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

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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

The exclusion of women from modern medicine is a complex and pervasive issue that spans centuries of medical practice. Despite advancements in healthcare, women continue to face systemic barriers that hinder their access to accurate diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and equitable care. Historical biases, gender stereotypes, and a lack of representation in medical research have contributed to this exclusion, perpetuating disparities in health outcomes and quality of care. From underrepresentation in clinical trials to the dismissal of women’s symptoms and concerns, the consequences of this exclusion are far-reaching, impacting women’s health across diverse populations.

In this episode of FemInnovation, host Bethany Corbin talks with Dr. Elizabeth Comen, author of the USA Today bestselling book “All in Her Head”, about the exclusion of women from medicine and how women today can advocate for their health and wellbeing in a world designed for men. Specifically, Bethany and Dr. Comen dive into the shame and stigma women encounter when trying to discuss their health concerns, the equation of women’s health with reproductive health, how bias in medicine affects both patients and providers, the societal need to control women, whether femtech is the answer to the exclusion of women in medicine, and how to change the ongoing narrative of women’s health. Join us for this enlightening conversation to help shift the future trajectory of women’s health worldwide.

About Dr. Elizabeth Comen:

Elizabeth Comen, MD, has dedicated her medical career to saving the lives of women. An award-winning, internationally sought-after clinician and physician-scientist, Dr. Comen works as a medical oncologist in New York City and is an assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College. She earned her BA in the history of science from Harvard College and her MD from Harvard Medical School, then completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital and her fellowship in oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She lives in New York City with her family.

RELEVANT LINKS:

• Learn more about Dr. Comen at this website.
• Learn more about Dr. Comen’s USA Today bestselling book “All in Her Head” at this website.
• Purchase “All in Her Head” at HarperCollins and Amazon.

Connect with Our Guest, Dr. Comen: LINKEDIN | INSTAGRAM

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

Commercializing your femtech or healthtech product can be challenging, especially for early-stage founders. Bringing a product to market often involves detailed customer research and product testing, developing impactful launch and communication strategies, removing barriers to consumer adoption, identification of the proper reimbursement pathway, and more. In this episode of the FemInnovation Podcast, host Bethany Corbin sits down with Swathi Rangan and Daniella Kapural from Herspiegel to discuss the secrets for product commercialization success. The trio discusses what product commercialization means, when femtech founders should start thinking about a product commercialization strategy, common product commercialization mistakes, how to identify applicable business models, how to determine product differentiators and develop a value proposition, and much more! Don’t miss this in-depth discussion to enhance your product commercialization strategy and experience.

About Swathi Rangan:

As a Principal at Herspiegel, Swathi leverages her passion and expertise within the sciences and strong problem-solving skills to help pharmaceutical clients swiftly address complex business challenges. She excels at developing and leading teams to craft successful commercial solutions, in collaboration with the client.

Throughout her tenure at Herspiegel, Swathi has led projects with a variety of clients, ranging from large to mid-size, and start-ups. She has deep knowledge in a variety of therapeutic areas including women's health, immunology, oncology, cardiometabolic disorders, and rare disease. Her expertise includes leading strategy and implementation across commercial projects with a strong focus on data and insight-driven innovation; projects include patient support and experience design, digital health partnership implementation, and go-to-market strategy development. She also specializes in creating comprehensive market-shaping strategies for complex disease states and has successfully managed numerous product launches.

About Daniella Kapural:

Daniella began her consulting career at Herspiegel with a fervent commitment to enhancing the patient experience through strategic problem-solving and innovation. During her tenure, she cultivated a passion for advancing women's health, focusing on devising solutions to address the diverse and complex healthcare needs unique to women across the continuum of care.

As a Consultant, she has demonstrated exceptional leadership and support across a diverse array of projects, encompassing product launch, brand planning, go-to-market strategy development, digital health integration, and change management implementation. She serves a broad spectrum of clients, ranging from start-ups to established pharmaceutical giants, lending her expertise across various therapeutic areas such as women's health, oncology, cardiovascular disorders, and neurology.

RELEVANT LINKS:

• More about Herspiegel at this website.
• Connect with Swathi Rangan on Linkedin.
• Connect with Daniella Kapural on LinkedIn.

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

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, digital health tools have proliferated as a way for consumers to access care virtually and monitor their health conditions at home. State and federal laws have been modified to expand care settings and enhance the accessibility of healthcare services. Digital health solutions, however, are still unavailable to large portions of the population, resulting in inequitable access to care that has, at times, been exacerbated by the digital health revolution. Key barriers to digital health adoption include digital literacy, inconsistent access to broadband and high-speed internet, lack of access to smartphones and cell service, and cultural competency.

In this episode of FemInnovation, host Bethany Corbin sits down with Priya Bathija, a nationally recognized healthcare leader, attorney, and policy expert, to explore how femtech founders can enhance digital health equity. This episode explores the fundamentals of digital health equity, why digital health equity is essential in today's healthcare landscape, the impact socioeconomic factors have on digital health tools and resources, successful strategies for improving access to digital health services, how founders can design their products with digital health equity in mind, and much more! Don't miss this exciting episode designed to help founders and digital health enthusiasts bridge the digital divide.

RELEVANT LINKS:

• More about Nyoo Health at this website.
• Read Priya’s Article in the Journal of Health and Life Sciences Law on “Digital Health Equity: Narrowing the Digital Divide by Ensuring a Fair, Equitable, and Just Opportunity to Access Digital Health” at this website.

Connect with Our Guest, Priya Bathija: LINKEDIN

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On International Women's Day 2024, FemInnovation is dropping a special episode with a special announcement: the launch of the Women's Digital Health Network (WDHN)! The WDHN is committed to driving meaningful and innovative advancement in healthcare through sustained communications and collaborations with federal agencies, Congress, the women's digital health industry, and nonprofits. Learn about why the WDHN was created, its goals and objectives, and how to take part in this brand new initiative! We'll be following up with a regular episode on the WDHN with more information, but we're thrilled to bring you this special announcement today and to keep advancing the momentum in women's health and femtech.

Join the Women's Digital Health Network @ This Website
Learn More About WDHN's Founders:

• Liz Powell: LinkedIn | G2G Consulting Website
• Nada Hanafi: LinkedIn | MedTech Color Website
• Bethany Corbin: LinkedIn | FemInnovation Website

Determining whether and how to integrate artificial intelligence into your femtech product can feel like a daunting task. In today’s world of AI, big data, and machine learning, it can be tempting to assume that your product needs to incorporate AI to attract investment or secure a competitive advantage. While AI certainly has a place in femtech, its incorporation into your product should be deliberate and meaningful and provide recognizable value to your users. Otherwise, founders risk artificially inflating the price and complexity of their products without providing value to their consumers.

In this special episode of the FemInnovation Podcast, host Bethany Corbin talks with data and AI expert Gilad Barash about how to determine whether your femtech product needs AI and whether the “sensationalization” of AI is warranted. Gilad is a data and AI strategist and analytics leader who has worked for companies at the cutting edge of data. His 15 years of using data and AI to solve complex business problems has led him to start asking the hard questions about how data affects our everyday lives and how our lives in turn create data. Gilad explores these questions through his internationally recognized podcast “Who’s Your Data?” where he interviews industry thought leaders and discusses how data and AI affect different industries as well as their influence on social change. Don’t miss this exciting episode where Bethany and Gilad dive into the data hierarchy of needs (i.e., how to think about data and AI for your startup), the biases present in AI data sets, the crucial questions that startups need to ask themselves about data and AI, and the fundamentals of generative AI.

RELEVANT LINKS:

• More about the Who’s Your Data? Podcast at this website.
• Read Gilad’s Article on The Femtech Frontier: Embracing AI for Women’s Health in 2024 at this website.
• Sign Up for a Co-Hosted Webinar by Bethany and Gilad on AI Readiness in Femtech: Navigating the Data Hierarchy of Needs (February 21st at 12:00 pm EST). Register at this website.

Connect with Our Guest, Gilad Barash: LINKEDIN

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