SHOW ME THE MONEY? Not if you're a woman in HealthTech.

Less than 2% of VC dollars go to women-led healthcare companies—and even fewer to women’s health solutions.

I spoke with Mayra Hurtado, CEO of Prelude Health, who’s scaled her menopause testing startup internationally. 

But like so many underrepresented founders, she’s still fighting for investor attention, burning time and energy trying to explain her impact to the wrong rooms.

Here’s what most founders don’t hear enough:

It’s not your pitch—it’s the positioning.

And you don’t need to fix yourself—you need a GPS for a system that was never built for you.

This episode is your wake-up call if:

• You’re stuck in the endless pitch cycle
• You’ve got traction, but investors still don’t “get it”
• You’re overextended, doing everything, and seeing little progress

Let’s stop asking for permission and start building stages designed for us. It’s not about working harder—it’s about aligning smarter.

What You’ll Learn

• Why brilliant products and polished pitches still don’t close funding
• The hidden roadblocks women and underrepresented founders face in healthcare
• How to position your innovation in a system designed to overlook you
• What “strategic alignment” really means—and how to use it to scale faster
• The story behind the creation of the HealthTech Showdown and why it matters

Timestamps:

00:00:00 - VC Funding Gap: Building Your Own Stage

00:02:11 - Founder Story: Wake Up Call

00:05:37 - Founder Story: Pitch Misalignment

00:09:14 - Four Hidden Struggles for Underrepresented Founders

00:13:41 - Systemic Bias resulting to the Network Gap

00:14:51 - Strategy #1: Strategic Positioning for Funding and Growth

00:16:57 - Aspivix Case Study: Tailoring the Pitch to the Audience

00:19:09 - Strategy #2: Having Dialogue with Investors

00:19:43 - Strategy #3: Create a Understandable Framework

00:20:49 - HealthTech Showdown: A Strategic Alternative to Traditional Pitching

00:25:58 - Practical Steps for Founders to Succeed

00:28:37 - HealthTech Showdown workshop: Mayra’s Testimonial

𝑶𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝑬𝒑𝒊𝒔𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑾𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝑬𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚:

• Ep 125: The Hidden Battle Every HealthTech Innovator Must Fight

Why your idea alone isn’t enough—real talk on strategic fit, market entry, and surviving gatekeepers.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/you-fighting-right-battles-your-healthtech-journey-sabrina-8nv2c/?trackingId=cWqIOVqXQ5uoY15umVU%2Frw%3D%3D

• Ep 148: Your Tech Isn’t Failing—Your Compliance Strategy Is

A deep dive into what happens after the pitch—how founders fail or succeed based on team alignment and integration strategy.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ e148-why-investors-dont-get-your-pitch-and-how-to-fix/id1520028468?i=1000701186098 

• Ep 16 with Uwe Dockhorn: create your ultimate anti burnout strategy for your family's sake https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/create-your-ultimate-anti-burnout-system-for-your-loved/id1520028468?i=1000642471571 

• E140 | The Rise of FemTech: Breaking Barrier From Lab To Market https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/e140-the-rise-of-femtech-breaking-barrier-from-lab-to-market/id1520028468?i=1000686741508 

Resources Mentioned:

• Apply to pitch on HealthTech Showdown: PulsePointPath.com/Showdown
• Impact Quotient Quiz: Are you scaling impact or just staying busy? ImpactQuotientQuiz.com

Listen 🔊to this episode now and Subscribe to the Provider’s Edge to never miss an episode❗

🎧 SabrinaRunbeck.com/Podcast 

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