- We asked top venture capitalists to name the most promising women’s health startups so far in 2022.
- The result is a list of 34 companies covering everything from menopause to cardiovascular health.
- VCs were asked to name startups in their portfolios and ones with which they had no financial ties.
Last year, funding for women’s health startups exploded to an impressive $2.5 billion, about a threefold increase from the previous year, according to data from McKinsey and Rock Health. Still, a report from Silicon Valley Bank shows that less than 9% of healthcare venture capital funding is spent on women’s health startups.
“There are six femtech funds in the US, all sub-$75 million for a $1 trillion TAM,” Priya Oberoi-Cattai, a Goddess Gaia Ventures managing partner, said. “That is completely disproportionate between where you could be and where we are.” TAM, which stands for “total addressable market,” refers to the market size of an industry.
Some think the colloquial label “femtech” for women’s health startups prevents investors from seeing the potential of the space.
“Femtech makes me think of fembots,” Chrissy Farr, OMERS Ventures’ principal, said. “The space is very broad. It’s not just reproductive organs — there are cardiovascular issues. We respond to medication differently than men.”
With trailblazers like the telemedicine unicorn Maven Clinic and the family-benefits startup Cleo paving the way, a host of up-and-coming women’s health startups have cropped up, addressing everything from menopause to ovarian cancer and cardiovascular health.
Insider asked top investors to nominate the most promising women’s health startups they’d come across, both within and outside their portfolios. Here are their picks.
Estimated total funding for each startup is based on data from PitchBook unless otherwise specified.
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