Issue #71 – Two continents, two powerful actions, and one common goal

Hello and welcome to the 71st edition of your go-to source for weekly updates on women’s health innovation and FemTech.

Happy Friday,  ✨

This week brought two big pieces of news that deserve a standing ovation! Let’s raise our virtual glasses to both, because when it comes to empowering women, every step forward is a cause for celebration. Cheers 

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First, India’s Minister for Women and Child Development, Smriti Irani, took the stage at India Tech Week with a powerful message. She urged financial institutions to trust and support women entrepreneurs who are breaking barriers and building businesses. Her point? Though data shows women have lower business failure rates, they still face a significant funding gap compared to their male counterparts. It’s time, she declared, for investors to shed their biases and see the incredible potential in women-led ventures.

And the numbers back her up: a mere 18% of active digital startups in India have women as founders or co-founders. That’s a gap we need to close, and fast!

“The bottleneck is those people who sit as VCs in financial institutions who don’t want to take the chance with women failing and are okay with men failing, even when the ratio of men failing is higher,” said Irani. 

Meanwhile, across the ocean, First Lady Jill Biden announced a game-changer for women’s health research in the US. The White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research, which she champions, is launching with a $100 million investment! This funding will fuel life-changing research and support innovative startups led by women, areas that often struggle to secure private funding.

Two continents, two powerful actions, and one common goal: to empower women and unlock their full potential. It’s a week to celebrate the progress. 

Your friend 

Navneet

Why this podcast matters : The statistics on breast cancer in India are alarming. According to a study by Globocon 2020, every four minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in India. With approximately 1,78,000 new cases being diagnosed every year, breast cancer has overtaken cervical cancer to become the most common cancer in Indian women. The current age-standardized death rate is 9.2 per 100,000 population, but it’s expected to increase to 9.88 per 100,000 population by 2030.  Early detection is crucial for effective treatment, and awareness plays a vital role in recognizing warning signs.

• Arcatron Mobility, a fast-growing consumer medical company, said it has raised growth capital from OrbiMed, a global healthcare-focused investment firm.
• Yesmadam, AI based beauty and wellness brandhttps://www.yesmadam.com/, has successfully secured Rs 1.5 crore funding from investors on Shark Tank India (Season 3).
  
• Healthtech startup Aarogya Tech raised around $1.8 million seed funding round, with $1.5 million in fresh capital led by Hasu P Shah.
• Medtech startup Noccarc raised $2 Mn (about INR 16.6 Cr) in a funding round led by the Indian Angel Network (IAN). The funding round also saw participation from IIT Kanpur, SIDBI, and TDB.

• Elektra Health, a NYC-based digital health platform that empowers women navigating the menopause journey via evidence-based education, medical care, and community, raised $3.3M in new financing
• Medical Microinstruments, a Pisa, Italy-based robotics company dedicated to increasing treatment options and improving clinical outcomes for patients with complex conditions, raised $110M in Series C funding.
• Insamo, a Berkeley, CA-based biotechnology company advancing membrane-permeable and orally available cyclic-peptides, raised $12M in Seed funding.
• HealthSnap, a Miami, FL-based provider of a remote patient monitoring and chronic care management solution for healthcare providers, raised $25M in Series B funding.
• The US maternity care clinic Oula has raised a US$28m in funding to introduce new services and expand nationally.
• Samphire Neuroscience, a medtech startup, has announced a successful $2.3 million pre-seed funding round for its pioneering neurotechnology wearable, Nettle. Designed to manage premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and menstrual pain.

• A ruling from the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen embryos are considered children, and that a person could be held liable for accidentally destroying them, has opened up a new front in the US battle over reproductive medicine.
• Women who suffer from perinatal depression, depression during pregnancy and up to one year after delivery, have a higher risk of death by both natural and unnatural causes, irrespective of preexisting psychiatric disorders, two new studies report. Perinatal depression affects up to 20 per cent of all pregnant women.
• Early signs of puberty in first-born daughters could be associated with high stress levels their mothers experienced while pregnant, new research has found.
• National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) ‘Mental Health Santhe 2.0 sets new standards in mental health awareness. The event brought together individuals, organizations, and communities to address the pressing issues surrounding mental health in India.
• Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) have introduced a novel method for detecting ovarian cancer by identifying specific biomarkers in urine samples. 
• A recent survey revealed that many are at risk due to misdiagnosis of encephalitis, a deadly brain inflammation. Over half of the surveyed Indian emergency medical professionals missed encephalitis as a potential diagnosis even when presented with common symptoms
  
• A UK hospital has launched a “world-first” endometriosis drug trial that could pave the way for new ways to manage and treat the condition.
• Researchers have discovered more than 275 million previously unreported genetic variants, identified from data shared by nearly 250,000 participants of the National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Programme. 
• The US Department of Health and Human Services has announced that six states will participate in a new collaborative effort to address postpartum mortality.

• Two California-based entrepreneurs have launched a postnatal retreat to “demystify” postpartum recovery. Esther Park and Christina DeJesus, founders of Ahma & Co, aim to raise the standard of postpartum care in the US, using a successful care model from South Korea.
• A new menopause app that will allow women to track and monitor their symptoms is to launch in Ireland, in an effort to help researchers develop new treatments. The Menopause Hub app is set to launch in March and will include information and research about the hormonal changes women experience during menopause.
• FHI 360 has commenced a pivotal Phase I clinical trial in the Dominican Republic for a novel biodegradable contraceptive implant, marking the first trial of its kind, to offer a long-term contraception solution.

• Sirona, on the occasion of 38th NWWA Diwas collaborated with the Indian Navy and Navy Welfare and Wellness Association on the “Women in White” initiative.
• HempStreet published a though ware on “Cannabis in treating chronic pain and menstrual”
• Newmi, on the occasion of Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Day, hosted an AMA session and resolved over 2000+ questions around sexual and reproductive health.

• The National Centre for Biological Sciences researchers have shown how lithium acts on brain cells to change neural activity. This finding, according to the NCBS, which is part of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, could offer a potential pathway for the development of new treatments and precision medicine for bipolar disorder.
• In order to add heft to the advancements in precision diagnostics and targeted therapeutics, the Department of Health Research (DHR), has unveiled a training course on ‘Advent of Omics Technologies in Precision Diagnostics and Targeted Therapeutics’.
• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has unveiled a comprehensive initiative aimed at addressing priority diseases and fostering rigorous research review processes.

• Salt substitutes lower hypertension risk in elderly adults by 40 percent. Researchers uncover exciting breakthrough in blood pressure maintenance
• Your First Step Toward a Better Mood- Poor sleep can make anxiety, depression and other mental health issues worse. Here’s what to do about it

• Dads-to-be should abstain from alcohol months before conception: Women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant are advised to avoid alcohol. But what about fathers?
• Daily toothbrushing reduces risk of hospital-acquired pneumonia. Hospitalised patients have an increased risk of developing pneumonia. 
• Chronic pain more common in women, often disbelieved by doctors

See you next Friday, friends 👋

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