3 women-run businesses taking the femtech industry by storm

When it comes to careers, women comprise 80% of healthcare workers in the US, but only 40% of executive positions. Fortunately, a growing number of females are launching startups in the health industry to create their own management opportunities rather than trying to rise to the top amid gender inequality issues. Many of these initiatives are part of the femtech industry that focuses on female technology to better women’s health. These 3 women-run businesses all advocate for the health of women.

1. Natural Cycles

A lot of women are using digital technologies to manage various aspects of their lives and their reproduction system is one of them. These devices are helpful in many ways, including tracking your fertility cycle.

Tech can provide you with the predictions on when are the best days for baby-making for you, for example. Or, it can be beneficial for avoiding pregnancy, rather than using body-invasive or hormonal methods of contraception.

That’s where Natural Cycles comes in to help out. Created by CERN scientist Elina Berlund, Natural Cycles is a digital birth control app from Sweden (although it originated in Switzerland).

The smart app makes tracking fertility status every day easier for women than it might be otherwise. It does so by using a special algorithm that learns the unique cycle of the female user based on the recorded body temperatures.

The app helps can help you learn more about your cycle calendars by predicting timing of ovulation and the start and end days of your menstrual cycles. Check your fertility status simply through your smartphone using this first US FDA-cleared app for the use of birth control.

It is also currently the only app to CE marked in Europe as contraception. Over 80 employees work for the company today.

More women-run businesses:

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2. Bonzun

Bonzun is another health-based digital app for women that is centred in Sweden. When Bonnie Roupé experienced preeclampsia while pregnant for the second time, she did not understand her symptoms but she was anxious and eager to gain a better understanding of the complication.

This situation motivated her to develop a mobile app to give women information on possible health-related issues they might develop while pregnant. Bonzun is designed to share knowledge to end preventable deaths and impairments.

By providing clear information, this technology can combat myths for expecting mothers and highlight symptoms that are a common part of pregnancy versus those that are more serious. By reading about the experience of carrying a child, soon-to-be moms can hopefully feel less alone and also take comfort in knowing the experience needn’t be perfect.

Bonnie Roupé founded Bonzun in 2012 to operate as a virtual midwife to women. The app gives users a lot of data about development within the womb, bodily changes to expect, and more. So far, app downloads exceed 2 million, and Bonnie is working with her team on getting the app to developing countries.

3. Intimate Rose

Intimate Rose is a women’s health brand with a mission to help women worldwide with pelvic health problems. The company is run by Amanda Olson, a doctor in physical therapy with a pelvic health rehabilitation certification.

Olson is based in Medford, Oregon, where she focuses on providing females with the tools to manage urinary incontinence, pelvic pain, post-cancer pain, and both pre- and post-partum issues. The company Intimate Rose began in 2015.

Specifically, its product line is designed to be comfortable and functional at the same time, given the personal nature of them. An obvious obstacle to women-run businesses in the pelvic health niche is that not many people are sharing about items that keep them from wetting their pants when jumping or help them return to the bedroom with their partner.

Intimate Rose’s product line ranges from Kegel Exercise weights made to combat urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse to a dilator system and wands to eliminate vaginal and pelvic pain after trauma, injury, surgery, and other life circumstances. Along with the products are hundreds of videos, tutorials, guides, and articles to help women navigate personal issues and find comprehensive answers.

On women-run businesses in femtech

It’s great to see these investments in innovative technology to alleviate women’s healthcare concerns. From pregnancy to mental health, menopause and endometriosis, there are many areas of focus for women’s health apps, physical products, and custom services.

Ideally, women in the femtech industry will focus on providing their products and services to females around the globe. Doing so can make a positive difference in the lives of women.