body and self care vs productivity.
Check out Bask + Being at www.baskandbeing.com
Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Greg Linton is the founder & CEO of Perinatal Access, a cloud-based digital health platform that leverages telemedicine and live ultrasound streaming to enable OB/GYN physicians and other specialists in the Obstetric space to be more effective. Greg was inspired to start Perinatal Access by his past 9 years working in the high-risk obstetrics business and he and his wife’s personal experience with the premature birth of their twin sons. Greg believes Perinatal Access will help healthcare facilities offer high-value specialist care to mothers despite projected OB/GYN shortages and dwindling access to rural maternal care. We discussed access to maternal care, high risk pregnancies & telehealth during COVID-19.
Check out Perinatal Access at www.perinatalaccess.com
Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Dr. Faz Bashi, M.D is the lead investor at the Portfolia Femtech Fund and is also one of Femtech Focus's advisors. One of their investment funds, The Portfolia FemTech Fund, focuses on emerging technologies, products and services improving women’s health and wellness. From fertility solutions to menopausal care and overall fitness, the fund will invest in high-potential opportunities that can be both profitable and grant women greater health and wellness. Faz has a background in Immunology and Virology from UCSF and was one of the early investors who was actively investing in Femtech before the industry rose in popularity. We discussed the investments that Portfolia has made in different Femtech companies, what Femtech investors are looking for and the importance of your network. In this episode Dr. Brittany Barreto announces some exciting new launches for Femtech Focus! Hint: We want to help YOU fundraise your Femtech startup.
Check out Portfolia at www.portfolia.co
Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Allison Shickel is the CEO, founder & inventor of Brobe, a bra & robe combination for women after mastectomies or any kind of chest surgery. Allison's company specializes in post-surgical adaptive clothing company that focuses on developing apparel and accessories for women recovering from major surgeries that are comfortable yet chic. Allison has won multiple awards namely, the Women's Chamber of Commerce 2016 "Blazing Star" award and Austin's 2015 InnovateHer Award. Among her accomplishments, she has also partnered with Kendra Scott for the "Heal Comfortable, Feel Beautiful" campaign in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We discussed her story behind Brobe, the obstacles she overcame and fundraising as a femtech entrepreneur.
Check their products at www.thebrobe.com Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Dr. Teriya Monick Richmond is a board certified family medicine physician and has been practicing for over 10 years. Dr. Richmond was the first physician in the Harris Health System to facilitate Centering Pregnancy, she also served as an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas-Houston and currently serves as the Chief Medical Officer of the AIDS Foundation in Houston. Dr. Richmond recently opened Your Essential Healthcare and DaySpa (YEHD), which is a dedicated women’s health center and continues her clinical research in areas topics including endometriosis, cervical cancer and bacterial vaginosis. Apart from her extensive career in health, Dr. Richmond has also initiated her own women’s empowerment brand, Mocha Millennium Women, which encourages women to be confident in who they are through fitness, fashion, and fun. We discussed the history, disparities & the current state of of black women’s health in the United States including racism in public health.
Check out Dr. Richmond’s work at www.yourtotalhealthdoctor.com
Kate Torgersen is CEO and Founder of Milk Stork. The first and only breast milk delivery service for business traveling moms. They provide refrigerated overnight shipping of your milk to your baby while you are away. Milk Stork is on a mission to help moms continue to nourish their babies while they continue to nourish their careers. In 2015, Milk Stork was recognized as one of Business Insider's "19 Coolest New Businesses in San Francisco" and has shipped over 3.6 million ounces of breast milk. We discussed the basics of breastfeeding, balancing life while lactating and supporting mom-run businesses.
Check out Milk Stork by visiting www.milkstork.com
Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Dr. Barb DePree is CEO and Founder of MiddleSexMD, a sexual health resource for women in perimenopause and beyond. They provide medically accurate content, and suggest products that have been proven to help women continue to have great sex even after menopause. Dr. Barb DePree has been a practicing gynecologist for over 30 years and has been specializing in menopause for the last 10 years. We discussed sex after menopause, the role of estrogen for comfortable sex, and the importance of maintaining intimacy with yourself or a partner after menopause.
Check out MiddleSexMD by visiting www.middlesexmd.com Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
The founders of Femtech Focus, Drs. Brittany Barreto and Julie Hakim, sit down in sesh-coworking (no dogs this time) to talk about the Femtech Focus podcast and what the femtech industry needs as a whole. In this episode they touch upon their observations in recent pitch competitions to how they can help future Femtech founders. Julie expands her reach by launching SOMOSGYN in both English & Spanish to help young girls out there. The duo drops little teasers on future episodes and interesting findings surrounding diversity in the womxn’s health & wellness space!
The conversation was live-streamed in June on Facebook and Instagram. Don’t wait for these behind the scenes discussions to drop on the podcast. Rate, review & subscribe!
Cindy Belardo is CEO and Founder of Menstrual Mates, a community to discuss periods and normalize menstruation. They are committed to uplifting their community, especially those experiencing period poverty. This lack of access to menstrual care products greatly affects people who are homeless and people in prison. We discussed the history of menstrual cups and the biology of toxic shock syndrome. Support their initiatives by visiting www.menstrualmates.com Rate, Review, and Subscribe!
Milena Bacalja is the Co-Founder & Chief Innovation and Research Officer at Menstrual Health Hub, a female health nonprofit and social impact business. They have particular efforts around menstrual health, gender equality, and women-centered design. We speak about period equity around the world, what really is women-centered design, and the difference between women's health and female health. Support their efforts and learn more at www.mhhub.org Rate, review, and subscribe!
Charlotte Chiang is the Founder and CEO of Missfits, a lingerie company that helps women find a bra that uniquely fits them. Missfits has a data-driven approach which includes breast height, projection, and how much support they require. All these dimensions impact which bras will make a woman feel her best. We speak about the history of bras, bras in space, and what women around the world prioritize in their bras. Check out their products at MissFits.co Rate, review, and subscribe!
Ann Garnier is the Founder and CEO of Lisa Health, a science-backed platform that empowers women to manage their menopause journey. Lisa Health helps women make small changes to prepare for menopause, manage symptoms, and improve their midlife well-being. Women can select from over 100 science and expert-backed challenges to create a personalized journey and join community groups to find support and advice. Rate, review, and subscribe!
The founders of Femtech Focus, Drs. Brittany Barreto and Julie Hakim, sit down to talk all things femtech. They have a casual conversation on Brittany's coach surrounded by her rescue pups. The conversation was live-streamed in May on Facebook and Instagram. Don't wait for these behind the scenes discussions to drop on the podcast. Follow Femtech Focus on social to watch them (and their dogs!) live!
Abbey Donnell is the Founder and CEO of Work & Mother, a network of fully equipped lactation facilities that not only supports working mothers but makes it easy for employers to be in compliance with FLSA regulations. W&M helps prevent workplace attrition associated with childbirth, while also helping mothers reach their breastfeeding goals and keep their children happy and healthy. W&M operates much like a building gym. So, rather than every company trying to create individual solutions to support working mothers, they can simply join our membership program & enjoy the benefits. We spoke about the setting moms need to produce the most milk and the health benefits of breastmilk for babies. Rate, review, and subscribe!
Leoni Runge is the Founder and CEO of Zaya Care, providing maternal and newborn expertise in your pocket and in-home. Zaya Care is a network of licensed nurse midwives, doulas, and lactation consultants with the mission to help moms have the most pleasant motherhood experience possible. The vision was inspired by the European methods of treating pregnant women pre-, during, and post-birth. We discuss why this access to healthcare is even more important now during the pandemic. Check out Zaya Care at JoinZaya.com Rate, review, and subscribe!
Maureen Brown is CEO and Co-Founder of Mosie Baby, an at-home insemination kit. Mosie Baby has helped thousands of women get pregnant at home with their patent-pending, nature-inspired syringe. Designed by women specifically for conception, Mosie is a safe, simple, affordable option worth trying before intrauterine insemination at a fertility clinic. And it’s as familiar to use as a tampon. Mosie is MD-endorsed with a patent-pending design that's simply perfect for making a baby at home. We speak about the role of the cervix is fertility and the different types of aspiring parents that use Mosie Baby. Rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast!
Tracy MacNeal is CEO of Materna Medical. Materna is a powerful leader in transforming women’s pelvic health. It is the outcome of years of research and development which began at Stanford University’s Biodesign program, and continues as part of the Fogarty Institute for Innovation in Silicon Valley. Materna has one product commercially available since 2018 called Milli for consumer purchase on www.milliforher.com. Their secondary product, the Materna Prep medical device, is in clinical trials. We speak about what happens to the pelvic floor during and after childbirth and how their consumer product can gradually expand the vagina for comfortable intercourse. Rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast!
Tammy Karni is a registered dietician and certified coach in metabolic balance. She specializes in holistic nutrition that take four key factors into account; insulin, microbiome, acidity, and inflammation. We speak about how all of these factors directly affect estrogen in women. Rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast!
Gabriela Gerhart is the Founder and CEO of The Motherhood Center in Houston, Texas. The Motherhood Center supports expecting and new moms and their partners through the journey of birthing. Gabriela has been assisting moms for over 20 years in the Houston area and we speak about why this type of center is not present in every city. We cover topics like baby doulas, birthing positions, baby yoga, and what improvements should be made to the delivery room in hospitals. Check out their services (both in-person and virtual!) at www.motherhoodcenter.com Rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast!
Jill Angelo is the CEO and Cofounder of Gennev, first online clinic for women growing through menopause. Due to social stigma and lack of innovation, less than 7% of women get the help they need in menopause. Gennev set their vision on being the go-to health and wellness solution for women in menopause. They offer products, coaching, telemedicine through their platform. Rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast!
Amanda Ducach is the Founder and CEO of Social Mama, an app that matchmakes moms for friendship and support. Part of that support includes experts like OBGyns, business coaches, and therapists. With over 20,000 moms already on the platform, Social Mama is ending isolation for mothers everywhere. Community is a key to women's mental and emotional health when they become a mother. Rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast!
Megan Capriccio is a Femtech consultant and Femtech Collective Chapter Director in Sydney, Australia. In this episode, we discuss how women's health and wellness are addressed in the land down under. We had several project ideas during our conversation and Megan initiated one when we finished recording! Follow @FemtechFocus to access the open google sheet that's collecting a list of femtech technologies, products, and drugs that need updating or new clinical trials. This list is for all you aspiring femtech founders to be inspired!
Kristina Cahojova is the Founder and CEO of Kegg, the world's first 2-in-1 fertility tracking kegel ball. While strengthening the pelvic floor, Kegg also uses sensors to monitor cervical mucus and notifies the wearer when they are fertile. We speak about the biology of cervical mucus and why it's important for fertility and can be used as a measure of a woman's health. Pre-order kegg now at kegg.tech ! Rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast!
Amina Sugimoto is Founder and CEO of Fermata, a Japanese company that promotes femtech in Asia. Fermata is a multifaceted organization that has femtech fund to deploy investments, an in-person store to display femtech products, femtech fest which is a roadshow conference promoting femtech across Japan, and a marketing arm to help femtech products around the world penetrate the Japanese market. We speak about the cultural difference in Femtech and how many words for women's health do not exist in the Japanese language. Rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast!
Dr. Sophia Yen is founder and CEO of Pandia Health, a birth control delivery service. Get prescribed or have an existing prescription filled by this doctor-founded, doctor-led company. We dive into the accessibility & convenience of birth control, the different types of contraceptives on the market and the biology behind each of them.
Check out Pandia Health at www.pandiahealth.com
Rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast!
Roya Pakza is Founder and CEO of Feminade, an online concierge for women’s hormone and reproductive health based on naturopathic and holistic health. Roya was sick and tired of being sick and tired. When she realized that the pill was not the 'easy' solution for her, she decided to build a platform and at-home test to truly understand women's hormones. Feminade offers an at-home Dutch Test and online naturopathic clinicians to help women understand their beautifully complex biology and feel better. Rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast!
Crystal Evuleocha is the Co-Founder and CEO of Kliit Health, a sexual and reproductive healthcare platform coming out of Los Angeles. When Crystal immigrated to the US for college as a young woman, she had a lot of questions and only had google for answers. Kliit health empowers young women to have a safe, private, and culturally sensitive place to have all their private questions about sex and reproduction by healthcare professionals. Download her app or go to kliit.com. Rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast
Kliit Health has since changed their name is Kiira. Learn more at Kiira.com
Tony Morrison is the Founder and CEO of Motive Bio, a clinical support tool for polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS. PCOS is a major cause of infertility and takes an average of 3 years for a woman to be diagnosed. Tony and I discuss why there’s such a lag time in diagnosis and how Motive Bio can empower women to go into their physician's office prepared with data to help get diagnosed faster. I asked Tony about being a male founder in femtech and what that experience has been like. He gives some really shocking and insightful stories that really got me fired up. Rate, review, and subscribe! Tony Morrison is the Founder and CEO of Motive Bio, a clinical support tool for polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS. PCOS is a major cause of infertility and takes an average of 3 years for a woman to be diagnosed. Tony and I discuss why there’s such a lag time in diagnosis and how Motive Bio can empower women to go into their physician's office prepared with data to help get diagnosed faster. I asked Tony about being a male founder in femtech and what that experience has been like. He gives some really shocking and insightful stories that really got me fired up. Rate, review, and subscribe!
Rachel Braun Scherl is an entrepreneur, speaker, and author. She successfully built and grew Semprae Laboratories, a venture-backed women sexual wellness company. Semprae Laboratories developed topical products to help heighten women's feelings of desire and arousal. This company was successfully acquired by Innovues Pharmaceuticals in 2013. Rachel calls herself a vagipreneur and has been recognized with dozens of awards. She published her book in 2018 titled “Orgasmic Leadership: profiting from the coming surge in female health and wellness”. This was an amazing episode. I hope we have Rachel back on very soon! Rate, review, and subscribe!
Joe Connolly is the Founder and CEO of Visana Health, an app that supports women experiencing menstrual pain caused by conditions such as endometriosis. Visana Health is a startup out of Minneapolis that empowers the 15 million women with severe menstrual pain to take control of their health. The digital care program teaches clinically proven self pain-management habits and provides a list of vetted physicians who listen to patient's concerns about menstrual pain. In this episode, we talk about being a man in the femtech community, the biology of endometriosis, the social implications of not believing women when they say they are experiencing physical pain. Rate, review, and subscribe!
Dr. Lyndsey Harper is an OBGyn that felt the lack of treatment for female sexual dysfunction was unacceptable. She is now the founder and CEO of Rosy, a sexual wellness app for women. Rosy had over 20K downloads in one year and successfully closed a round of funding. Drs. Harper and Barreto explore differences in male and female sexual empowerment, media blocking femtech ads, and how decreasing sexual shame is an urgent matter. Rate, review, and subscribe!
Femtech Focus co-founder, Dr. Julie Hakim, sits down with me to discuss her love for Femtech. Julie is a pediatric gynecologist and inventor of the vaginal stent. Thanks for listening! Please rate and review!
Welcome to the Femtech Focus podcast! This is our first episode where our host Dr. Brittany Barreto tells us about what femtech is and why it's important. She gives examples of femtech companies by highlighting over a dozen of her favorites. Future episodes will include interviews with experts. Enjoy this introductory episode!
This is just a quick intro into what we are, and what we are about. Thanks for listening.