"When I think about the future of FemTech, I'm very hopeful" | Reflections from Decoding the Future of Women 2024

A mind-bending two days with the team from FemTech Lab

"When I think about the future of FemTech, I'm very hopeful" - Ida Tin

My brain is buzzing from ideas and inspiration after two days at London’s Decoding the Future of Women conference, run by the team at the FemTech Lab.

Most poignantly we heard from Ida Tin, who created the term FemTech in 2016. Ida spoke about female health living in a shadow area of culture and that we can only fill gaps once they are visible in culture. We can all play a role in bringing the female body out of the shadows.

A lot to reflect on but here are eight initial takeaways:

⭐ This work is so important! From MyBliss’s condoms designed with women in mind, to the culturally relevant cycle tracker ‘Poka’ for African women, through to Dr Stasa Stankovic’s research on what our genes can tell us about our age of menopause. There are so many important innovations happening right now.

⭐ “Women should be able to effortlessly live longer and better lives because of the data at their fingertips” - a panel on preventative health and medicine 3.0 highlighted the role of FemTech in giving women the tools to look after themselves. I love this ambition.

⭐ ”Every decision we make today will have a drastic impact on the world tomorrow” Ultraviolet’s Anna Butterworth helped us imagine the world in 2035, warning that tech and AI will only be human positive if we train algorithms on diverse data. (Read more on this new 2035 trend forecast report here).

⭐ "Who is paying for your solution?" B2C is a tough business model for many founders, especially in the UK. The NHS as a route might be even tougher. Octopus Ventures’ Chantal Cox reminded us that employers still need to see a return on their investment in monetary terms. Other founders are turning to the US market for a perhaps easier start. But hearing from successes such as Elvie shows it is possible with B2C here in the UK and also with the NHS. This panel about the future FemTech consumer also featured Dr Michelle Griffin, Leila Thabet and Elena Rueda and it was a real highlight for me.

⭐Who cares about the problem you’re trying to solve? VC funding isn’t for everyone emphasised Goddess Gaia’s Priya Oberoi, especially if you do the ‘VC maths’ as Eamonn Carey explained. So find the ‘patient money’ in the form of a family office or the angel investors who really care. (Although I think the reaction in the room was one of that being easier said than done!)

⭐ Censorship remains a barrier women's health and sexual wellness companies. That means being really creative with how you reach consumers and prioritising collaboration. As Emma Rees rallied ‘if we band together we can have more impact’ (sidenote: this issue of censorship is one we're tackling with censHERship the campaign I co-found!)

⭐ We must solve for all. On an important maternal health panel with Emily Napier Dr Orlanda A. Wendy Powell and Madeleine Durand, we heard Dr MaryAnn Ferreux highlight that black women shouldn't have 2.5 times the chance their babies will die. That stat shouldn’t exist.

⭐ And finally: “Work as a community - that’s the superpower of women’s health” said Priya Oberoi. Everyone in this space can go further, faster through collaboration and partnerships. And what a great note to end on!