Author page: Femtech Insider

What’s New in Femtech This Week? (May 18, 2023)

Every Thursday we send out a curated newsletter on all things femtech and women’s health innovation. This is an excerpt from the latest edition. If you’d like to subscribe, you can do so at the bottom of this page. Highlights Caregiving startup Wellthy adds $25.5M; acquires end-of-life support platform Lantern. Kallyope receives $8.3M from the Gates Foundation to identify novel interventions for undernourished infants and pregnant women. Ireland-based Amara Therapeutics adds €3M to evolve…

BNY Mellon Launches New Women’s Opportunities ETF That Invests in Companies Advancing Gender Equality at Home and at Work

BNY Mellon Investment Management, an asset management firm with $1.9 trillion in assets under management is launching the BNY Mellon Women’s Opportunities ETF (ticker: BKWO) today. Listed on Nasdaq, the ETF is sub-advised by Newton Investment Management North America, a BNY Mellon investment firm and aa equity and multi-asset manager. “This addition to our growing suite of ETFs provides investors with access to Newton’s…

Fertility Startup Alife Releases Its First B2C Product: An IVF App for Patients

When Alife Health announced its $22M Series A last year, the company was focused on Stim Assist, the company’s first AI-enabled B2B product. Stim Assist, is used during the ovarian stimulation process, in which a patient receives an injection of medications to induce the ovaries to generate mature eggs. This stimulation allows clinicians to retrieve the eggs from the patient so they…

Kallyope Receives $8.3M from the Gates Foundation to Identify Novel Interventions for Undernourished Infants and Pregnant Women

Kallyope is a clinical stage biotechnology company that is leveraging its proprietary Klarity therapeutic platform to discover and develop novel, oral small-molecule therapeutics in areas with high unmet medical need, including diabetes and obesity, gastrointestinal disease, and neurological disorders. Kallyope focuses on the gut-brain axis, a bi-directional communication between the gastrointestinal tract and the brain. Recent research has suggested that this communication…

FDA Approves Astellas’ VEOZAH for the Treatment of Hot Flashes During Menopause

We last spoke about Astellas Pharma in February, when the company made headlines with its menopause ad that ran during the Superbowl LVII in the US. The ad focused on vasomotor symptoms (VMS), which are hot flashes and night sweats associated with menopause. Now the company is back with more news regarding its efforts in the menopause space as the FDA has…

Longevity Startup InsideTracker Launches Women’s Healthspan Extension With New Female Biomarker Analysis

InsideTracker, a personal health analysis and data-driven wellness guide that helps people increase their healthspan and live healthier longer, announced that the company’s popular Ultimate Plan will now provide female users with analysis and optimization guidance for three new biomarkers pivotal to increasing women’s healthspan and navigating menopause. Founded in 2009 and created by experts in the fields of aging, genetics, and biometric data,…

ŌURA Doubles Down on Privacy and Plans to Expand Beyond Health with Its Acquisition of Digital ID Startup Proxy

Smart Ring Maker ŌURA is doubling down on privacy and acquiring stealth-mode startup Proxy, who has developed digital identity signal technology that can be stored on mobile devices and replaces the multitude of keys, cards, badges, apps, and passwords to enhance data privacy in an increasingly decentralized world. The all-equity deal valued Proxy at $165M according to reporting by Bloomberg; the Proxy team, including…

Menopause Platform Gennev Partners with LifeStance to Expand Its Mental Health Offering

We last talked about menopause startup Gennev last October when menopause startup Gennev was acquired by Unified Women’s Health, a company that operated, affiliates, and invests in women’s health businesses. Now the company is back with some partnership news as it expands the scope of is platform. During perimenopause and menopause, women often experience emotional health challenges, including depression and anxiety. Recognizing…