WoW Woman in FemTech I Alessandra Henderson, co-founder and CEO of Elektra Health
Alessandra Henderson is the co-founder and CEO of Elektra Health, a next-gen women’s health platform on a mission to smash the menopause taboo.
There are 50 million women in the US currently or soon to be navigating menopause. Elektra empowers women with evidence-based menopause education, virtual care, and a supportive community.
In addition to offering world-class menopause care via telemedicine, Elektra offers an integrative digital platform called Meno-morphosis (sign up for the waitlist here!) that is built to support women over their 10+ year menopause journey.
This platform—currently in private beta—features evidence-based pathways for managing symptoms, private community support, and 1:1 text access to a dedicated menopause expert.
Prior to Elektra, Alessandra spent 10+ years building early-stage consumer businesses from the ground up at Artsy, the MIT NYC Startup Studio, and Human Ventures. She holds a B.A. from Vanderbilt University (2007) and MBA from Sloan MIT (2016) and has been featured in leading publications including Fast Company, Forbes, Techcrunch, and more.
Alessandra, tell us a bit about your background and your projects so far.
A personal health journey demonstrated to me first-hand just how fragmented and confusing the healthcare system can be, particularly when it comes to hormonal health. In 2017, I froze my eggs—the hormones from egg freezing impacted my vision. This was a huge wake-up call for me as I was completely unaware of this possible side effect. I then started going very deep into the hormonal health space and discovered just how little quality information and resources there are for women—with an especially notable gap in menopause care. I met my co-founder, Jannine Versi, early in the company’s journey as well as our founding physician Dr. Anna Barbieri. Together, we’ve made it our mission to better serve women experiencing menopause while smashing some taboos along the way.
How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges?
According to Rock Health, despite the fact that women control 80% of healthcare decisions in the US and spend 29% more per capita on healthcare compared to men, the sector of digital health for women has only recently started to draw attention from venture capital investors. Only 3% of the 2,728 US digital health deals since 2011 have focused on women’s health. So, the reason we got into the industry is the same as the challenges we’ve faced: women deserve better menopause care and there is an immediate need to address the industry’s shortcomings.
How long did it take you to be where you are now? What was the biggest obstacle? What are the challenges of being in the industry you are in?
We have a small but mighty team as well as fantastic investors—two thirds of whom are women—who have enabled us to grow quickly. Like many seed companies, our biggest challenge is finding the time to bring to life all of the exciting things we have planned for Elektra and our growing community. Another challenge is that we are asking women to reimagine everything they’ve ever known to be true about menopause. These cultural shifts can take time, but we know from what we’ve seen in our community and beyond that women are ready to talk about—and experience—menopause differently.
What are your biggest achievements to date?
We have some of the world’s best experts in the space on our team, including Dr. Lila Nachtigall, former president of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS). Additionally, we’re proud of the holistic integrative approach we’ve taken in building Elektra—we start with lifestyle and then incorporate integrative medicine as well as traditional care, all of which is based on scientific evidence. The growth of our community proves there is a real demand for this type of care, and we’re excited to be building a platform that speaks to a 21st-century woman. Personally, I am incredibly proud of building such a talented, passionate and creative team alongside my co-founder Jannine Versi.
What are the projects you are currently working on?
We’re excited by all the learnings coming out of our Meno-morphosis community, which, as I mentioned, is currently in private beta mode. We’re looking forward to integrating our founding community’s feedback and building an even better resource for many more women.
Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why?
Representation is hugely important, and #WomeninTech is especially critical in a space like menopause. We are a woman built by women for women, and everything that we do we come at with a lens of deep empathy and compassion. We have all had our own hormonal health journeys, and that informs every decision that we make. We’re grateful to women like Marija Butkovic for building communities of women who are changing the status quo to ensure that the products and services most needed by women are being built and prioritized.
What will be the key trends in your industry in the next five years and where do you see them heading?
For something that half the population will experience, the menopause industry is woefully underfunded and underresearched. For example, one Johns Hopkins survey revealed that less than 20% of OB-GYNs are trained in menopause during residency. As an increasing number of companies work to provide better menopause care, we predict women will demand better from their medical providers. Our hope is that the worlds of tech and medicine can work together to give this topic the attention and resources it deserves.
As an industry, at Elektra, we’re incredibly excited to see more new startups coming into the space. Menopause is a massive market and there are going to be many multi-billion dollar businesses that spring up over the coming years.
Last but certainly not least, as millennials start to enter perimenopause (the oldest millennial is 40 today!), I envision a world where a woman feels more comfortable talking about menopause not only with her friends, but in the workplace, with her partner, and with her children.
What is the most important piece of advice you could give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?
The culture is changing. At Elektra, we’re all about speaking up and speaking out so women don’t continue to suffer in silence. And women are increasingly recognizing that they deserve better. We’re part of a cultural zeitgeist as formerly stigmatized topics move mainstream, especially around women’s health. Notice what’s working—and what isn’t—especially when it comes to taboo or sensitive topics. Don’t be afraid to imagine a complete overhaul of the way we’ve always done things or talked about certain topics.
Also: send the email. The investors and founders in the women's health space are a terrific group and are eager to support and advise new entrants to the space. So send one email to someone you admire every day—you never know who will agree to that 20-minute informational call!
Who are three inspirational women in your respective industry you admire?
Chrissy Farr – Chrissy is a brilliant thought leader and journalist-turned-investor who offers insightful and prescient views on the digital health space. She’s also a fierce advocate for women’s health.
Katelin Holloway (& 776 colleagues Cristina Georgoulakis and Lissie Garvin) – Katelin and her team at 776 co-led Elektra’s seed round. They lead by example when it comes to supporting founders; as just one example, 776 commits 2% of their investment dollars towards coaching and wellness support for their founders.
My co-founder Jannine Versi – it is a privilege and an honour to build alongside such a passionate, thoughtful, and inspiring leader. Grateful to be on this founder journey with Jannine.
Find out more about Elektra Health on their website.
Follow Elektra Health on Twitter and Instagram.
Connect with Alessandra on LinkedIn.
This interview was conducted by Marija Butkovic, Digital Marketing and PR strategist, founder, and CEO of Women of Wearables. She regularly writes and speaks on topics of wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, entrepreneurship, and diversity. Follow Marija on Twitter @MarijaButkovic and read her stories for Forbes here.