Best FemTech Startups in 2022

Over half the world’s population is made up of women, yet femtech is still an underdeveloped area of healthcare. This is beginning to change, however, and there are more femtech startups than ever before. In the coming year, you can expect to see some pretty significant growth in this industry and much of that is due to the newcomers to femtech.

In this article, we’ll look at some of the femtech startups you should be paying attention to. They’re up and coming and are set to be a big deal in the coming years.

BrightSign

This unique startup focuses on making communication universal. Created by Hadeel Ayoub, the company makes a glove that translates sign language into spoken word. This allows those who use sign language to communicate with those who don’t. The smart glove is compatible with any sign language in the world and provides you with over 30 spoken languages, as well as a reverse translation so the signer can read what the other person says.

BrightSign has gone beyond simply making it possible to communicate by taking this adaptative tech a step further. With the glove, you can select your voice, not only by gender but by age. There are more than 180 voice options to help people tailor their spoken voice to exactly what they want.

Elektra Health

While still early in the development of their services, Elektra Health is run by two women, Jannine Versi and Alessandra Henderson. They realized that menopause and many taboos around it were making it more difficult for women to deal with the inevitable change their bodies were going through. With that in mind, the two friends started up Elektra with the purpose of smashing the menopause taboo and creating an education system and community where women could feel empowered as they went through menopause.

1910 Genetics

Founded by Jen Nwankwo, 1910 Genetics is focused on AI-based drugs to help eliminate non-druggable areas of the human genome. At this point, the company has created two drug discovery engines. ELVIS™ and ROSALYND™ are both able to design highly personalized drug treatments. They create small molecule and protein therapies, via an AI engine.

Not only is 1910 Genetics set to come up with some rather novel drug options, but they also work on the entire timeline of early drug discovery. This includes everything, from the actual discovery to the point where the drugs are marketed and sold to the desired audience. This requires plenty of steps along the way, including lead optimization and marketing.

Simone

Among the impressive femtech startups you should be watching is Simone, founded by Maria Wang-Faulkner, Simone is designed to help women with hormone imbalances. There are over 1.5 billion women globally who suffer from this issue, yet very little research has been done into the problem. Simone offers support for those who deal with the health issues that form around hormone imbalances, such as PCOS, infertility, obesity, and more. Through a unique community that has like-minded people going through the same issues and an evidence-based digital coach, the company helps provide hope for these women.

Mumspring

Based in Nigeria, this femtech startup is making a difference in the lives of expectant and new moms, as well as their infants. While the company is Africa-focused at the moment, they have an eye on providing solutions for the entire world.

Essentially, Mumspring makes it possible for every woman to have access to prenatal care. This is done via providing resources and support throughout the pregnancy and shortly thereafter. From a podcast sharing stories of African mothers to a community full of women who are living locally, there’s no shortage of support offered. The company is run by Abisola Oladapo, who lives in Lagos, Nigeria.

Queerly Health

Trying to find a queer supportive healthcare practitioner is pretty hit and miss, even in today’s world. Meg Abraham of New York decided to start a company that would make it much simpler to match appropriate healthcare professionals to the patient who needs them. All doctors and practitioners are vetted and checked before they’re recommended, to ensure the LGBTQ+ community can get the healthcare they deserve, rather than struggling to find someone who will take them seriously and without judgment.

Delee

Many femtech startups focus on women’s health. Run by Liza Velarde, in conjunction with a business partner, Delee is changing the way cancer is diagnosed and managed. It could be a very big deal in the next few years, thanks to a unique blood testing device the company has designed.

The device checks blood for CTCs, which are malignant cells that shed from tumors and move into the bloodstream. If detected, they can provide early diagnosis of cancer long before a tumor becomes noticeable, providing better outcomes for cancer patients. The company also provides ongoing monitoring of treatment to check that the cancer treatment is effective, using the same blood tests.

Endodiag

When you think of femtech startups, you probably think of businesses that focus on fertility, period tracking, etc. as these are traditionally areas that receive a lot of attention. What doesn’t receive as much support is the diagnosis of endometriosis. This debilitating health affliction affects 10% of women who are of reproductive age and can be difficult to diagnose. This means there are delays in treatment and there’s no real cure.

Endodiag, founded by Cecile Real from Paris, France, is changing the world of diagnosis for those suffering from endometriosis. They develop products and services that can help diagnose or improve diagnostics for the disease.

Carrot

Fertility has always been a big focus for femtech startups, so it’s not surprising that there is another startup with this industry in mind. However, Carrot is a little different. Based in the US and founded by two women, Tammy Sun and Dr. Asima Ahmad, Carrot provides global fertility benefits for employers. The company offers flexible financial coverage to help businesses become more inclusive and supportive when it comes to their employees’ fertility.

Femtech startups are not new, but you’ll be seeing a lot more of them in the near future. These particular companies are poised on the brink of greatness, thanks to innovative tech or serving a need that is missed by most other companies. If you want to stay on top of the latest and greatest in femtech, keep a close eye on the startups on our list.