Healthcare incubator and innovation hub MATTER, alongside Astellas Pharma US, Walgreens, BayCare, Parkview Health, University of Chicago Medicine and Capita3 has selected 11 startups who are joining the inaugural cohort of 51 Labs, the new women’s health accelerator program.
Matter announced its new 51 Labs program only a few weeks ago with the goal to address the gap in women’s health innovation with these year’s focus being on menopause. From a pool of dozens of applications spanning 5 continents, 7 countries and 18 U.S. cities, a review panel of subject matter experts and industry leaders narrowed the cohort to 11 startups: Alloy Health, Amira, Libbie Health, Liv Labs, Madorra, MyMenopauseRx, Patient Orator, Plenapausa, Renalis Health, Snippa and Thermaband.
The cohort will participate in a curated 12-week accelerator with custom curriculum including a 21-day intensive module called Leader Launch, a program led and created by Capita3, designed to transform startup founders into top CEOs who go on to accomplish significant company milestones. Following the Leader Launch module, the cohort will participate in workshops, industry roundtables and cross-industry mentor sessions focused on four key areas of building their business: go-to-market strategy, product-market fit, fundraising and presentation and selling skills.
Throughout the accelerator, the cohort will receive guidance from lead mentors Pamela York, co-founder and managing partner of Capita3, Delphine O’Rourke, leader of Goodwin’s women’s health and wellness industry practice, and Jennifer Fried, lead investor at Portfolia’s FemTech Fund. The program will culminate in a final showcase at MATTER on March 2, 2023, where the startups will pitch their solutions to the MATTER community, Astellas, Walgreens, BayCare, Parkview, University of Chicago Medicine, Capita3 and Portfolia Femtech Fund among other key industry stakeholders. More information on the final showcase to come.
Meet the Startups!
Alloy Women’s Health — New York, New York
Alloy Women’s Health is revolutionizing the way women age, beginning with the symptoms of menopause. They provide access to NAMS-certified doctors, expert-vetted content and evidence-based solutions, all through their easy-to-use digital platform and their online pharmacy. No need to leave your home or make the search for solutions a full-time job. They believe women over 40 deserve to feel fantastic and are giving them the tools to do so.
Amira — Somerville, Massachusetts
Amira, formerly AuraBlue, is a menopause+ care platform leveraging wearable tech and AI, launching with an automated precision hot flash relief service that keeps women sleeping through their nighttime hot flashes.
Libbie Health — Brooklyn, New York
Libbie Health was formed to address disparities in mental healthcare. They believe that behavioral health solutions should approach care from an intersectional lens, taking into account the different dimensions that influence a person’s identity and impact their wellbeing. They’re building Libbie, a mental wellness chatbot and self-care app that offers personalized support to help women of color relieve anxiety and stress, track moods and build self-care habits.
Liv Labs — Chicago, Illinois
Twenty-nine million American women worry about leaking pee in public. Liv Labs is making a simple medical device to keep them dry at the gym and adaptive exercise software to restore natural continence.
Madorra — Portland, Oregon
Madorra is developing devices to replace pharmaceuticals with better, safer solutions for unmet needs in women’s health. Madorra’s first product is a revolutionary treatment for vaginal atrophy with FDA Breakthrough designation.
MyMenopauseRx — Wheaton, Illinois
MyMenopauseRx is a women’s healthcare company and developer of the only online doctor’s office devoted to treating the unique healthcare needs of women in perimenopause and menopause anchored by in-person gynecology clinics. The company’s value-based, hybrid approach to women’s healthcare improves access to certified menopause practitioners and women’s healthcare specialists who leverage health education, lifestyle coaching, supplements, lab testing and prescription treatments to create personalized evidence-based treatment plans for healthy aging.
Patient Orator — Harrison, New York
Patient Orator is a digital health hub for shared decision-making between individuals and their care teams, providing effective communication tools so that people can thrive in their health journeys.
Plenapausa — Sao Paulo, Brazil
Plenapausa provides support and empowerment for women+ during menopausal transition. Plenapausa is the first femtech in Brazil to address menopause care through four pillars: information, dialogue Circle, products and customized journeys.
Renalis Health — Cleveland, Ohio
Renalis treats chronic, expensive and stigmatized conditions below the belt (pelvic health disorders) in women+ with easy-to-use, clinically-proven digital therapeutics. By doing so, Renalis solves a void in the market for accessible solutions for first-line therapy for the 33 million+ people struggling with these disorders. Renalis’ novel platform removes barriers to equity and access to treatment, saving providers and patients time, improving outcomes and reducing healthcare costs.
Snippa — Annapolis, Maryland
Snippa revolutionizes the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic UTIs as well as STIs, combining a prompt telehealth visit to address symptoms immediately with at-home specimen collection. Expedited shipping back to their lab and provider follow-up for definitive care closes the loop for expert and targeted therapy and prevention. Snippa integrates the most up-to-date testing modality, detecting minute quantities of bacterial genetic material with traditional urine culture and sensitivity so that patients can be treated quickly and correctly, the first time.
Thermaband — Miami, Florida
Thermaband is a health tech company that provides thermal comfort through a temperature regulating bracelet and connected companion app with digital menopausal-related health insights. Backed by Google, Flybridge and Blue Collective VC, among others, Thermaband has been featured in Forbes and Cosmopolitan, has a community of over 60K women and has raised over $1.5M.
