7 women pioneers changing the future of feminine health, and what we can learn from them

06/17/22 • 13 min

Hi everyone! Doone here - your host and hype girl. Thanks for tuning in to my solo episode this week. I’m recording this from my little hotel room in sunny New York city and I’m feeling so grateful to be in this beautiful city. Today, I want to dive into a topic that I know is going to be relevant for every single one of you listening in. And that’s the topic of female health. Women have been underserved by the healthcare industry for a really damn long time. But now finally, with more women in STEM, and more female entrepreneurial disrupters, the future of femtech is looking bright.

Firstly, we learn from Dr. Amy Divaraniya, the founder of Oova, an incredibly innovative women’s health company. Amy has more than 10 years of experience as a data scientist and has both led and published original research in the areas of personal genomics and biomarker discovery.

Next, I introduce Nadya Okamoto from August. Or you might know her better as the “period girl”. August is the lifestyle period brand that makes sustainable period care that actually works. And Nadya is one of those women that is impossible not to be impressed by and excited about. She’s a Harvard grad, author, speaker, NGO founder, gen z marketing agency founder and now august as well as a TikToker that’s grown to 2.4 million followers.

Thirdly, I dive into the story of Bethany Edwards and her creation Lia, the world’s first flushable pregnancy test. Lia is an earth-friendly healthcare company on a mission to revolutionize reproductive health through the development of innovative products. The company's first product, which came to market just last year, is the FDA cleared Lia pregnancy test.

Next I’m introducing you to Alexandra Fine, a real favourite from the show, and one of the women behind Dame. Dame is leading a sexual wellness revolution as a women-powered resource for game-changing products for pleasure and supportive content.

Our fifth story is that of Krystal Duhaney the Founder of Milky Mama. After having her second child and returning to work, Krystal struggled with her milk supply and realized that there were very few resources for breastfeeding mothers in the same predicament. So, in November of 2015, Milky Mama was born. Today, Milky Mama is dedicated to educating, supporting and empowering parents to have the best breastfeeding journey possible.

I next introduce you to another woman modernizing sustainable period care, Cherie Hoeger with Saalt. In 2018, Saalt launched its flagship product—the Saalt period cup—with the vision of making cleaner, more sustainable period care accessible to everyone.

Last but not least, I want to shine a light on Sally Mueller and her company Womaness. Womaness is a collection of modern, innovative menopause products developed for women, by women that offer solutions from head to toe, and everything in between.

These are all stories that have really stuck with me in the last year, an incredible little bank of inspiration, and if I can pass that feeling onto even just one of you today that’s a mission very much accomplished. Let’s get straight to it! This is me, for Female Startup Club.

LINKS WE MENTION:

Amy’s Instagram

Oova’s Instagram

Nadya’s Instagram

August’s Instagram

Bethany’s Instagram

Lia’s Instagram

Alexandra’s Instagram

Dame’s Instagram

Krystal’s Instagram

Milky Mama’s Instagram

Cherie’s Instagram