Jessica Karr’s Post

🚨 Frustrated, but not surprised! The latest from The Guardian (read it here: https://lnkd.in/eBW9Pq-p) reveals a harsh reality: if you’re a woman leading health tech, good luck getting funded. This isn’t new. It’s just another hurdle in the constant battle for women’s health equity. Dr Fiona Pathiraja-Møller, and others have drawn attention to this before, and yet we’re still here—fighting for the funding and attention that should already be flowing toward women’s health. How do we move forward? 1️⃣ Call it out, loudly. Silence perpetuates bias. 2️⃣ Invest with intent. Investors, it’s time to back women-led innovations that matter.  3️⃣ Don't wait for permission. Women in this space—create, innovate, and take your seat at the table... ...like Cecilia Lindgren and Paula Bellostas Muguerza and may others in this space. At Aneira Health, we’re all in on solutions for women's health. No excuses, no compromises. We don't have time to keep waiting. ⚡ #WomensHealth #FemTech #HealthcareInnovation #FundingBias #AneiraHealth #WomenInLeadership #HealthcareEquality

I’m incredibly excited and proud to share the story of Jennifer Newell and the groundbreaking work she’s doing at Betty's Co. 💡 Jennifer’s mission to redefine women’s health with mobile clinics, virtual care, and a truly holistic approach to wellness is nothing short of inspiring. From bringing gynecological and mental health care directly to women, to fostering community and breaking stigmas, Betty’s Co. is changing the game in how we think about healthcare. This is more than a story about innovation—it’s about empathy, inclusivity, and empowering women to take control of their health. Jennifer’s work is a testament to what happens when purpose meets action, and I’m honored that The Down Market had the opportunity to highlight her journey. Check out the full story at TheDownMarket.com and see how Betty’s Co. is making an impact on lives across Texas and beyond. #TheDownMarket #BettysCo #WomensHealth #Innovation #CreativeStorytelling #EmpathyInAction #HealthcareTransformation Geekdom San Antonio Startup Week

Amazing to be listed among the 10 most active early stage women's health investors by PitchBook! I was tired of women's health being an afterthought, so I started investing into startups looking to transform the industry. And as I looked deeper, I realized that women's health is so much bigger - it's also about the health of families, communities, and economies. Women's health is everyones health. But a shocking fact is that much of our medical knowledge comes from studies on men which means that we're missing crucial information about women's unique health needs. By investing into women's health, we are closing the gap in research and access to care and that has far reaching benefits across our society. Lucky to have so many inspirational founders in my orbit transforming women's health including: Jannine Versi, Alessandra Henderson, Lauren Berson Sugarman, Dr. Christy Lane, Fifi Kara, Nadya O., Laura J. McDonald, Phoebe Seoyeon Choi, Robin Berzin MD, Allison Rapaport, Kara Egan, Jade Kearney. Get to know them... then send customers and capital their way!

I love seeing women’s health tech get more attention! As we all know, VC funding for this space has been limited, we’re talking only 2% of health-related investments. This market is valued at $41.3 billion and is set to grow to $66 billion by 2033. Seeing more venture capital flowing into fertility, menopause, and maternal health makes me even more excited about the future. To truly unlock women’s health innovation, we need more funding, diverse clinical trials, and forward-thinking entrepreneurs to pave the way. Can’t wait to see even more investors and founders jump on board! #WomenInHealth #VentureCapital #Innovation #Healthcare2025 #WomenEntrepreneurs #Leadership #DisruptTheNorm

💥A few weeks ago, the headlines were buzzing (and let’s be honest, raging) about 𝗙𝗹𝗼 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 $𝟮𝟬𝟬𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. On one hand, it’s great news for women’s health apps—investment in FemTech is long overdue. But on the other hand? Flo is a male-founded company, and meanwhile, so many female-led period trackers—created by women, for women—are struggling to secure even a fraction of that funding. As a female business leader who’s faced misogyny and sexism—and fought through the bro culture of investors—I can’t help but feel conflicted. Yes, we need more investment in women's health, but how can it be that male founders are getting these big cheques, while female founders in the same space are hitting wall after wall? 𝙉𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙙, I took a deep dive into the issue on my blog at BelleMedia. I explore the investment gap in women’s healthcare and what Flo’s success could mean for FemTech going forward. We can’t ignore that this investment is a win, but it also shines a light on the systemic barriers that continue to hold back female founders—especially in a sector that should be championing women at every level. Let’s talk about what needs to change. Women should be more than the users—we should be the creators and the leaders, shaping the future of women's health on our terms. 👉 https://lnkd.in/eecmD_Db It's important to keep the conversation going. It’s long overdue... #WomensHealth #FemTech #Investment #ED&I #WomenInBusiness #BelleMedia

🚀 Building Tomorrow’s Unicorns in Women’s Health & FemTech 🚀 Women’s health innovation is on the rise, but access to funding remains a critical hurdle. That’s where A Force for Good steps in. We’re on a mission to support visionary founders in women’s health and FemTech to build scalable, high-impact companies that lead to industry-shifting solutions. 💡 The Opportunity: With initiatives like Portfolia’s FemTech Fund, women investors are stepping up to drive change and fuel underfunded sectors like fertility, menstrual health, and mid-life wellness. But there's still more work to do. As Trish Costello of Portfolia puts it, “Money is power, and women own a lot of wealth.” It's time to leverage that power to shape the future of healthcare for women. 🌱 Our Role: We help founders develop scalable systems, align purpose with profit, and create ventures that attract the funding they deserve. From strategy to structure, we are here to help you build the next big thing. 📢 What’s your vision for the future of women’s health? Drop it in the comments below! Read the full article on how Portfolia is driving change in women’s health investments: https://loom.ly/-NuRJ9A #FemTech #ForceForGood #WomenInHealth #WomenInvesting #ScalingWithPurpose #WomenFounders #VentureCapital #HealthInnovation

There's no shortage of demand. There’s no shortage of innovation. So, why is it still so hard to succeed in women’s health? Christina Farr walks through why in this latest article from Second Opinion Media. It all comes down to these 5 major hurdles that many in the women’s health space have to face: - Investors hesitant to back women’s health startups and/or female founders. - Deep-rooted misconceptions and discomfort around discussing women’s bodies. - Limited total available market (TAM) which turns off investors (despite billion-dollar potential for startups providing solutions for PCOS, endometriosis and pregnancy). - Low reimbursement rates that make it hard to build profitable, VC-attractive business models. - Shrinking venture capital funds, with 2024 being the worst fundraising year since 2015. These obstacles make it difficult for critical solutions to reach the women who need them most. If you’re as passionate about driving change in women’s health as we are, this article provides key insights into why these challenges persist (and how to overcome them). You can read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/etWgzyUJ P.S: What do you think is the biggest barrier to success in women’s health? Share your thoughts in the comments! 👇🏽👇🏾👇

I've spent the last several years working in healthcare and over the last several months, I’ve immersed myself in the healthcare startup ecosystem. I've had some incredible conversations with universities, accelerators, and inspiring women founders and I’ve had the privilege to meet women like: - Michelle Hill, PhD who is developing a screening test for Ovarian - Diana Zhang and her co-founder Anastasia Latin, who are developing a test to diagnose Parkinson’s - Helene Blanchard who has developed an app that automatically detects falls or seizure-like movements using smartwatch sensor technology - Hannah Gandevia who is reimagining female health and wellness A common theme emerged from these discussions: there’s a lack of support to help these amazing women accelerate their growth and bring their innovation to market. To address this issue, I’m thrilled to introduce Health Care Innovators—a dynamic community where women founders in health unite to thrive. We champion and empower women at every stage of their entrepreneurial journey. Our members—clinicians, researchers, and entrepreneurs—come together to support, learn from, and uplift one another. 💡💪 What is Health Innovators Circle? Health Innovators Circle empowers female founders by combining peer support with external expertise and mentorship. Our mission is to provide the right environment to drive success, offering the support these founders need to overcome challenges, accelerate growth, and create a positive impact on healthcare. I’m especially excited to have Sinéad Fitzgerald join forces with me! Our shared passion for supporting and elevating women in healthcare, along with her incredible expertise, makes her the perfect partner to help drive this mission forward. If you know any inspiring women founders looking to join a community that will support and help accelerate their startup journey, or anyone who would like to support these incredible women, please get in contact. Applications are now open for our founding cohort! Link in comments. Jane Cockburn, Oliver Weidlich, Eléonore Cluzel, Monika Esprit, Noelia Nebot, Ph.D, Emily Leiding, Grant Howie, Myles Lagolago-Craig, Nan Meka, Shuba Paheerathan, Lucy Lin, Matthew Frith, Adele Moynihan, Tamara Mills #healthcareinnovation #femaleentrepreneurs #womeninhealthcare #peermentorship #HealthInnovatorsCircle #supportnetwork

A very familiar tale of how systems and structures reproduce themselves…

One of my key tenets to advance #womenshealth is that we *MUST* breakdown traditional silos both within and outside of academia. We must be creative, innovative and generative in how we think about women’s health and how we drive discovery in women’s health so that the goal of improving health is an achievable reality. I am thrilled to be working with impact.51, its leaders and this advisory board to move this field forward. Remember, it’s not that we cannot advance women’s health, it is that decisions (directly or indirectly) were made not to. We can change this. We have to change this. Come join the revolution.