International Women’s Day 2025 has us thinking about all the ways we can support moms to be the strongest and healthiest versions of themselves. Innovation for women, known as FemTech, is crucial for advancing women's health because it creates new solutions to address unique and often underserved health needs. Despite representing 51% of the world’s population, women’s health needs are still greatly underserved, particularly for women of color and minority groups. Innovation in healthcare drives better care, technologies and policies, by offering more personalized treatments, better access to care, and better outcomes for women. There is no time like the present to embrace innovation in women’s health!
Why Innovation in Women’s Health Matters
Addressing Health and Access Needs
Women's health has often been underrepresented in medical research and healthcare innovation. FemTech focuses on developing solutions tailored to the unique health challenges women face, such as menstrual health, pregnancy, menopause, reproductive health, and more. Telemedicine and tracking apps for fertility and menstrual health can help overcome social, economic, and geographical barriers, ensuring women can access care when they need it.
Closing the Gender Health Gap
Historically, medical research and healthcare have been male-centric, with limited attention given to how health issues affect women differently. Innovation helps bridge this gap by creating products and services that specifically address these differences, providing women with more accurate, effective, and accessible care.
Personalized Healthcare
FemTech often involves the use of advanced technologies like AI, data analytics, and wearables, which can provide personalized healthcare solutions. This allows for more tailored treatments and monitoring, which is essential for women who have different experiences with health conditions due to genetics, lifestyle, and other factors. These products also give women more control over their health and wellness, and help them better understand their bodies and make informed decisions about their health.
Shifting Narratives
Women's health issues have been stigmatized for so long, yet this is all changing at the speed of lightning. FemTech helps normalize these conversations, making it easier for women to seek advice and treatment without feeling embarrassed; and pushing for systemic changes in how we talk about women’s issues.
Mom-Friendly Start-Ups To Watch
Owlet
Caring for a baby is, literally, exhausting. According to reports, new parents lose up to 3 hours of sleep per night (!), and this impacts stress, fatigue and coping skills. Add to that the concerns that all parents have for their little one’s wellbeing, especially in the early months of development, and it’s no wonder that parents rank having a baby to be one of the most stressful life events. Owlet has developed a range of tech solutions for monitoring baby’s heart rate, oxygen levels and sleep patterns, to support parent’s piece of mind and infant health. owletcare.com
Origin
Did you know there is no national standard for rehabilitation after vaginal or C-section births? Pelvic floor issues will affect one in three women across their lifetime. Symptoms include painful sex, urine and stool leakage, constipation, and a heavy sensation in the pelvic area. Origin is the first dedicated health platform for online, and in-person, pelvic health support for moms and women of any age. theoriginway.com
Rosy
So much changes during pregnancy and post-partum, and the one thing that changes majorly – but everyone darts around – is sex! How much, how good, when on earth, am I normal... Women are often ashamed to bring these issues up with healthcare providers (or simply run out of consult time to have a meaningful conversation). Founder Lyndsey Harper, MD Ob/Gyn & Sex Medicine Expert, built an app to bring self-help interventions and sexual health experts together to support women experiencing low libido and other sex-related issues. meetrosy.com
Leche
To think that someone dreamt up a way to share breastmilk between total strangers, in a way that preserves all the health benefits and delivers it to your doorstep, is mind-blowing. Our friends at Leche have done just this! Leveraging food technology and human connectedness, Leche has refined a process for delivery shelf-stable breast milk to families seeking flexibility, convenience and optimal nutrition. itsmyleche.com
Why We Care About Innovating for Women
At Emulait, we love to disrupt! In the startup world, disruption means pushing boundaries and coming up with solutions to real-world problems that no one else has solved (yet!). When our founder, a veteran medtech entrepreneur, saw his wife struggle with breastfeeding he was convinced that there had to be a better way. He knew all about the potential of tech and advanced materials to transform healthcare and the lives of people with chronic illness. Why hadn’t the magic touch of innovation been applied to the baby bottle industry?
Emulait was born. Designed to mimic mom’s breast in form, feel and function, the bottle offers babies the healthiest and most natural way to feed. For moms who need to get back to work, or families who need to give their little ones supplementation because they aren’t growing on track; for moms who have medical conditions which limit breastfeeding or just the mom who wants more flexibility – Emulait allows moms to transition easily between breast and bottle, by offering their baby the next-best thing to the breast. Read more about the unique features and benefits of the Emulait feeding system on our blog.
Finally, at Emulait we believe that making life easier and healthier for women has a flow-on effect for a better society. More success for women-focused innovation will breed more innovation, healthier moms mean healthier families, and – finally, more women at the forefront brings new ways of thinking to benefit all. Happy International Women’s Day!
