This year’s GIANT Health conference is a week away and, as so many other events, is taking its program online this year. What’s exciting is that it also features an entire track dedicated to femtech and women’s health, which brings together women’s health experts from all corners of our ecosystem, who will discuss, as the title says, “What Women Want” on December 1.
We checked in with the organizers from COYA Partners to learn more and to get their thoughts on the future of our industry.
Can you tell us a little more about the event, the GIANT Health platform and the programming? Who should attend and what do you hope attendees will get out of the event?
‘What Women Want: The Renaissance of Women’s Health’ is our upcoming global and virtual Women’s Health innovation event and is, this year, part of the greater GIANT Health Festival.
For its 6th edition, GIANT is going digital. Our partnership with GIANT allows us to promote women’s health innovation in the context of the greater health tech industry. This is important as it positions women’s health as a central topic within health tech and no longer as an isolated topic in the industry.
2020 has been a year of many challenges, but also a year of innovation, solidarity and collaboration. Our ‘What Women Want’ event is a celebration of innovative and digital solutions that have been pivotal in addressing women’s needs during these difficult times.
The WHAT WOMEN WANT program consists of 4 inspiring panel sessions and unlimited networking opportunities. Pioneering founders, investors, scientists, doctors and influencers will discuss the most important topics in Women’s Health like investing, deep tech, the power of the consumer and take a look at the past year in review.
Attendees can also expect to be truly engaged and visible thanks to direct messaging and virtual meeting rooms for scheduled or impromptu meet-ups. Our attendees range from start-ups, investors, healthcare professionals to anyone from the general public interested in Women’s Health. This event is designed for those interested in discovering startups disrupting paradigms and breaking taboos, learning about dynamics and technologies disrupting women’s health, connecting with founders, investors, doctors and women’s health experts as well as influencers, exploring how to overcome challenges faced by gender and minority groups in women’s health, creating partnerships and exploring global expansion opportunities, and scoping licensing, investment and acquisition opportunities.
The name of your event is “What Women Want: The Renaissance of Women’s Health”. So let me ask you: In your opinion, what *do* women want?
We believe that there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to Women’s Health. Women want products designed with their specific needs in mind. Women experience biological and physiological changes throughout their lives and age very differently to men. They want solutions that take into account these changes. We believe women also want better access, from better access to health insurance, treatments, screening tests etc. to better access to information to make informed decisions about their health and the health of their family (as they are often their household’s “healthcare” decision makers). Women want innovation, but also transparency about their choices and their data privacy for instance.
In order to achieve this, there needs to be more funding and interest in women’s health research and more investment in women’s health solutions. Startup founders (men and women included) also want to be able to talk about ‘periods’, ‘menopause’, ‘infertility’, ‘vaginal dryness’ at an investor’s table without drawing uncomfortable looks. Breaking taboos is not only important to raise but also for girls and women around the world who still suffer from these taboos (at work, at school, etc.).
Our mission is to promote inclusiveness, change mindsets, overcome stigmas, and create a Women’s Health ecosystem that supports innovation, discovery, partnership and growth. All to help improve women’s lives.
Which trends or developments are you personally most excited about in women’s health & femtech?
There are so many! The application of the most advanced technologies, such as AI, big data analytics and genomics, will drive the Women’s Health revolution and we will see important achievements in, for instance, precision medicine, pre-natal testing, oncology and aging. Improved and less invasive treatments and screening tests such as saliva tests and liquid biopsy will also be paramount for improving health outcomes in women. In terms of disease areas, we also think menopause is going to be a big topic in 2021 – women need more options and founders are realizing this!
Our event has some of the brightest minds discussing their approach to developing technologies that improve women’s lives and we look forward to exploring trends and developments in women’s health with them!
