Australian medtech startup Ovum has secured $1.7 million in funding to develop an AI-powered health assistant focused on women’s health conditions like endometriosis. The round was led by impact VC Giant Leap, with participation from Antler, Wollemi Capital, Nakatomi Venture Studio, and LaunchVic’s Alice Anderson Fund, among others.
The platform integrates and stores medical information including blood tests and imaging reports, while offering interactive features for health tracking and questions. Having launched its beta version last year, Ovum is also developing what it calls the first longitudinal dataset to improve women’s health treatments and diagnostics.
“With our current health care framework, it can take 7 to 12 years to reach a diagnosis. That’s a decade of pain and frustration caused by our health system and it’s just one example of a much broader issue,” said Dr Ariella Heffernan-Marks, cofounder of Ovum and reproductive biology expert from Monash University. “Ovum is the solution to this problem. This is about using new technologies such as AI to level the playing field. Women endure complex and nuanced health conditions and they deserve a solution that directly addresses them.”
The investment will support the launch of Ovum’s AI health assistant, which will be available through a monthly subscription at approximately $180 per year. Giant Leap partner Rachel Yang highlighted the platform’s potential impact: “Ovum’s inclusive AI directly tackles the gender health data gap, addressing critical issues like under-diagnosis and delayed treatments that can cost women up to 8 days in productivity per year and significantly impact their overall quality of life.”
