The fertility journey can be a heartbreaking, time-consuming, and costly experience for many individuals worldwide. Globally, 1 in 6 people are affected by infertility, with 19% of women aged 15 to 49 unable to get pregnant after one year of trying. When Dr. Jennifer Hintzsche was told she had unexplained fertility during her pregnancy journey, doctors expected her to undergo invasive infertility treatments that cost tens of thousands of dollars. That’s when Dr. Jenn put her mind to work and began treating infertility as a scientific problem waiting to be solved. The result was her startup company known as PherDal, which offers the only sterile, FDA cleared at home insemination kit for individuals experiencing infertility. In this episode of FemInnovation, host Bethany Corbin sits down with Dr. Jenn to discuss her infertility journey, the creation of her startup, the FDA clearance process, the experience of crowdfunding her business, and much more!

About Dr. Jennifer Hintzsche:

Dr. Jenn has defiantly stepped out of the shadows of an "infertile" diagnosis, setting her sights on revolutionizing healthcare. With a portfolio of over two dozen peer-reviewed scientific articles and 600+ citations in prestigious journals like Nature, Dr. Jenn's acumen is well-recognized. She became the first individual to receive a Ph.D. in Bioinformatics from NIU in 2014, preceded by a Master’s in the same field. During her postdoctoral tenure at the University of Colorado, she made significant strides in cancer genomics that secured million-dollar grants, papers, and clinical trials. In 2019, she brought her expertise to healthcare SaaS as an analyst and developer. Within four years, she assumed leadership roles at two rapidly expanding pharmaceutical SaaS companies, helping them exponentially scale revenue past 15M+.

Driven by a deep-seated passion, Dr. Hintzsche founded PherDal (a clever play on “fertile” with a nod to her Ph.D.), offering the first sterile, affordable, FDA-cleared at home fertility treatment. PherDal’s initial 200 proof-of-concept kits sold out in 90 days, resulting in 34 reported pregnancies. In 2022, the company crowdfunded over $630K for FDA clearance. In 2023, Dr. Hintzsche was a top 5 finalist at the SXSW Pitch competition and featured innovator at LSI’s Emerging MedTech Conference, and was selected to be part of the top 30 FemTech Companies to participate in Femovate.

RELEVANT LINKS:

• Learn more about PherDal at this website.
• Follow PherDal on Facebook.
• Watch Dr. Jenn's Scientifically Femtech Video Interview (where she provides advice to the next generation of researchers and scientists looking to get involved in femtech) on the FemInnovator Community (login required – sign up for a FREE membership to the FemInnovator Community here to access the content and use coupon code FREEMEMBERSHIP).

Connect with Our Guest, Dr. Jennifer Hintzsche: LINKEDIN | INSTAGRAM

Follow Our Host, Bethany Corbin: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN | INSTAGRAM | ADDITIONAL LINKS

As a women’s health founder, creativity is the backbone of your company’s success. This is particularly true in an industry where less than 4% of all venture capital funding goes towards women’s health. Using innovative and community-driven tactics to raise capital, test and launch your product, and earn revenue is essential. In this episode of FemInnovation, host Bethany Corbin sits down with Catherine Hendy, co-founder of ELANZA Wellness, to walk through her startup journey and the creative paths she’s taken to fund her startup and contribute to long-term women’s health research. Bethany and Catherine discuss pros, cons, and personal experiences with accelerator programs, raising venture capital funds, and crowdfunding; how to overcome the daily challenges of building a health tech product; how founders can use their product’s data to contribute to women’s health research; the power of technology to help patients actively manage their health; how to incorporate clinical and scientific voices into product development, and much more. Join us for an exciting episode to hear first-hand advice from a femtech founder whose making significant strides in the endometriosis field.

About Catherine Hendy:

Catherine Hendy is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of ELANZA Wellness, co-author of the book “Everything Egg Freezing” and an ex-BBC producer and program maker. She is focused on the intersection of technology, behavioral science, and wellbeing, is a member of the British Fertility Society, and judged the European Fertility Awards. Catherine was selected as one of 13 Innovators Shaping the Future of Health 2024 by Fortune Health.

About ELANZA Wellness:

ELANZA’s virtual care platform, EverythingEndo, helps people with endometriosis unlock more symptom free days. Catherine and the founding team graduated Techstars New York in 2021 and are also backed by Human Ventures, Gaingels, the Accel Scout Fund, and leading angels in the digital health space. ELANZA has been named a “health startup to watch” by MedCity and has been featured in Techcrunch, BBC, NPR, Grazia, FemTech Insider, Future of FemTech, Women of Wearables, and more.

RELEVANT LINKS:

• Learn more about ELANZA at this website.
• Purchase “Everything Egg Freezing” on Amazon.

Connect with Our Guest, Catherine Hendy: LINKEDIN

Follow Our Host, Bethany Corbin: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN | INSTAGRAM | ADDITIONAL LINKS

This episode of FemInnovation offers a revealing look at the tech industry, including the sexist apps and biased algorithms that may harm women and minorities and the need for inclusive and humane leadership in the tech industry. Host Bethany Corbin sits down with Sara Wachter-Boettcher to discuss how women can thrive in tech leadership positions, why authenticity and humanity are essential for leaders, how to identify and handle team stress, how to turn confrontational situations into problem solving opportunities, and much more. In addition, Sara talks about her research for the book “Technically Wrong” and whether society today has pushed past the sexist apps and biased algorithms that were prevalent in 2017. Don’t miss this exciting discussion to enhance your leadership skills, strengthen your team, and help ensure tech reaches maximum inclusivity.

About Sara Wachter-Boettcher:

Sara Wachter-Boettcher is a leadership coach, speaker, author, and the CEO of Active Voice, a company dedicated to creating bold leaders and better workplaces in design and tech. She started Active Voice after spending a decade running a content and UX consultancy. Her books include Technically Wrong, Design for Real Life, and Content Everywhere.

RELEVANT LINKS:

• Learn more about Sara Wachter-Boettcher at this website.
• Learn more about Active Voice at this website.
• Purchase “Technically Wrong” on Amazon.
• Watch Sara’s “Technically Wrong” Book Club Discussion on the FemInnovator Community (login required – sign up for a FREE membership to the FemInnovator Community here to access the content and use coupon code FREEMEMBERSHIP).

Connect with Our Guest, Sara Wachter-Boettcher: LINKEDIN

Follow Our Host, Bethany Corbin: WEBSITE | LINKEDIN | INSTAGRAM | ADDITIONAL LINKS