FemTech Focus

In today’s episode, I interview Maria Velissaris, the founding general partner of Steelsky ventures. Steelsky is one of only 6 femtech specific venture funds. Their thesis is driven by their belief that women’s healthcare is a global market opportunity in the nascent stage that is primed for exponential growth. They invest across several verticals in women’s health including medical devices, consumer health, digital health, new healthcare delivery models, ePharmacy, and retail therapeutics. As a femtech investor myself it was great to speak with another woman on the same mission. To be considered for investment, submit your startup information at www.steelskyventures.com. Enjoy the episode!

In today’s episode, I interview Claire Coder the Chief Estrogen Officer (CEO) and Founder of Aunt Flow. Aunt Flow is making the world better for people with periods. Aunt Flow is the first full-solution to help businesses and schools stock their bathrooms with freely accessible tampons and pads. Their free-vend, wall-mounted dispenser allows companies to provide 100% organic cotton menstrual products at no charge to their employees, students, and guests. So no more quarters! No more giant metal boxes! No more low quality menstrual products! tampons! Please be sure to visit their website at www.goauntflow.com. Enjoy the episode!

In today’s episode, I interview Isharna Walsh, the CEO, and founder of Coral. Coral is a venture-backed app that shows you how to have your best sex life through personalized lessons, guided exercises, real stories, and more. Coral is here to challenge sexual complacency and wake people up to the wonders of investing in their sex life - because sexuality is an integral part of happiness, health, and identity. Coral is an app that facilitates sexual education, acceptance, and connection, to improve happiness and impact lives, relationships, and society. The founder, Isharna Walsh is an investor turned founder. At one point she was even the Economic Advisor to the Australian Prime Minister and Cabinet. She is a global woman who was born and educated in Australia but has also lived in Indonesia, Italy, Sri Lanka, and the US. Over 300K individuals and couples have used Coral’s science-based app to learn and play their way to less stress, better sex, and deeper intimacy. Learn more at www.getcoral.app. Our listeners get a 20% membership discount. Go to www.trycoral.app/podcast and get 20% off your membership. Enjoy the episode!

In today’s episode, I interview Joni Hanson Davis the CEO of Beli. Beli is a prenatal vitamin system designed to help women, men, and babies reach their full potential from day one. Together, Beli for Women and Beli for Men is a winning combination to help increase chances for conception and a healthy baby. Beli for Women offers nutrient-rocking supplements that nourish the female body from preconception to increase chances of fertility, once pregnancy occurs to boost energy and comfort, and post-birth when a woman’s body is recovering. Our listeners get a special discount. Go to www.BeliBaby.com and use promo code Femtech15 for 15% off your order. Enjoy the episode!

In today’s episode, I interview Cheryl Campos the head of venture growth and partnership at Republic. Republic is a private investing platform. Republic curates private investment opportunities with high-growth potential across startups, gaming, real estate, and crypto. Investing in startups was previously available to only the wealthiest 3% of the US population. With Republic, everyone both accredited and non-accredited individuals can invest in private startups for a chance to own equity and hopefully a future return. Republic gives people the power to invest in the future they believe in by providing access to investment opportunities. Focused on creating a diverse, sustainable, connected world, Republic has facilitated over $250 million in investments from over one million global community members. In this interview, we review some very successful femtech deals that fundraised using Republic and discuss why we think crowdfunding could be the right choice for many women’s health consumer products and services. Enjoy the episode!

In today’s episode, I interview Rory Staton, the Founder and CEO of Aila Health. Aila Health is tackling autoimmunity. They are on a mission to improve the healthcare experience for autoimmune patients which are disproportionately female. Aila Health uses data to bring the "invisible" into view, to support shared decision-making with a care team that listens to the patient, and to develop a personalized care plan that works for the patient’s life. Aila empowers its users to understand & manage their symptoms with online education, supportive communities & expert care from their board-certified doctors. To learn more visit www.ailahealth.com Enjoy the episode!

In today’s episode, I interview Dr. Fazila Seker co-founder and CEO of MOLLI Surgical. MOLLI Surgical has developed a device that creates a better treatment journey for breast cancer patients. The device is a cutting-edge magnetic technology that shows surgeons where to remove tissue inside the breast, either a lumpectomy to test for cancer or to remove a cancerous mass. The current procedure is called a wire-guided excision biopsy which includes putting a thin wire into the breast tissue to show a surgeon the exact area to remove. The other end of the wire hangs outside the body and is taped to the woman’s side for up to 1 day before surgery. MOLLI on the other hand is a small magnetic bullet that is inserted into the breast into the target surgical site. No wires are hanging outside the body and there's no rush into surgery within the next 24 hours. The radioactive seed also helps surgeons remove lesions more efficiently and accurately. MOLLI is approved for use in Canada and the US. Fazila hosts a weekly Facebook Live show called “Breast Practices” where experts and patients discuss topics in patient-centered care. Learn more about MOLLI and check out the show breast practices at mollisurgical.com. Enjoy the interview!

In today’s episode, I interview Megan Pearson the Founder and Executive Director of PCOS Awareness Association. PCOS Awareness Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advocacy of polycystic ovarian syndrome or PCOS. The organization and its volunteers are dedicated to raising the awareness of this disorder worldwide, providing educational and support services to help people understand what the disorder is and how it can be treated. The Association also provides support for people diagnosed with PCOS to help them overcome the syndrome and decrease the impact of its associated health problems. Public awareness of PCOS is necessary because although 10M people are affected, over half of them are unaware of it. Awareness helps the public understand that symptoms like irregular periods and pelvic pain are not something to be ignored and getting it checked is necessary. While there is no cure for PCOS, there are treatments that can help ease the stress and complications of specific symptoms. The exact cause is unknown, but it is considered a hormonal problem. Genetics and environmental factors are believed to be involved in the development of PCOS. It is a leading cause of female infertility and is responsible for a number of symptoms that can affect the body physically and emotionally. Despite the name, many people do not have cysts on their ovaries. The hormones involved in PCOS include androgens, insulin, and progesterone. This was a fascinating interview and I'm sure you’ll love it. Enjoy!

In today’s episode, I interview Alyx Coble-Frakes, the CEO and Co-founder of The Agenda Period. The Agenda Period is a new type of period tracker that tells, you based on your menstrual cycle, what kind of work you should be doing. The idea is that today’s work life is based on a 24-hour cycle, which is the hormonal cycle of males. Females have an approximately 28-day cycle. Depending on which of the 4 menstrual phases a female is in, certain tasks should be performed. Such as pitching your startup while ovulating and cleaning out your inbox while bleeding. Download their app for free on the App Store. If you’d like their physical agenda book, go to TheAgendaPeriod.com and use promo code AGENDA10 for 10% off your order.

In today’s episode, I interview Marina Pavlovic Rivas CEO and Co-founder of Eli Health. Eli Health enables women to take control of their health across their lives, by providing them with powerful information on their daily hormone profile. They are creating a small at-home device to monitor hormones in your saliva on a daily basis. This data then syncs with their app to provide personalized insights into your daily hormone fluctuations. With this powerful information, users know their precise fertile days which is useful for couples who want to conceive and women who want a safe contraceptive method that’s hormone-free and non-invasive. The long-term mission goes beyond fertility and contraception. Hormones are at the very root of women’s health for diet, mental health, bone health, you name it! Yet, no solution allows for daily monitoring of the fluctuations of multiple hormones over many years. This lack of data has led to women’s health needs being poorly understood and thus poorly addressed. Learn more at https://www.eli.health