Over the last two years, we organized and hosted three major global conferences: FemTech Forum, Health Tech 2.0, and Investing&Fundraising in HealthTech and FemTech.

This year, we decided to do something different.

Why FemTech Untapped?

In 2022, we are committed to opening the conversation around the topics in FemTech that are still taboo, areas that are untapped, underresearched, and underfunded.

Over the past few years, the term FemTech has become a buzzword, and women’s health, today more than ever, has been getting the recognition and visibility it deserves. But, this is still not enough for the healthcare industry to be more inclusive and more innovation, disruption and funding is still needed in some other areas such as cardiovascular health or mental health. Female health is not just reproductive health, and unless we start treating it as such, especially if we don’t see it as a part of a larger public health discussion, things won’t move at the right speed in the right direction for many more years.

That’s why this year we are bringing you a series of events, educational panels, blogs and interviews with industry leaders, founders, clinicians, organizations, and investors every month throughout the year, with the focus on some of the most important topics in the femtech space, featuring some of the most innovative companies in this industry.

Join us every month for a series of events and educational content where we will cover topics from diversity and inclusion in the femtech space, to innovations in menstrual, mental, gut and cardiovascular health, to male contraception and baby tech, and everything in between.

This program will be delivered in partnership with our program partners FemTec Health and Goodwin, as well as our webinar partners ByHeart, Biote, Lovehoney Group, Elix Healing, and many more.

Together, we can all work towards the femtech innovation and support being more accessible and inclusive!

Find out more about the program

Our April event - Holistic approach to better menstrual health

Menstrual health is much more than just menstruation. According to UNICEF, it encompasses the broader impacts of the psychological, socio-political and environmental factors that accompany menstruation on mental, physical, and emotional health.

Menstruation is a natural fact of life and a monthly occurrence for the 1.8 billion girls, women, transgender men and non-binary persons of reproductive age and, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 90% of them experience premenstrual symptoms.

At least 20% of people with PMS are experiencing debilitating symptoms due to chronic conditions such as endometriosis, PCOS, and fibroids. Studies show hormonal contraceptives, very often used to alleviate symptoms of PMS and painful periods, could impact mood and be linked to increased rates of depression and breast cancer.

Globally, at least 500 million menstruators lack adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene management according to World Bank.

What we need is a holistic approach to better menstrual health; an approach that will include education, addressing stigmas and taboos; an approach that guarantees every menstruator has access to menstrual hygiene products and teaches them how to better understand their menstrual health; an approach that allows them to learn about different products and solutions so that they can make more informed decisions about their own bodies and their own health.

Our speakers

Lulu Ge, founder and CEO of Elix

Lulu Ge is the founder and CEO of Elix, the first digital platform to use modern technology to personalize Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) online by combining time-tested knowledge, medicinal botanicals, and clinical research to empower self-healing and make access to scientifically-backed natural remedies more convenient and available than ever before. Built on the principle that menstrual cycles are a vital sign for our overall health, Elix formulates pure and potent liquid herbal extracts clinically proven to treat specific hormonal imbalances that are the root cause of painful symptoms. Beyond herbal treatments, Elix is committed to breaking women’s health taboos and bridging the gap in healthcare knowledge through their content vertical The Wisdom.

Anne Marie Jukic, Principal Investigator at National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Dr Jukic leads the Fertility and Reproductive Health Group in the Epidemiology Branch at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Her research group investigates environmental influences on menstrual cycles, conception, and early pregnancy. A primary focus of the FRHG is the role of vitamin D in female reproductive function and this group has published some of the initial studies linking low levels of vitamin D to prolonged menstrual cycles, delayed ovulation, and lower probability of conception. A clinical trial is underway to evaluate vitamin D supplementation and menstrual cycle function. Dr Jukic is also interested in the potential of digital tools, such as menstrual cycle tracking applications, for expanding and advancing menstrual cycle and fertility research. Dr Jukic received a B.S. from the University of Notre Dame, an M.S.P.H. from Emory University, and a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She completed a postdoctoral fellowship at NIEHS and was an Assistant Professor at the Yale School of Public Health before joining NIEHS as a Principal Investigator.

Seung Min Lee, co-founder of INERTIA

Seung Min Lee is the co-founder of INERTIA Inc., a femtech startup in Korea, striving to develop sustainable technologies for woman's wellness. INERTIA Inc. invented CELLATEX™, 100% cellulose bio-absorbent technology via electron beam processing as the replacement of sodium polyacrylate superabsorbent polymers (SAPs), and will provide the sustainable sanitary pads with this new bio-absorbent. Sanitary napkins of INERTIA are not only safe, and sustainable but also offer superior absorbency and quality. With this new bio-based, bio-degradable, non-toxic absorbent, INERTIA’s sanitary pads will be safe, comfortable, sustainable, and make a woman’s period more pleasant.

AGENDA

(*All time slots are BST)

4 pm - Opening words by organising team

4:10 pm - Company introduction - presentation delivered by Lulu Ge, founder and CEO of Elix

4:20 pm - Company introduction - presentation delivered by Anne Marie Jukic, Principal Investigator at National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

4:30 pm - Company introduction - presentation delivered by Seung Min Lee, co-founder of INERTIA

4:40 pm - Panel discussion

5:30 pm - Q&As

6:00 pm - Closing words by the organising team

Book ticket

About our partners and sponsors

Webinar partner

Elix is the first digital platform to use modern technology to personalize Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) online, by combining time-tested knowledge, medicinal botanicals, and clinical research to empower self-healing and make access to scientifically-backed natural remedies more convenient and available than ever before. Built on the principle that menstrual cycles are a vital sign for our overall health, Elix formulates pure and potent liquid herbal extracts clinically proven to treat specific hormonal imbalances that are the root cause of painful symptoms. Beyond herbal treatments, Elix is committed to breaking women’s health taboos and bridging the gap in healthcare knowledge through their content vertical The Wisdom.

Program partners

FemTec Health

Founded in May 2020 by Dr. Kimon Angelides and publicly launched in October 2021, FemTec Health is the leading Health and Beauty Sciences Company focused on using technology and data to transform the total healthcare experience for women in every stage of their life cycle. Areas of focus include specialty care, wellness and prevention, reproductive care, sexual wellness, mental health, chronic care, and beyond. Angelides has brought together A female-led team with decades of experience across healthcare, wellness, and consumer products in public and private companies. FemTech Health’s mission is to revolutionize women’s healthcare by using state-of-the-art genomics, predictive intelligence, and digital technologies to create an experience that is unified, coordinated, and provides personalized services and products based on every woman's unique needs. FemTec Health currently has offices in Houston, New York, San Diego, London, Barcelona, Athens & Shanghai.

Goodwin

Goodwin partners with clients to practice law with integrity, ingenuity, agility, and ambition. Their 1,600 lawyers across the United States, Europe, and Asia excel at complex transactions, high-stakes litigation, and world-class advisory services in the technology, life sciences, healthcare, private equity, real estate, and financial industries. Goodwin’s extensive experience and knowledge of the women’s health and wellness industry coupled with their deep industry contacts helps them to foster relationships between their clients and stakeholders to provide them with full-service legal offerings. From intellectual property to regulatory and from structuring capital raises to IPOs, they advise clients at all stages of the company lifecycle.

About Women of Wearables

Women of Wearables (WoW) is a leading global organization and ecosystem aiming to connect and support women and allies in wearable tech, health tech, and femtech, as well as educate about the latest innovations in the world of emerging technologies. With headquarters in London (UK) and more than 20,000 members located around the globe, WoW has become a global movement that supports its growing community through events, mentorship, educational programs, and collaboration with its network of local collaborators and partners. Our members are startup founders, designers, technologists, industry experts, researchers, bloggers, journalists, investors, and many more.

Our community is open to anyone who is affiliated with and interested in emerging technologies and is not just for professional women, but for anyone with an interest in wearable technology and providing women with a platform for growth.

HOW TO JOIN US

➡️ Become a WoW member to learn from and connect with our community of entrepreneurs, designers, and technologists, leverage valuable resources, and discover career and business opportunities! By joining, you’ll get the opportunity to promote your company at one of the leading global organizations for women in tech, advertise in our newsletter and collaborate with us for our webinars, conferences, and content.

➡️ Follow us on Twitter / LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook.

➡️ Join our femtech group on LinkedIn.

➡️ Get in touch if you’d like to become our partner!