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Are you innovating?

We bring together the most cutting-edge players and payers for a 360 degree perspective on innovation in women's health.

Connecting actors to bridge the gap in care and solve collective painpoints.

Innovation in women's health requires an ecosystem approach. Redesigning healthcare so it works for everyone.

Are you a FemTech Startup? Researcher? Clinician? 
Engineer? Corporate? Student? Designer?

We need everyone to design, build and connect these solutions.

Create & Catalyze With Us

What we do.

FemTechnology Summit. University Series. FemTechGuide.

FEMTECHNOLOGY SUMMIT

UNIVERSITY SERIES

Building the pipeline of innovation in women's health.

We scout and activate the future generation of innovators. 

We mobilise existing researchers and academics, showcasing their cutting-edge work.
 
We translate, connect and contextualise for a wider audience.

FemTechnology University Series - building the pipeline of innovation in women's health. The University Series will be a series of workshops taking place in Fall 2022 + Spring 2023. A FemTech Startup & Researcher will speak each time. College Students will engage live and share their own experiences. Speakers will be announced on a rolling basis.
FemTechnology University Series - building the pipeline of innovation in women's health. The University Series will be a series of workshops taking place in Fall 2022 + Spring 2023. A FemTech Startup & Researcher will speak each time. College Students will engage live and share their own experiences. Speakers will be announced on a rolling basis.
FemTechnology University Series - building the pipeline of innovation in women's health. The University Series will be a series of workshops taking place in Fall 2022 + Spring 2023. A FemTech Startup & Researcher will speak each time. College Students will engage live and share their own experiences. Speakers will be announced on a rolling basis.
FEMTECHGUIDE
DEEP DIVES
Let's Create Together.
White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft

What does the Future of Contraception look like – Harvard Business School FemTechnology University Series Event


 Read More “What does the Future of Contraception look like – Harvard Business School FemTechnology University Series Event”

Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft

How will improved diagnostics revolutionise gynaecology? FemTechnology University Series x ETH Zurich

Read More “How will improved diagnostics revolutionise gynaecology? FemTechnology University Series x ETH Zurich”

Uncategorized, White SpaceBy Oriana Kraft

Imperial FemTech Society x FemTechnology University Series

Read More “Imperial FemTech Society x FemTechnology University Series”

University

Series

The FemTechnology Summit brings together FemTech Startups, groundbreaking researchers, chief clinicians and university students to provide a 360 degree perspective on innovation in women’s health.

To kick of the Fall Semester we’re organising a series of events at different universities on reproductive-related health issues impacting college-age students, including:

Mental Health. Contraception. Periods. Sexual Well-Being. Access To Care. PCOS. Endometriosis. Fibroids. Autoimmune. STDs. UTIs & The Microbiome.

October 12, 2022
4:00 pm

Access to Contraception & Abortion

Tech x Regulatory x Payer Perspective on Contraception and Abortion
12 October
Time:  4:00 pm - 4:45 pm
Location:  Tech x Regulatory x Payer Perspective on Contraception and Abortion
4:45 pm

Menstrual Health

Clinician x Research x Patient Unmet Needs & Synergies on menstrual health
12 October
Time:  4:45 pm - 5:30 pm
Location:  Clinician x Research x Patient Unmet Needs & Synergies on menstrual health
5:30 pm

Networking Break

12 October
Time:  5:30 pm - 6:00 pm
Location: 
6:00 pm

Gynecological Conditions

What can Europe learn from the US in its approach to women's health and vice versa? What does the future of care look like?
12 October
Time:  6:00 pm - 6:45 pm
Location:  What can Europe learn from the US in its approach to women's health and vice versa? What does the future of care look like?
6:45 pm

Mental Health

A lifecycle perspective : What unique health challenges do women face at different life stages - and how can these patient/ user journeys be streamlined and effectively solved by the women's health ecosystem?
12 October
Time:  6:45 pm - 7:30 pm
Location:  A lifecycle perspective : What unique health challenges do women face at different life stages - and how can these patient/ user journeys be streamlined and effectively solved by the women's health ecosystem?
7:30 pm

Networking

12 October
Time:  7:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Speakers will be announced on a rolling basis. Events kick off in September. Pre-Register + we’ll let you know the event closest to you:  

Register Here
Register For the October Summit Here

Have a  Startup, Researcher or Clinician You’re Dying to Hear Speak? Nominate Them  – And We’ll Do Our Best To Make It Happen. 

Nominate A Startup, Researcher or Clinician

Are You A Researcher, Startup or Student Who Wants To Get Involved With FemTechnology Summit? 

Want To Get Involved? Let Us Know

Past Speakers

June 2022

Anna Lee

Co-Founder + Head of Engineering, Lioness

Dr. Jill Goldstein

Founder & Executive Director, Innovation Center On Sex Differences in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Register For the 2023 Summit Here

Deep Dives:

Deep Dives, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft

What does the future of contraception & fertility look like in 2022?

In 2021, at our inaugural FemTechnology Summit we asked: What does the future of contraception & fertility look like?

We featured Pascal Koenig of Ava, Lynae Brayboy of Clue, Eirini Rapti of Inne, Frederik Petursson Madsen of Cirqle 

Here’s what they had to say about it :

So much has happened since then:

Read More “What does the future of contraception & fertility look like in 2022?”

Deep Dives, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft

Top UK FemTech Startups

 

Read More “Top UK FemTech Startups”

Deep Dives, Health care, medical system, Top FemTech StartupsBy Oriana Kraft

Top FemTech Startups in the DACH Region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)

Read More “Top FemTech Startups in the DACH Region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)”

Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical system, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft

Women’s health is seen as a luxury: what does that mean?

In the UK, gynaecology waiting lists faced the biggest increase in delays of all medical specialities post pandemic: growing by 60%. Women with conditions like endometriosis, prolapse and heavy bleeding waited more than a year to receive NHS care in England – because the surgeries were classified as elective procedures for benign conditions.

Read More “Women’s health is seen as a luxury: what does that mean?”

Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft

Why do FemTech Founders start their femtech startups? 

Read More “Why do FemTech Founders start their femtech startups? “

Deep Dives, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft

What does it look like when women have access to information about their own fertility?

Did you know that 1 in 3 women will have a reproductive pathology at some point in their lives? The female reproductive system is highly dynamic and does not just impact the uterus or ovaries but metabolism, sleep, mood, weight, cognitive function, heart, bones … 

Read More “What does it look like when women have access to information about their own fertility?”

Deep Dives, FemTech Blog, Founder Interviews, Health care, medical system, UncategorizedBy Oriana Kraft

What can orgasms teach us about female health?

Read More “What can orgasms teach us about female health?”

Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft

Opportunities for improving the PCOS experience

Did you know that approximately 75% of individuals with PCOS remain undiagnosed when visiting their doctor? Despite PCOS being the most common endocrine disease in women of reproductive age – we still don’t have standard diagnostic criteria.

Read More “Opportunities for improving the PCOS experience”

Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft

Why PCOS is about more than just fertility

Did you know that children of mothers with PCOS are 31% more likely to be admitted to the hospital for infectious diseases and 47% more likely to be admitted for allergy-related problems?

Read More “Why PCOS is about more than just fertility”

Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft

Why are we ignoring the health of young women?  

Aka Why there should be more FemTech solutions focussed on college-age students:

College-aged women are one of the least-serviced demographics when it comes to women’s healthcare, yet they are also the age range that would make most sense to target first. It is the age when many conditions first manifest:

Read More “Why are we ignoring the health of young women?  “

Deep Dives, FemTech Think Pieces, Health care, medical systemBy Oriana Kraft

Barriers to Innovation In Women’s Health (A Series).

Healthcare wasn’t designed with women in mind.
Read More “Barriers to Innovation In Women’s Health (A Series).”

Deep Dives, FemTech Think PiecesBy Francesca Rosa

The systemic problem with the lack of education in women’s health and its consequences

We live in our bodies but, as women, we are not taught much about it. We rely on doctors’ expertise or advice from our friends to bridge the gaps in our knowledge. Is that all we need, though? We are, after all, truly the ones in charge of our health and our bodies. We have the right to be armed with the knowledge we need to be able to make educated and informed decisions about our health – and that is where the systemic lack of education in women’s health has failed us. Here we list 7 aspects of our health that are often overlooked when it comes to learn how our body works. 

Read More “The systemic problem with the lack of education in women’s health and its consequences”

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    Summit Schedule

    2022

     

    The Schedule is displayed in CET. 

    Day I
    Day II
    Day I
    June 1, 2022
    3:00 pm

    Introductory Remarks

    Welcome to the FemTechnology Summit + Overview of the day's topics
    Oriana Kraft
    1 June
    Time:  3:00 pm - 3:15 pm
    Location:  Welcome to the FemTechnology Summit + Overview of the day's topics
    Speaker:  Oriana Kraft
    3:15 pm

    RoundTable: The Future of Fertility

    The fertility journey is notoriously opaque and difficult to navigate. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization. In this roundtable we will explore in what ways personalized medicine holds the promise of revolutionize female fertility and gynecological diagnoses (31% of women will suffer from a reproductive health issue at some point in their lives). Featuring: Kindbody: a leading fertility and family-building benefits provider for employers offering comprehensive virtual and in-person care. Parla: a digital health platform putting data and knowledge in women’s hands, aiming to revolutionize and reframe the conversations around fertility and miscarriage. Hertility: At-home hormone and fertility testing that provides data-driven and advanced insights into reproductive health, fertility decline and the onset of menopause. With moderation focusing on how ovarian ageing can help us decipher long-term health by Staša Stanković.
    Dr. Lynn Marie Westphal, MDStaša StankovićLina ChanDr Helen O’Neill
    1 June
    Time:  3:15 pm - 4:45 pm
    Location:  The fertility journey is notoriously opaque and difficult to navigate. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization. In this roundtable we will explore in what ways personalized medicine holds the promise of revolutionize female fertility and gynecological diagnoses (31% of women will suffer from a reproductive health issue at some point in their lives). Featuring: Kindbody: a leading fertility and family-building benefits provider for employers offering comprehensive virtual and in-person care. Parla: a digital health platform putting data and knowledge in women’s hands, aiming to revolutionize and reframe the conversations around fertility and miscarriage. Hertility: At-home hormone and fertility testing that provides data-driven and advanced insights into reproductive health, fertility decline and the onset of menopause. With moderation focusing on how ovarian ageing can help us decipher long-term health by Staša Stanković.
    Speaker:  Dr. Lynn Marie Westphal, MDStaša StankovićLina ChanDr Helen O’Neill
    4:45 pm

    Speed-Dating/ Mingling with other FemTech attendees

    Lina Chan
    1 June
    Time:  4:45 pm - 5:15 pm
    Location: 
    Speaker:  Lina Chan
    5:15 pm

    The Economic Case For Investing In Women's Health Research

    Investing 300 million in women's health research across 3 diseases, returns 13 billion to the US economy. Investing 26 million in women's health adds back nearly 40 000 years of full-time employment for both women and men. "Breakthroughs in science are going to happen by studying the populations that we haven’t studied. Shockingly that means studying the majority group: women. Modern medicine is a house on stilts. There are a few foundational pieces that we’re right on but beyond that we don’t know. And the problem is not that medicine is a house on stilts but that it’s a house on stilts pretending it’s not a house on stilts. Which means we never do the hard work of evaluating what we actually know objectively and what we don’t. Medicine still routinely treats females as smaller males - treating the organs in a women’s body as if they’re just plug and play." Listen to the Keynote to learn why - for the sake of advancing medicine - this needs to change. Today.
    Chloe E. Bird
    1 June
    Time:  5:15 pm - 5:30 pm
    Location:  Investing 300 million in women's health research across 3 diseases, returns 13 billion to the US economy. Investing 26 million in women's health adds back nearly 40 000 years of full-time employment for both women and men. "Breakthroughs in science are going to happen by studying the populations that we haven’t studied. Shockingly that means studying the majority group: women. Modern medicine is a house on stilts. There are a few foundational pieces that we’re right on but beyond that we don’t know. And the problem is not that medicine is a house on stilts but that it’s a house on stilts pretending it’s not a house on stilts. Which means we never do the hard work of evaluating what we actually know objectively and what we don’t. Medicine still routinely treats females as smaller males - treating the organs in a women’s body as if they’re just plug and play." Listen to the Keynote to learn why - for the sake of advancing medicine - this needs to change. Today.
    Speaker:  Chloe E. Bird
    5:30 pm

    RoundTable: The Gender Data Gap

    The Gender Data Gap persists at every echelon of healthcare from trials to treatment. Some examples? 70% of the people affected by chronic pain conditions are women – but 80% of research into pain is conducted on male humans or rodents. Despite being the leading cause of mortality in women, diagnosis of heart disease and models of clinical care draw heavily on previous research conducted only with men. The vaginal microbiome is another example. It is associated with the risk for STIs, Pelvic inflammatory disease, Fertility issues or failed IVF cycles, Pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, preterm birth, neonatal problems, and preeclampsia and much more. And yet, though lots of resources have been invested in understanding other human microbiomes like gut or skin microbiomes, when it comes to the vagina, the microbiome has been overlooked.
    Priyanka JainAnna LeeDr. Yana AznavourEric Dy
    1 June
    Time:  5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
    Location:  The Gender Data Gap persists at every echelon of healthcare from trials to treatment. Some examples? 70% of the people affected by chronic pain conditions are women – but 80% of research into pain is conducted on male humans or rodents. Despite being the leading cause of mortality in women, diagnosis of heart disease and models of clinical care draw heavily on previous research conducted only with men. The vaginal microbiome is another example. It is associated with the risk for STIs, Pelvic inflammatory disease, Fertility issues or failed IVF cycles, Pregnancy complications such as miscarriage, preterm birth, neonatal problems, and preeclampsia and much more. And yet, though lots of resources have been invested in understanding other human microbiomes like gut or skin microbiomes, when it comes to the vagina, the microbiome has been overlooked.
    Speaker:  Priyanka JainAnna LeeDr. Yana AznavourEric Dy
    6:30 pm

    Keynote: How Male-Centric Medicine Endangers Women’s Health

    Women’s bodies are different from men’s bodies on a cellular level - yet the same treatments are usually prescribed for both sexes, even though women metabolise drugs differently so certain drugs remain in the system for longer or drop to dangerously low levels at certain points of the menstrual cycle. The impact of medication on women's QT (the resting time between heartbeats) is another example of differences between men and women. A woman’s QT is longer than a man’s and many prescription drugs –antidepressants, antihistamines, painkillers, antibiotics – cause incremental QT increases as a side-effect. For women taking multiple medications simultaneously (statistically women are more likely to be on multiple medications at the time), the risk of these combined increases can range from simple arrhythmia to sudden cardiac death.
    Dr. Alyson J McGregor, MD
    1 June
    Time:  6:30 pm - 6:45 pm
    Location:  Women’s bodies are different from men’s bodies on a cellular level - yet the same treatments are usually prescribed for both sexes, even though women metabolise drugs differently so certain drugs remain in the system for longer or drop to dangerously low levels at certain points of the menstrual cycle. The impact of medication on women's QT (the resting time between heartbeats) is another example of differences between men and women. A woman’s QT is longer than a man’s and many prescription drugs –antidepressants, antihistamines, painkillers, antibiotics – cause incremental QT increases as a side-effect. For women taking multiple medications simultaneously (statistically women are more likely to be on multiple medications at the time), the risk of these combined increases can range from simple arrhythmia to sudden cardiac death.
    Speaker:  Dr. Alyson J McGregor, MD
    6:45 pm

    Closing Remarks Day 2 FemTechnology Summit

    Oriana Kraft
    1 June
    Time:  6:45 pm - 7:00 pm
    Location: 
    Speaker:  Oriana Kraft
    7:00 pm

    Speed-Dating/ Mingling With Other Attendees

    Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed.
    1 June
    Time:  7:00 pm - 7:45 pm
    Location:  Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed.
    Day II
    June 2, 2022
    3:30 pm

    Introductory Remarks

    Welcome to the FemTechnology Summit + Overview of the day's topics
    Oriana Kraft
    2 June
    Time:  3:30 pm - 3:45 pm
    Location:  Welcome to the FemTechnology Summit + Overview of the day's topics
    Speaker:  Oriana Kraft
    3:40 pm

    Keynote: Impact of Sex on Risk & Therapeutics for Chronic Disease

    The co-occurrence of disorders of the heart and brain are the leading causes of disability worldwide, and women are at twice the risk for these comorbidities. Understanding the shared causes, beginning in fetal development, provides unique opportunity for development of novel sex-dependent diagnostics and therapies at the neural-cardiac interface. The future of precision medicine lies in using a sex differences lens across the lifespan for prediction, treatment, and prevention of chronic disease.
    Dr. Jill Goldstein
    2 June
    Time:  3:40 pm - 4:00 pm
    Location:  The co-occurrence of disorders of the heart and brain are the leading causes of disability worldwide, and women are at twice the risk for these comorbidities. Understanding the shared causes, beginning in fetal development, provides unique opportunity for development of novel sex-dependent diagnostics and therapies at the neural-cardiac interface. The future of precision medicine lies in using a sex differences lens across the lifespan for prediction, treatment, and prevention of chronic disease.
    Speaker:  Dr. Jill Goldstein
    4:00 pm

    The Link between Gender and Effective Therapy in Medicine

    There are sex differences in every single cell in the human body. This Roundtable will explore how those differences influence the way diseases manifest between the genders and how it should influence the way we can diagnose and deliver treatment effectively. Emphasis will be placed on the differences in pain, the immune system and cardiovascular system between men and women and the implications that has.
    Valentina MilanovaLeon A. BostonMette Dyhrberg
    2 June
    Time:  4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
    Location:  There are sex differences in every single cell in the human body. This Roundtable will explore how those differences influence the way diseases manifest between the genders and how it should influence the way we can diagnose and deliver treatment effectively. Emphasis will be placed on the differences in pain, the immune system and cardiovascular system between men and women and the implications that has.
    Speaker:  Valentina MilanovaLeon A. BostonMette Dyhrberg
    5:00 pm

    Virtual Mingling

    Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Virtual mingling is the perfect opportunity to meet attendees from around the globe.
    2 June
    Time:  5:00 pm - 5:30 pm
    Location:  Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Virtual mingling is the perfect opportunity to meet attendees from around the globe.
    5:30 pm

    The Future of Care

    Women's Health is undergoing a transformation when it comes to how we deliver care. There are holistic care model, care advocates, personalized care plans. We are changing who we consider to be responsible for care, including the caregiving economy and all its burdens.
    Dr. Neel Shah, MDHelene GuillaumeViola KarlDr. Sipra Laddha
    2 June
    Time:  5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
    Location:  Women's Health is undergoing a transformation when it comes to how we deliver care. There are holistic care model, care advocates, personalized care plans. We are changing who we consider to be responsible for care, including the caregiving economy and all its burdens.
    Speaker:  Dr. Neel Shah, MDHelene GuillaumeViola KarlDr. Sipra Laddha
    6:30 pm

    Keynote: The Future of Care

    How can we revolutionize care to make it more inclusive, allow women to access it better and incorporate sex and gender-based differences in clinical presentation, physical examination, laboratory results, treatment regimens and communication differences between men and women to assist clinicians in their conversations with patients.
    Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, MD MEdHP FACP
    2 June
    Time:  6:30 pm - 6:45 pm
    Location:  How can we revolutionize care to make it more inclusive, allow women to access it better and incorporate sex and gender-based differences in clinical presentation, physical examination, laboratory results, treatment regimens and communication differences between men and women to assist clinicians in their conversations with patients.
    Speaker:  Dr. Marjorie Jenkins, MD MEdHP FACP
    6:45 pm

    Closing Remarks FemTechnology Summit

    Oriana Kraft
    2 June
    Time:  6:45 pm - 7:00 pm
    Location: 
    Speaker:  Oriana Kraft
    7:00 pm

    Virtual Mingling

    Connect with other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned and what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Virtual mingling is the perfect opportunity to meet attendees from around the globe.
    2 June
    Time:  7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
    Location:  Connect with other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned and what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Virtual mingling is the perfect opportunity to meet attendees from around the globe.
    Register For The 2022 Summit

    Summit 2022

    Why Attend?

    Join the 2nd Edition of the Summit to discuss, discover and ideate about:

    The link between gender and effective therapy in medicine

    Bridging the missing data gap

    Innovative Tracking + Screening in Women’s Health  

    The Real World Consequences

    01
    History

    Throughout history women have been considered ‘aberrations’ from the norm, rather than a crucial and vital part of the population to be included in medical trials and long-term studies.

    02
    Participants

    Women of reproductive age were often excluded out of the fear that menstrual cycles and changes in hormones could pose unnecessary complications and act as unpredictable variables.

    03
    Data

    This has resulted in missing data sets and a lack of understanding, diagnosis and treatment of many gynecological conditions that impact large swaths of the female population, as well as unwanted pharmaceutical side effects for non-gynecological diseases, delays in care, underdiagnoses or undertreatment.

    04
    Future

    However – be it by wearables, mobile apps, home testing devices or kits – this is beginning to change, with the emergence of companies beginning to collect large amounts of new data, conduct subsequent research studies and develop new means of treatment.

    Register For The 2022 Summit

    Updates:

    2021 Speakers - what's new?

    MOBILE ODT's cervical screening technology will support a national cervical cancer screening project in India

    Cervical cancer affects 1 in every 79 Indian women. India contributes to 1/5th of all cervical cancer cases in the world. The EVA cervical screening technology of Mobile ODT will support a national cervical cancer screening project in India. It will be the most comprehensive and largest cervical cancer screening program performed in India, to date. In the words of CEO, Leon A. Boston at the 2021 Summit: "The only way to make an impact on cervical cancer screening is with artificial intelligence. This is going to be a game-changer for cervical cancer across the world."
    Click Here

    Integrating gender into the curriculum of all Swiss medical schools?

    Carole Clair and Joëlle Schwarz, co- heads of the Medical and Gender unit at the University of Lausanne's Centre of General Medicine and Public Health (Unisanté), began introducing courses on the influence of sex and gender on health into the medical curriculum in 2019. They have now received funding from the umbrella organisation Swissuniversities to integrate gender into the program of all Swiss medical schools in collaboration with all Swiss medical universities.
    Click Here

    Cirqle Biomedical wins the 2021 Index Award

    The Index Project foundation focuses on design that solves real needs in society – ‘design to improve life.’ OUI were awarded the Index Award for their innovative non hormonal contraceptive. Based on a completely novel approach to birth control, the OUI capsule reinforces the natural mucus barrier that exists in the cervical canal thereby making ovulatory cervical mucus impenetrable for sperm cells. OUI encourages women to take ownership of their bodies by utilising the female body's own defences to aid birth control.
    Click Here

    InterUniversity Femtechnology

    Challenge
    01
    What is it?

    The InterUniversity FemTechnology Challenge has a 21st design to engage University medical students with complementary disciplines: computer science, mechanical engineering, biomedical, social sciences … to innovate ignored and insufficiently solved challenges facing women’s health.

    02
    Who can participate?

    Anyone currently enrolled in University; Bachelor, Master or PhD. Multidisciplinary teams are encouraged to contribute a diversity of perspectives and approaches to the solution. However, single applicants are also permitted. Team members will use research ideally being conducted at their own university to form the basis for the solutions they propose.

    03
    Why should you participate?

    To help bring about real change! It's estimated that more than 90% of discoveries in medical innovation stay within academia and are not implemented to improve the lives of patients. That's a huge knowledge gap right there! Additionally, due to a variety of factors (lack of funding, historic exclusion from medical trials, sociocultural biases) women's health has been subjected to a lack of innovation. From fibroids to endometriosis to menopause to mental health - the possibilities to improve the diagnosis, care, knowledge and treatment surrounding women's health are endless - so why not you?

    04
    When will it take place?

    The Kick-Off will take place in February. The Deadline for enrolling is at the beginning of March. At the end of the 3 month Challenge – teams will pitch their solutions to an interdisciplinary panel of Judges. The Winners of each Challenge will be awarded a prize as well as presenting at the FemTechnology Summit at the beginning of June.

    05
    What are the topics?

    The topics are related to the main themes of the Summi:

    I. Disease Manifestation in Women: Chronic Pain, Depression

    II. The Environment and Female Reproductive Health: from PCOS to Infertility

    III. Differences in Immunity; from cyclical immunity to autoimmune diseases

    06
    What will the Format be?

    Leading up to the Kick-Off Event in February, a series of introductory videos about each of the topics will be posted online, giving a brief overview of each of the topics, the core obstacle to each of the topics and how different interdisciplinary approaches provide unique opportunities to help solve the issues. Once the challenges have been announced and the teams enrolled - there will be an online session held every 2 weeks where teams will get feedback from the community, researchers and start-ups respectively.

    Register Your Interest

    Summit 2021

    Roundtable Recordings

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aDF9niqcsE

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


    Past Speakers

    (2021 Edition)

    Get a 360-degree perspective from researchers, innovators and tech entrepreneurs about the challenges and solutions emerging in the field of FemTech

    Dr. Carole Clair

    Associate Professor and Co-head of Research and Innovation Training Department, UniSanté

    Alexandra Alvergne

    CNRS Research Fellow (Institute for Evolutionary Sciences, Montpellier University)

    Laura Symul

    Postdoctoral Fellow Statistics, Stanford University

    Past Schedule

    (2021 Edition)
    Day 1
    Day 2
    Day 1
    May 26, 2021
    3:45 pm

    Opening Remarks

    Dr. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek is a Cardiologist and Founder, Institute of Gender in Medicine at Charité Berlin and of the International Society Gender Medicine (IGM)
    Dr. med. h.c. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek
    26 May
    Time:  3:45 pm - 4:00 pm
    Location:  Dr. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek is a Cardiologist and Founder, Institute of Gender in Medicine at Charité Berlin and of the International Society Gender Medicine (IGM)
    Speaker:  Dr. med. h.c. Vera Regitz-Zagrosek
    4:00 pm

    RoundTable: Innovative Screening +Tracking Technologies

    One of the largest innovations in the medical sphere has been changing the point of Care for Patients … giving the patients themselves access to the knowledge and tools needed to monitor their conditions remotely and have a better understanding of their health. This Panel will explore how certain companies are doing just that for gynecological issues: .... Leon A. Boston, CEO of Mobile ODT: using artificial intelligence for cervical screening, evaluation, and sexual assault forensics......... Siew-Veena, Founder of Testmate Health: at home STD Kits....... Dr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius, Founder of Haplomind: supporting perinatal depression and anxiety.
    Leon A. BostonDr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius
    26 May
    Time:  4:00 pm - 5:30 pm
    Location:  One of the largest innovations in the medical sphere has been changing the point of Care for Patients … giving the patients themselves access to the knowledge and tools needed to monitor their conditions remotely and have a better understanding of their health. This Panel will explore how certain companies are doing just that for gynecological issues: .... Leon A. Boston, CEO of Mobile ODT: using artificial intelligence for cervical screening, evaluation, and sexual assault forensics......... Siew-Veena, Founder of Testmate Health: at home STD Kits....... Dr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius, Founder of Haplomind: supporting perinatal depression and anxiety.
    Speaker:  Leon A. BostonDr. Sonali Mohanty Quantius
    5:45 pm

    RoundTable: Gathering Female Specific Data by Innovative Means

    This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data.
    Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul
    26 May
    Time:  5:45 pm - 7:15 pm
    Location:  This session will cover the innovative ways companies are going about collecting gender specific data in order to: close the data gap and have a better understanding of female specific metrics; ....Eric Dy, CEO + Co-Founder of Bloom Life: remote personalised maternal and fetal healthcare....... Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO + Co-Founder of Eli Health: a product monitoring hormones in saliva at home to enable women to make informed decisions about their reproductive and general health........ Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, Principle Investigator on the Apple Women’s Health Study: the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has teamed up with Apple and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to gain a deeper understanding of how certain demographic and lifestyle factors could have an impact on menstrual cycles and gynecologic conditions.................... Laura Symul, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford, whose research focuses on women’s health and menstrual health, using a combination of self-tracked data from mobile phone apps and devices and clinical multi-omics data.
    Speaker:  Eric DySarah KerruishMarina Pavlovic RivasLaura Symul
    7:15 pm

    Closing Remarks

    Dr. Carole Clair specialises in the differences in clinical management induced by the gender of patients. She is also co-head of the department of training, research and innovation at the Center of general medicine and public health. She is a doctor who graduated from the University of Lausanne, FMH specialist in general internal medicine, Master in Science in Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health.
    Dr. Carole Clair
    26 May
    Time:  7:15 pm - 12:00 am
    Location:  Dr. Carole Clair specialises in the differences in clinical management induced by the gender of patients. She is also co-head of the department of training, research and innovation at the Center of general medicine and public health. She is a doctor who graduated from the University of Lausanne, FMH specialist in general internal medicine, Master in Science in Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health.
    Speaker:  Dr. Carole Clair
    7:30 pm

    FemTech Summit Virtual Mingling

    Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Need an Ice-Breaker? How about discussing the way YOU think women w/ gynaecological conditions could best be matched to the appropriate care.
    26 May
    Time:  7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
    Location:  Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you've listened to, learned + what other innovations you think are needed in the field of FemTech. Need an Ice-Breaker? How about discussing the way YOU think women w/ gynaecological conditions could best be matched to the appropriate care.
    Day 2
    May 27, 2021
    4:45 pm

    Opening Remarks

    Dr. Brigitte Leeners, Director of the Clinic for Reproductive Endocrinology at the University Hospital Zurich who will speak about what the daily life of a patient that comes to her looks like/ the issues they face and how innovative technologies can help with treatment/ facilitate their daily life
    Dr. Brigitte Leeners
    27 May
    Time:  4:45 pm - 5:00 pm
    Location:  Dr. Brigitte Leeners, Director of the Clinic for Reproductive Endocrinology at the University Hospital Zurich who will speak about what the daily life of a patient that comes to her looks like/ the issues they face and how innovative technologies can help with treatment/ facilitate their daily life
    Speaker:  Dr. Brigitte Leeners
    5:00 pm

    RoundTable: The future of Contraception and Fertility

    The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception
    Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig
    27 May
    Time:  5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
    Location:  The field of Fertility and Contraception has long been opaque and difficult to navigate, not mention a field rife with unpleasant and unforeseen Side Effects. Medicine as a whole, however, is entering an era of personalization – this panel will explore in what ways this will revolutionize female contraception (is it impossible to envision a future where female contraception is more specifically tailored to the user?) and fertility....... Pascal Koenig, CEO + Co-Founder of AVA: a bracelet that tracks multiple physiological parameters, including pulse rate, breathing rate, and temperature in order to detect the five most fertile days of a woman’s cycle in real time, while also delivering personalized insight about reproductive health and pregnancy .........Frederik Petursson Madsen, CEO + Co-Founder of Oui: a new approach to contraception that works by topically engineering the cervical mucus to provide effective contraception with minimal side-effects....... Dr. Lynae Brayboy, Chief Medical Officer of Clue: an FDA approved menstrual tracking app........ Eirini Rapti, CEO + Founder of Inne: which uses the hormones found in saliva to determine a woman’s most fertile window thus acting as both a fertility aid or a form of contraception
    Speaker:  Eirini RaptiDr. Lynae BrayboyFrederik Petursson MadsenPascal Koenig
    6:45 pm

    RoundTable: Pain and Symptom Management

    From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights.
    Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy
    27 May
    Time:  6:45 pm - 8:15 pm
    Location:  From as far back as Ancient Egypt medicine has been rife with recorded descriptions of gynecological conditions and the physiological pain they cause. In fact, ancient Egypt has the first recorded use of the term ‘wandering uterus’ – but it was not until ancient Greece and then Rome after it that the term ‘hysteria’ was coined, often used to dismiss a vast array of symptoms exhibited by women, attributed to their physiological abnormalities. And yet a disturbing lack of innovation to help track, manage and perhaps even cure the pain caused by gynecological conditions has been historically achieved – until today. In this panel we explore the innovative technologies being put forth to treat gynecological conditions: from pre-empting menopausal symptoms, to treating endometriosis with cannaboids to the all importance of tracking the symptoms to help manage them......Alexandra Alvergne; an Oxford Fellow and CNRS researcher whose research focuses on understanding the relationship between reproduction and female health, including working on contraceptive dynamics, infection and menstrual health, diversity in age at menopause and the impact of reproduction on ageing......... Dr, Sari Prutchi Sagiv, VP of R&D at Gynica : a medical company researching and developing cannabinoid solutions to target gynaecological symptoms and diseases......... Cécile Real, Co-Founder + CEO of EndoDiag: company developing new endometriosis diagnostic solutions for healthcare professionals. These solutions are intended to contribute to a better endometriosis diagnosis, a more personalized patient management, more efficient treatment options and fertility strategy.......... Chantelle Bell & Anya Roy, Co-Founders of Syrona Health : a startup that tracks endo and health symptoms, and allows users to access a community of patients with similar symptoms as well as providing doctor approved insights.
    Speaker:  Chantelle BellCécile RealAlexandra AlvergneDr. Sari Prutchi SagivAnya Roy
    8:15 pm

    Closing Remarks

    The Rector of ETH Zurich will deliver the closing remarks to the ETH Zurich FemTech Summit
    Prof. Sarah Springman
    27 May
    Time:  8:15 pm - 8:30 pm
    Location:  The Rector of ETH Zurich will deliver the closing remarks to the ETH Zurich FemTech Summit
    Speaker:  Prof. Sarah Springman
    8:30 pm

    FemTech Summit Virtual Mingling

    Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you listened to + learned today. Need an Ice-Breaker? Try coming up with what YOU think the biggest data set missing for female health is + how you think one might go about finding it.
    27 May
    Time:  8:30 pm - 9:30 pm
    Location:  Connect w/ other attendees to discuss what you listened to + learned today. Need an Ice-Breaker? Try coming up with what YOU think the biggest data set missing for female health is + how you think one might go about finding it.

    About the Summit

    Hosted annually, the FemTechnology Summit features top Startups, Researchers and Medical Doctors working in the field of women’s health – brining them together to showcase innovations happening in the field and highlight where work still needs to be done. 

    ETHZ Human Medicine: The path via ETH Zurich (for the Bachelor’s degree) and one of its partner universities (for the Master’s degree) lays the foundations for an education in human medicine that will go on to open up opportunities for exchange with the world of science and pave the way towards new developments and technologies. Tackling methods used in the world today, for instance in the areas of personalised medicine and medical engineering, provides a greater understanding of the opportunities and limitations of future treatment methods. ETH Zurich was a FemTechnology partner for the first edition of the Summit 

    Women at the Table,  founded and based in International Geneva, is the first Civil Society Organization to focus on feminist systems change by exercising leverage points in the key sectors of technology, the economy, sustainability and democratic governance. We accomplish this  by using the prism of technology, innovation & AI.  

    Co-founders of the <A+> Alliance for Inclusive Algorithms, we focus on correcting algorithmic bias. This bias is notably present in medical research and outcomes which is why we are proud to co-sponsor the first ETHZ FemTech Summit.   

    We are leadership of the UN Women Generation Equality Forum Action Coalition for Technology & Innovation for Gender Equality. 

    PODCASTS: 

    –> About the Summit <–

    https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/how-technology-can-help-with-perinatal-depression/46636416

    https://femtechinsider.com/femtechnology-femtech-summit-interview-oriana-kraft/

    https://open.spotify.com/episode/3kBEnPmV5pTLbbziyF3riw?si=L8NNgz_7RT6fKdIqNEQm2g&dl_branch=1

    https://rss.com/podcasts/epfelles/

    –> About Hormones + Female Health <–

     https://helloclue.com/podcast/hormonal-podcast-clue

    ARTICLES:

    –> About our Panelists <– 

    https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/07/health/femtech-women-health-care.html

    https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/how-an-app-is-helping-women-self-diagnose-perinatal-depression/46515038

    https://www.20minutes.fr/sante/2026871-20170310-bientot-solution-faciliter-diagnostic-endometriose

    https://www.letemps.ch/societe/carole-clair-une-vocation-legalite

    https://www.letemps.ch/societe/laura-symul-un-oeil-regles-jouent-un-role-crucial-survie-espece

    Oriana Kraft conceived, curated and produced the first edition of the FemTechnology Summit as her Bachelor’s Research Project at ETH Zurich.  Since then she’s become passionate about improving women’s health; from startup ecosystems, to medical education and convinced of the need to connect the great innovations happening in FemTech with the huge remaining gaps in medicine for women, particularly connecting innovative solutions directly with the patients who need them most. 

    Since graduating from ETH Zurich, Oriana decided to produce the second edition of the FemTechnology Summit, is working on a media project regarding the personalisation of women’s health and an Aggregator.

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