Hi! Welcome to issue #71 of FutureFemHealth, here to bring you your weekly news about women’s health innovation and FemTech (w/c 30 September 2024).

🌟 Coming up today we’ve got:

🚀 Hyivy secures $2m to improve pelvic health
🧠 A new menopause brain health platform
➡️ Progyny loses Amazon as client to Maven
🔥 Expansion plans for African maternal health platform Keti AI

Got news to share from the world of FemTech and women’s health innovation? Let me know at anna@futurefemhealth.com

This week’s issue is supported by Palteq Ltd

Palteq Ltd is a marketing agency delivering rising ROAS for femtech founders and women’s health innovators.

This week’s marketing tip from founder Monica: Plan for revenue outside of Meta by building your email and focusing on deliverability.

🚀 The founder updating an 85-year-old medical device

The story of Hyivy Health as it announces a new $2m seed funding investment

Like many FemTech founders, Rachel Bartholomew set about solving a problem that she was experiencing herself.

Recovering from cervical cancer, Rachel realised there had to be a more comfortable, comprehensive and effective pelvic health rehabilitation method than the outdated static dilators currently available.

Rachel created Hyivy Health and developed ‘Floora’ the first holistic at-home device for pelvic health rehabilitation. Floora is a vaginal wand that combines multiple therapies in one while also using biosensors to monitor vital pelvic floor metrics such as sensation, tissue health, muscle control, lubrication and incontinence.

A mobile app and remote monitoring for clinicians allows for treatment plans to be completely personalised, responsive and data-driven - meaning patients are also more likely to stick to their treatment plans and see improvements too.

A $2m boost

Last week, Hyivy Health announced that it has raised $2 million in its latest seed funding round (our full story is here) led by Zcube – Zambon Research Venture, which first connected with Rachel during an accelerator program in 2020.

Hyivy has also conducted two clinical trials with leading researchers to assess the use of Floora for post-cancer patients and endometriosis patients.

CEO and Founder of Hyivy Health Rachel Bartholomew shared:

“When I founded Hyivy Health four years ago, I knew I was addressing an unmet need for women with chronic pelvic pain, but I couldn’t have imagined the overwhelmingly positive response from clinical researchers who see a multitude of opportunities in taking advantage of our technology.”

The data from Hyivy show promising and exciting results for not just the treatment of pelvic pain, but also potential diagnostic capabilities across the more than 51 conditions associated with pelvic pain that affect up to 1 in 3 women at any stage of life.

Feedback has been glowing with one OBGYN stating the system ‘is like nothing I’ve seen across my career.’

An alpha launch is now slated for the US, starting with Californa, with over 25 clinics already in the pipelines.

So, while Rachel began her journey to solve a single problem, along the way her innovation is now on the cusp of helping potentially millions of women who experience pelvic symptoms in their lifetime.

(Continue reading: FutureFemHealth)

💰 Funding, deals and investment news

A group of red and white brain models — Photo by Bhautik Patel on Unsplash

📌 US: Menopause brain health platform Prickly Pear Health secures investment from new VC Fund Bayless Ventures. During menopause, hormonal fluctuations can impact the cognitive function of the brain and mood too. Prickly Pear Health uses behavioural science, psychology and AI to offer personalised insights and actionable tips. Founder Imen Maaroufi Clark is one of four underrepresented entrepreneurs securing investment from new VC firm Bayless Ventures, which aims to drive transformative change in healthcare. (Continue reading: FutureFemHealth)

📌 US: Pomelo Care acquires the Doula Network to offer hybrid maternity care model. Doula care has been shown to improve maternity outcomes and health equity - yet estimates suggest only 6% of US women receive doula care. Following a recent Series B raise, virtual maternity care provider Pomelo Care has now acquired The Doula Network’s large national network of credentialed, in-network doulas. It expands the company’s reach to more than 15m covered lives and means Pomelo can now offer that all-important in-person care too. (Continue reading: Fierce healthcare)

🌟 More news from this week

📌 US: Amazon moves from Progyny to Maven for fertility benefits. Fertility-benefits provider Progyn’s stock has tumbled after it lost a ‘significant client’ believed to be Amazon. The client was said to be worth 13% of its revenues for 2023 and represented 670,000 members. While the client confirmed ‘no issues of concern’, a move to Maven may symbolise a desire for more holistic services since Maven already provides family-building care to Amazon. (Continue reading: Stat News (paywall) and MarketWatch)

📌 AFRICA: Maternal health platform Keti AI set to expand. Founder Dr Shamim Nabuuma has said that only 22% of patients in developing countries understand medical terminology, making healthcare navigation difficult. Shamim has developed Keti AI, an AI chatbot that interprets and explains medical records like lab tests and prescription notes, and provides educational resources. After a pilot on maternal health that served over 50,000 pregnant women across Africa, Keti AI is being deployed to an additional 108 heatlh centers. It has set an ambitious goal to help 1 million pregnant women by 2026. (Continue reading: Monitor)

📌 UK: Vision Express announces menopause training pilot. Research by eye care providers Vision Express found 3 in 10 British women over 45 feel healthcare providers do not understand menopause symptoms fully. It’s now committed to training its eye care professionals as menopause health advisors so they can support patients to learn about eye health during each life state. A pilot begins in November at 30 stores, before a full-rout out to 500 stores next year. (Continue reading: Optometry Today)

📌 US: OBGYN startup gets into group pregnancy care. Improving birth outcomes is at the heart of this new initiative from Almond ObGyn. The program provides full-service pregnancy care for a flat fee of $2,500 including group workshops and educational programs. (Continue reading: LA Business Journal)

📌 US: Bonafide Health debuts Thermella supplements for menopause symptoms. With an estimated 75% of women experiencing hot flashes as they move through menopause it’s no wonder that there’s been a focus on treatment options for relief. This latest offer from suppplement company Bonafide has shown positive results in two studies as a hormone-free, drug-free solution. (Continue reading: Ingredients Insight)

🩸 Research and women’s health news

focus photography of woman facing trees — Photo by name_ gravity on Unsplash

📌 UK: Are you heading for an anxious millenopause? Menopause has sprung into the mainstream over the last few years. But with that comes an unintended consequence: anxiety for millennials approaching this phase of life. New research from Wrapp Consulting found women are worried about how it might affect their mental health and concerned about how to access support. And here’s the opportunity for brands in this space to flip the script: because 80% of respondents said menopause information online or in the media is currently negative. (Continue reading: Women’s Health)

✅ Jobs

📌 US (LA or NYC): Community Manager, Sequel

📌 US (remote): Associate Creative Director, Copy

Thanks for reading and see you next time! If you’ve missed any previous newsletter issues catch them all at futurefemhealth.com

Anna

Before you go: Would you like to support FutureFemHealth through sponsorship and get your brand in front of 1,500+ professionals, founders and investors in women’s health? I’m taking bookings from November onwards. For more info and a copy of our media pack drop me a line: anna@futurefemhealth.com

💌 Issue 71: Updating an 85-year-old pelvic…