Despite CES already rescinding an award for a mico-robotic sex toy made for women — by a woman — we're optimistic about the future for women in tech.
That's why one of our fav weekly reads is Femstreet, a newsletter on women in tech, diversity and venture capital that hits your inbox every Sunday. The maker of Femstreet is Sarah Noeckel, an early-stage investor by day, who founded Femstreet to bring great visibility to the growing community of young women in venture and tech. We asked Sarah about her favorite products made by female founders. 👩
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The most common question I get is: “Who’s the most inspiring female founder that you have met?”
Investments into female healthcare exploded in 2018 and, as a result, women built some fantastic products for other women. And as more young adults delay parenthood — and the number of same-sex couples starting families climbs — demand for these products has never been higher. Here are a few companies I like in the space:
👶 Modern fertility made a fertility test that women can take at home to better understand their fertility hormones.
What to watch: There's no dominant brand in the fertility category, but it's also a space where customers are willing to pay. Modern Fertility provides people with information that was previously very expensive and often inaccessible in a value-driven way at a cheaper price point.
🤰Carrot Fertility works closely with employers to offer affordable, custom fertility care benefit programs that include IVF, surgery and egg freezing.
What to watch: I really hope that the future of fertility is entwined with the future of work. Many people don’t have insurance to cover these types of treatments through their employers’ health plans. Carrot addresses cost by taking aim at the larger system and processes all reimbursements internally, validating claim details by the company’s own standards.
⚕️Tia is a “one-stop-shop” for female health.
What to watch: Tia is designed to feel more like Snapchat than a traditional healthcare experience. You can finally chat with your doctor like you chat with your mom, and it solves the problem of waiting months to see a gynecologist as a new patient.
P.S. It's opening it's first NYC location soon, expanding beyond its digital health assistant, AskTia.
📚 O.School is a sex-ed platform that's a non-judgmental resource for all things sexuality, dating and relationships.
What to watch: With pornography on one end of the spectrum and sex-negative abstinence programs on the other, there are very few online resources that promote body positivity, inclusivity and how to handle sexual trauma. Serial entrepreneur Andrea Barrica founded O.School to fill that void. O.School is a safe space for users to engage with sex educators via live streams, chats and on-demand content.
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