What would our world look like if more women are in STEM? We would probably have more products and solutions that address diverse gender needs. According to the National Geographic, with a lack of women in science, fewer women would receive quality health care since there’s a routine procedural bias not to include sex as a variable in scientific research.
If more women were in STEM, we’d probably have more cool devices that are geared towards women’s health. Fortunately, we have a few of those, thanks to some brave and inspiring women who have taken the lead to start a tech company. Below are 6 of the latest female technologies, otherwise known as femtech, that are helping women live healthier lives.
1. The Eve Kit
Source: https://nowtoronto.com/lifestyle/you-can-now-screen-for-hpv-at-home-using-the-eve-kit/
The Eve Kit is a self-collection device that would allow women to screen for HPV at home, instead of getting a pap smear. Founded by Jessica Ching, when she was a student at OCAD, Eve Kit is designed to help more women who have difficulties accessing a pap clinic. Although the device is not as thorough as a pap test, it’s still a place to start in terms of screening.
2. Bellabeat
Source: https://webshop.bellabeat.com/products/leaf-urban-silver-edition
Bellabeat is a health tracker aimed at women. It uses an accompanying mobile app to measure a person’s activity, sleep, and even their ovulation and monthly cycle. The founder and CEO Urska Srsen was inspired by this idea after working on a remote patient monitoring system for prenatal care, and realizing how difficult it was for patients to do self-tracking.
3. VITALI Smart Bra
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vitaliwear/the-everyday-smart-bra-your-intuitive-wellness-coa
VITALI is a smart bra that uses 4 skin-friendly fabric sensors to track a person’s breathing and HRV. The sensor understands the user’s patterns and triggers to give them real-time feedback via gentle taps. It’s also accompanied by an app to track progress. The founder Cindy Gu designed the product as a personal project to combat health-related issues.
4. Maven
Source: https://www.mavenclinic.com/how-it-works
Maven is a women’s health app that connects patients with doctors via video chat, where they can ask questions, receive feedback, and get prescriptions. The company was founded by Kate Ryder who noticed her friends were receiving lots of misinformation or having trouble finding the right doctor after getting pregnant.
5. Clue Connect
Image source: https://www.helloclue.com/app.html
Clue is a women’s menstruation-tracking app, where users add data about their period and other personal notes. The founder Ida Tin wanted to differentiate her product from other female health apps, by setting out the basic realities of reproductive health in blunt, scientific terms, instead of embellishing them with flowers and pink.
6. Flex
Source: https://flexfits.com/pages/how-flex-works
Flex is a menstrual disc that replaces tampons. The sleek, disc-shaped blood blocker is doctor-approved to be hypoallergenic, and won’t cause toxic shock syndrome. Founder Lauren Schulte pitched her business plan in a room filled with men at the Silicon Valley incubator Y Combinator. Her company was among the top 10 out of more than a 100 to raise the most money at the start-up incubator.
Femtech is on the rise
These are just a few of the femtech companies that are founded by women. According to the 2015 Bloomberg report, funding for female health have nearly doubled compared to the previous year. CB insights reported that around 45 femtech startups since 2014 raised over $1.1 billion in funding. While femtech startups still take up a small fraction of the tech health industries, you can be sure to see more femtech startups cropping up in the near future.