- Women Who Tech, one of the largest organizations funding women-led ventures, has announced 10 finalists for the European leg of its Startup Challenge
Women Who Tech — one of the largest organizations to fund and support women-led ventures — has announced the 10 finalists for the European leg of its flagship Women Startup Challenge. These HealthTech startups are going to pitch their ventures to investors and compete for an equity-free $50,000 cash grant on October 7 at Paris City Hall, Hôtel de Ville.
“By 2040, $25 trillion will be spent annually on healthcare, yet only 9.7% of investor funding goes to women-led HealthTech startups. The Women Startup Challenge is fostering a culture and inclusive economy to accelerate women founders who are developing solutions to the biggest health problems, directly impacting people’s lives,” said Women Who Tech founder Allyson Kapin. “The reality is that the playing field for women isn’t level when it comes to investor funding, and we intend to tackle this gap head on by providing these founders access to capital, resources, and a top-tier investor network.”
These are the 2019 Women Startup Challenge Europe HealthTech Finalists:
Arthronica
London, England
A SaaS platform company to remotely diagnose arthritis using laptop/smartphone cameras combined with AI-powered software. And they provide rapid access to data on illness progression to optimize patient recovery pathways.
Blazar
Paris, France
A platform that helps oncologists and researchers predict patient responses to cancer immunotherapy treatments so patients living with cancer can fight it more effectively.
Cardiomo
NYC, United States
An AI-based company that is focused on cardiac patient monitoring. The company’s wearable device and analytic system remotely monitors patient vitals using biosensors and AI to detect cardiac events with 99.63% accuracy, providing life-saving alerts.
Cyprio
Paris, France
Cyprio is redefining 3D cell culture by developing “BioPearl technology,” a breakthrough in tissue engineering allowing the fabrication of 3D cellular models of human livers to provide better predictive research tools for drug efficacy and toxicity screening.
Eva
London, England
Eva is developing a health app that helps people manage the effects of menopause combining behavioral science, symptom tracking, and personalized health insights.
FORTË
NYC, United States
FORTË is a platform that provides access to boutique fitness studio classes coached by leading health and fitness experts worldwide. As a technology and subscription-based streaming platform, FORTË installs hardware and software into studios — which enables the classes to be streamed live daily.
Luma Womb
Paris, France
Luma Womb is harnessing low-level light therapy to increase fertility. And Luma Womb’s patent-pending medical device helps solve infertility issues related to thin uterine lining by using photobiomodulation to regenerate it.
Meds²Go
Noordwijk, the Netherlands
Meds²Go has developed innovative and stylish cooling containers for people who rely on temperature-sensitive medicines. And by extending the travel time (without charging) and measuring the temperature, the container gives people the freedom and security to travel.
uFraction8
Falkirk, Scotland
uFraction8 develops novel filters to help bio-manufacturers, who grow biological cells (yeast, bacteria, micro-algae, mammalian cells) for products (food and drink, feed, bio-chemicals, medicines), to harvest cells with sustainable and scalable technology outcompeting conventional filters and centrifuges.
Wellola
Dublin, Ireland
Wellola is a SaaS platform that’s revolutionizing how clinics care for and communicate with patients. And Wellola’s white-label platform provides clinics with the technology to conduct patients’ secure e-visits and has built-in messaging systems, online payment processing, and more.
These startups will pitch their ventures to esteemed investors and global health leaders including Sarah Fisher (senior director, global markets, external innovation, Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices), Jean-Louis Missika (Deputy Mayor of Paris), and Eamonn Carey (Managing Director of Techstars London).
“We need to raise awareness around the importance of investing in women-led HealthTech startups,” added Craig Newmark Philanthropies and craigslist founder Craig Newmark — who is also a member of the Advisory Board for Women Who Tech. “It’s crucial we have people with diverse backgrounds solving the industry’s biggest problems, which is why programs such as the Women Startup Challenge are so important.”
Along with the equity-free $50,000 grant the winner will receive, Women Who Tech will also provide fundraising pitch coaching and investor mentoring to the 10 women-led HealthTech startups that are working to improve lives and champion greater healthcare solutions globally.
“There’s still a long way to go to reach equality in investment for women-led startups. These 10 finalists demonstrate the progress we desperately need to bring to the healthcare industry,” added Fisher.
The Women Startup Challenge Europe HealthTech received more than 250 entries, of which 50% were comprised of women of colour and of diverse nationalities.
And the Women Startup Challenge is supported by Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JLABS, Office of the Mayor of Paris, Rad Campaign, Donna Griffit Storyteller, etc.
