Can FemTech help the NHS?

Jenny Thomas, who set up the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator programme in 2016, attended Women of Wearables’ recent online FemTech Forum. Jenny is passionate about the opportunity of HealthTech to improve people’s lives and excited by the FemTech space. She shares her reflections from the Forum and thoughts about the future of FemTech within the NHS.

My time as the General Manager for Women’s Services at Guy’s and St Thomas’, my two recent pregnancies and my experience supporting 100s of HealthTech startups while running the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator means I have no choice but to answer the question “Can FemTech help the NHS?” with a resounding; YES!

But what is Femtech? For the 800+ attendees of the recent FemTech Forum organized by Women of Wearables the answer might be obvious but for the thousands of NHS staff caring for women it’s probably not such a well-known term. FemTech, short for Female Technology, refers to services, products and software which are created with a specific focus on women’s health. Examples include period tracker apps, fertility solutions and sexual wellness products. If you’re interested to find out more about FemTech, I recently came across an article written by investor Louise Rix which sums up FemTech beautifully. 

Although FemTech is something I’ve always felt very strongly about, it is not until recently that I’ve begun to see the impact it could make to the NHS. Until recently I thought FemTech was a bit of a niche in the HealthTech sector. The discussion at the FemTech Forum firmly put this idea to bed. Within the first two minutes of joining the FemTech Forum online conference, comments had been posted from Kuwait, Israel, Sweden, Germany, Japan, France, the US and the Philippines. What was clear to the entrepreneurs, investors, clinicians and scientists attending the event was the enormous opportunity that FemTech presents. The opportunity to improve PMS (Premenstrual syndrome), endometriosis, menopause and many other aspects of women’s care; the opportunity for a new era on understanding the female body; and the opportunity for better products and services that could support women throughout their lives. I was excited by the potential of so many of the start-ups speaking and attending the event. If I had to name one that stood out for me, it would be Grace.health, who are on a mission to deliver women’s health at scale in the developing world – but there were so many brilliant innovations in attendance.

Unsurprisingly diversity was a hot topic at the Forum. I admit I felt a bit naïve. I was aware of the poor statistics and had heard stories of male VCs not wanting to invest in a FemTech start up because they didn’t want to spend Monday mornings talking to their partners about periods. I did not appreciate however the data gap in women’s health research and the lack of diversity in precision medicine development. I was also saddened to hear about the negative experiences the incredible founder of Ruby Love, Crystal Etienne, went through when initially searching for investment and other forms of start-up support. 

I think there is huge potential for FemTech to make a difference to the lives of NHS patients. At DigitalHealth.London we want to reach out and encourage founders from all backgrounds to apply to our Accelerator programme. The Accelerator programme is for those who believe they have technologies that will improve care for all and the 12-month programme provides bespoke support and advice, expert-led workshops and events, and brokers meaningful connections between innovators and NHS organisations. So if you attended the FemTech Forum, or are working in the FemTech space, and think your business has a solution for the NHS I would strongly encourage you to apply to our Accelerator. Applications close Sunday 5th July at midnight – check out our helpful resources including FAQs, the Accelerator 101 webinar recording giving an overview of what support is offered and an application tips video. If you have any application questions, contact us via applicationsdhla@digitalhealth.london.

This blog was written by Jenny Thomas, DigitalHealth.London Accelerator Programme Director (currently on maternity leave).

Equally if you’re one of the thousands providing care to women in the NHS and you want to share your pain points and views on the opportunities please reach out to me via LinkedIn or Email as I’d love to hear from you.

Let’s work together to help FemTech help the NHS!