Rachel Eden Reich的动态

Yesterday, Flo Health Inc., a male founded and funded app, became the first women's health company to achieve unicorn status. In 2024, women's health remains predominantly controlled by men. Who are supposed to advocate for better health outcomes for women? The VC ecosystem for women and other underrepresented founders is broken. The chart below says it all. And I'm sick of waiting around for "change". So we're building a community to make it ourselves. If you want to join a community of female founders and funders (women in VC + angels) bridging the $1.7 trillion funding gap, drop your email or a comment and I'll send you details to apply. Special thank you to all of the leaders who have shared their knowledge, time, and supported us so far. Kate McAndrew Claire Biernacki Priyanka Jain Meera Clark Sallie Krawcheck Deborah Benton Nicole DeTommaso Thank you to Eva Epker for writing about this in Forbes. Full article here: https://lnkd.in/gaSPG9YJ #femtech #venturecapital #startup

Sometimes, success isn't the whole story. A women's health company Flo Health Inc. just raised $200M and became one of the few unicorns in the space. That sounds like a win, right? But not everyone agrees. Here's why some women are upset: ???????????????? ?????? ???????? and mostly led by Men: Such capital influx and valuation are exceptional, especially in women-led industries. A company founded by men, led by men and funded by men becomes first consumer WOMEN'S health app to achieve unicorn status. Awesome Women ?????????????????????? ?????? ???????????????? ????????: Female-led communities like Women Who Code have recently shut down. These communities are essential—they provide mentorship, resources, and a sense of belonging for women in tech. Losing them feels like a step back. So, while the $200M raise is impressive, it highlights a broader issue: we need more inclusive, supportive environments for women in tech and business. To truly celebrate success, let's ensure more women have the chance to become unicorns, and importantly, let’s keep the communities that support them alive. Together, we rise. #womenintech?#ai?#community?#unicorns?#womensupportwomen

Who else uses Flo? What app is run by women for tracking periods? Let's talk about solutions and how we can as women redirect the capital to women.... please share the apps run by women you are using for women's health in the comments.

This week, I had the incredible opportunity to hear Ludovica Castiglia share a sneak peek of her new research on gender #fundingdisparities in femtech, and her insights have really resonated with me! In the world of #femtech, it’s startling to see that women-founded ventures raise less capital per deal than their male-founded counterparts. Flo Health recently brought this disparity into the spotlight becoming the latest femtech unicorn but facing backlash for being led and primarily funded by men. What struck me the most in these findings was the evidence of confirmation bias in our industry. #Femalefounders are often viewed as socially motivated, while male founders are assumed to be profit-driven. This means that when a woman engages in social advocacy, her startup might be seen as less financially promising, which can seriously impact funding. Ludovica referred to this phenomenon as the "Cassandra curse," a fitting metaphor drawn from Greek mythology about being ignored despite having foresight. It really highlights how the lived experiences and insights women bring to femtech can be undervalued. Can women in femtech really wear both hats of advocate and entrepreneur?Personally, I find that balancing the two feels completely natural in this space. However, if the route to securing funding means hiding #socialimpact, it raises important questions about how we present our missions. Interestingly, Ludovica pointed out that if a company is in a space that has substantial media attention—such as menopause—the biases against female-led ventures can diminish. This really underscores the vital role that #PR plays—not just for visibility, but for reshaping narratives, bridging #fundinggaps, and driving the support that femtech founders and their game-changing ideas absolutely deserve. Thank you Brittany Barreto, Ph.D. and FemHealth Insights for organising this event!

Did you know that less than 2% of funding capital in the U.S. is allocated to women entrepreneurs? We are in #LATechWeek to bridge this gap between investors and founders, geared specifically for women by women! No Pressure Networking is on a mission to foster connections, share insights, and drive investment toward the incredible women-led ventures shaping the future. ?? ?? We would like to share a big thank you to our sponsor, GoGoMeds, for supporting this critical cause! GoGoMeds provides fast and accurate access to portable medications backed by a dedicated team of experts. Our digital pharmacy makes getting a hold of low-cost, generic medications simple and stress-free for employers, patients, and their pets. #LATechWeek #zant #WomenInBusiness #GoGoMeds #Entrepreneurship

It's so exciting that a "femtech" company raised $200M, and is now a unicorn. But I am among the many women who feel this is bittersweet. ?? The founders, CEO, CTO, CPO, President, and the Managing Director are MEN--that's (likely) almost the full cap table. For a women's health company. ?? I love men and love men who support women, and women's health! But there are so many female founders out there, including me ;), building the companies WE need. As Halle Tecco, MPH, MBA says, "It's past time for change. We need more women-led companies in women's health, and investors who recognize their value.” I've had a lot of men inform me ?? that something exactly like my current company exists (no). I've had men inform me our services are not needed ??. With one exception, all my male doctors for a decade told me my very real health issues were in my head ?? . I am grateful that I've built an amazing career and that my Co-Founder and I can self-fund (or angel ourselves, haha), but I remember my first startup struggles of being taken seriously by male investors. I'm over it. I'm all about a new paradigm for women's health. As women, let's support each other, because most of us are experiencing--or going to experience--the issues female founders are trying to solve. #womenshealth #newparadigm #holistichealth #functionalhealth #functionalmedicine #femalefounder #womenshealthcompany #femtech #womenentrepreneurs #womenfounder

Female founders have 63% higher multiples on invested capital and generate 78 cents in revenue per dollar, compared to men’s 31 cents. On International Women’s Day and every day, the disparities in financing are too blatant to ignore. Less than 2% of VC funding goes to female founders, in spite of how much better their returns are. However, with a male cofounder, that numbers shoots up to ~16%—blatant bias. On this note, I had the pleasure of attending the Women Driving Innovation conference in Dallas today. (Thank you to BioNTX for this wonderful event.) Here, Gina Ford talks about this concept of the “Broken Ladder,” showing these biases extend beyond startups. Considering how many incredible female founders I know, I find this a painful destruction of value. People ask me how women’s health is so underfunded—I have no answers other than outright sexism. The data robustly showcases this discrepancy. Why do people not want to make money funding women? Today and every day, may we all buy from, fund, and listen to women—the returns both personally and professionally will be far more than worth it.

?? I'm baffled by this VC trend *Edited to add more startups* What's up with ?????? being given to male founding teams designing femhealth products? Like there aren't enough female founders to invest in? Especially female founders who "eat their own dogfood". WTF? According to CB Insights, femtech markets like?virtual & hybrid women's healthcare?and?menopause care are (finally) getting some VC interest. This "trend" has been centuries in the making. And, as far as I know, this still hasn't translated in a more meaningful way into female-founded femtech startups getting $$. We need to change it. And talk about it. And tell others about it. All of it! Here's a list of companies making moves in the space. Who am I missing? Kindbody Mira Grip (now Hertility) twig Gaia Alife MakeLoveNotPorn Rosy Wellness Elvie Carrot Fertility Joylux, Inc Bloomlife Inc Flo Health Inc.Allara Calla Health Foundation LactApp Maven Clinic FemHealth Insights Rael SimpliFed Pelihealth LunaJoy Health Myri Health (Techstars '23) (CB Insights post about this in comments). #femalefounder #femhealth #femtech

I've seen a lot of discussion about Flo Health Inc.'s achievment in beoming a unicorn. Here's my two cents: Without a doubt it's a milestone that needs to be celebrated. For far too long this critical area has been under-researched, underfunded, and underestimated. Flo's success demonstrates just how much potential there is when we focus on issues that truly matter!!!! However, the one thing that we can't ignore is that the founding team of an app designed for women consists solely of men. I'm not taking the credit away from the incredible women within Flo who have worked tirelessly to get them to where they are. BUT it highlights a deeper issue in our society—women often aren't trusted to lead, even when it comes to issues directly affecting them. The numbers speak for themselves: 70% of femtech founders are women, yet they receive only half the funding of their male counterparts ($4.6 million compared to $9.2 million) A harsh reminder of the systemic biases women face in the business world. So we should celebrate Flo's achievements, but it's SOOOO important to reflect on what more we can do to lift women in this space. We need to champion female founders, fund their ventures, and encourage their leadership. It's not just about fairness - it's about harnessing the full potential of brilliant minds who are often overlooked. And hopefully we'll continue to see female founded companies enact change, and break barriers like Flo!

?? Together, we change the future — one powerful woman at a time. ?? Are you joining us!? ?? ?? The debate of Flo Health Inc. vs Clue took off recently. ?? But, the convo has evolved. ?? It's now a broader discussion on if and how women have it harder than men. Spoiler alert: We know we do. “I think [ this debate ] shines a bright light on the fact that female founders do have it harder to raise or gain traction,” Insam says. “I don’t think we should discriminate against Flo because of their male founding team, but I think this debate highlights the bias women can face in business, and should encourage us to be mindful of how to counteract these going forward.” So, here's what we're gonna do ?? ? Recognise that, yes, there is a systemic bias that existed long before many of us were even born. ? Acknowledge that successful startups are not only about big fat raises and valuations; but about the value the startup brings to the world. Remind your peers about that when we evaluate success. ? Actively encourage females to believe in themselves and start businesses. Gas up your friends and family members to bet on themselves. ? Invest in female founders. Create female focused funds, be conscious of the bias in pitching rooms, and actively choose women. ? Educate females on where bias will happen during a fundraise, and how to counteract this. Help her 'play the game' ? Mentor females who are founders. Help her wherever you can. ? Celebrate females who are founders. ?? What would you add to the list? ?? ?? Tag a female founder in the comments you want to celebrate and remind her she has an army of support!! ?? Amelia Isaacs of Digital Frontier talks to me, Cindy Gallop, Ida Tin, Sarah Bolt and Fernanda Dobal ?? about the Flo Health Inc. fundraise and what it means for female femtech founders: https://lnkd.in/dXPk_-mm #WomenEmpowerWomen #FundFemaleFounders ----- Follow me, Anna Maria Insam ?? on my journey as the founder of KLEO Health. We are building a digital health & wellbeing assistant to empower individuals in their bodies. I am sharing my wins, learnings and observations about healthcare, wellbeing and venture building.