Every Monday we share a quick “best of” from the week that was with our Inner Circle members. What’s trending in the Femtech Insider community and beyond? We’ve got you covered! In this week's brief we talk about Ovarian Health & Biology, plus...
- Upcoming Event: Femtech In the Middle East
- Chatter from the Femtech-verse: Emerging VCs 💗Women's Health & On Humans and Sustainability
- Startup Spotlight: NextGen SexEd, Value-based Care for Underserved Communites & Wellness meets VR 🌟
- And more!
All Eyes on Ovarian Health & Biology
Ovarian biology is getting quite a bit of attention lately. And rightfully so given the large potential impact innovation in this space can have on the lives of literally every single woman on this planet.
So it truly is about time we spend some time on ovarian health, share an overview and some insights into the space with you!
Up for it? Yes? Let’s dive in!
Just recently a couple of biotech companies made the news:
- Celmatix, Evotec & Bayer hit another milestone in their quest to develop a first-in-class drug for PCOS
- Organon acquired Forendo Pharma, a biotech company targeting PCOS & endometriosis
- Gameto raised $23M to address menopause & infertility with reprogrammed ovarian cells
- Oviva CEO Dr. Daisy Robinton spoke at UCLA about her company’s ambition to slow women’s aging by extending ovulation
Longevity, Menopause, PCOS, endometriosis. While at first glance these announcement might seem somewhat disconnected, they all have one thing in common: The companies mentioned are interested in the ovary not just as a reproductive organ, but are exploring its role as a “hormonal command center”, that can affect change throughout a women’s body, which imho is pretty exciting.
Curious? Read the full post on our blog!
#TalkingPoints: Chatter from the Femtech-verse
👉 Goddess Gaia Ventures: Why the UK Needs a £100M Venture Fund Dedicated to Women's Health
Scoop: Women's Health is having a moment in Europe and emerging fund managers are paying attention! Currently there are 5 (and probably more that we're not aware of...) emerging VCs fundraising with a thesis focused around women's health in Europe. Exciting times!
Scoop: Last week Modibodi released its first line of biodegradable period & pee proof underwear. An achievement to celebrate for sure! What got us talking though is the question: Do we need better products or a better attitude as consumers? Or both?
Here's what triggered this discussion: "To biodegrade menstruators need to cut off the elastics and discard them with landfill waste where microorganisms will break it down under anerobic conditions. The main body of the pant can be buried in active soil, which is full of natural microorganisms, bugs and bacteria, that will break it down into nature."
Reactions: "Oh wow. That seems like a lot of effort." and "Where would I bury the main body? In Central Park?"
And this got us thinking: Are better, more sustainable products enough? Or is what we really need the realization that "saving our planet" takes effort and will require us to get uncomfortable and "do the work"?
No answer there.. Just some food for thought... 🌱
What to Expect in Neuroscience, Genetics, Longevity, Biotech, and Psychedelics in 2022 🔮
You thought we were done with all the 2021 reviews and 2022 predictions. Well... You thought wrong and we can't help but share this recent piece full of thoughts on the "neobiological revolution in 2022" by Jane Metcalfe (see her 2017 TED Talk on the topic here) with you!
"Since 2022 started out with one of the biggest headlines of recent years—that a surgical team transplanted a genetically engineered pig heart into a living person—we can be forgiven, perhaps, for expecting that there will be many more astonishing things to happen on the neobiological frontier in the coming 12 months. So what will they be? We turned to some of the visionaries and innovators who normally help us see deeply into the future and asked them to make some predictions about the next 11 months.
Our question was simple: What is the most exciting, impactful, or scary development you’re anticipating in 2022 in your field? "
Jane Metcalfe asked and many answered. And if you're curious, you can head on over to Neo.Life, one of our favorite blogs by the way, to read the whole article!
Startup Spotlight! 🌟
Wanna know which startups get us excited these days? Below are a few of our recent (femtech-healthtech-ish) discoveries!
👉 Luna is on a mission to educate, empower and support girls and non-binary people aged 11-16 on their journey to adulthood with all things skin, hormones, periods, nutrition, sleep and more.
(We mentioned Luna last week when we spoke about pediatric innovation, but the link didn't work 🙅♀️, so we're featuring them again today. Thanks everyone who reached out to let us know!)
👉 Yuvo Health wants to make value-based care delivery easier for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in the U.S. aka Community Health Centers by reducing the administrative burden associated with value-based care contracts.
👉 Toronto-based meditation studio Hoame "went VR" last week and has some interesting ideas about "hybrid wellness & community in the Metaverse". One to watch as they start to compete with companies like TRIPP, who are amond the pioneers in VR-based DTx.
Know of a company that should be on our radar? Let us know!
Tweet of the Week!
