Fiona Bao, Founder & CEO of GENPULSE, is driving clinical-grade AI scalp diagnostics for proactive global self-care.
When I pitched my AI-powered hair health diagnostic platform to investors, I faced a familiar paradox: solving a trillion-dollar problem for half the world’s population, yet struggling to secure a fraction of the funding my male counterparts received.
My experience isn’t unique. In health tech, female founders address the needs of billions of women while receiving just 1%–2% of total health-tech investment—a $40.2 billion opportunity largely ignored by traditional VCs.
Recent research reveals that FemTech companies, despite their potential, receive 23% less capital per deal when founded by women, and female-only teams secure just 28% of funding, compared to 38% for male-only teams. Phrases like “women’s rights” or “empowerment” in a pitch, when used by women, can actually hinder funding success.
Reactive strategies aren’t likely to close this gap. Female health-tech founders need insights, tailored tactics and the resilience to navigate a skewed funding landscape. The four lessons below offer a route forward: framing your pitch with data, navigating bias and unlocking overlooked opportunities.
1. Build a data-driven narrative.
Women-led health startups aren’t underfunded because they lack potential, it’s often because they’re misunderstood. Investors frequently interpret mission-driven language as ideological rather than economically viable. Translating your story into measurable impact, such as clinical outcomes, retention and cost savings, clarifies your value proposition and aligns with the metrics investors prioritize.
Frame your pitch around concrete data: efficacy (symptom reduction, faster diagnosis), customer acquisition and retention, revenue per user and lifetime value and healthcare system efficiency gains. Presenting this evidence can counter bias while strengthening your positioning as a market-driven company.
2. Diversify your funding sources.
Relying solely on venture capital can limit growth. Exploring angel networks, grants, crowdfunding, corporate partnerships and revenue-based financing creates flexibility and resilience. Women are increasingly present in angel investment, with nearly half of entrepreneurs seeking angel capital now being women. These investors often bring capital as well as mentorship and networks tailored to women-led ventures.
Create a funding ecosystem of these angel groups, national and state innovation grants, revenue-based financing, partners and crowdfunding platforms. Building across these channels expands your runway and strengthens your strategic network.
3. Know your market and its blind spots.
Even within FemTech, investment remains heavily concentrated. Fertility and pregnancy capture over 74% of funding, while menopause—affecting almost every woman—receives only 0.55% of research dollars. These gaps reveal overlooked markets with massive upside.
Consider menopause (billion-dollar market, 7% funding), endometriosis (nearly 200 million women affected with limited solutions), postpartum depression ($14 billion in annual healthcare costs) in a 2017 study, and pelvic floor health (nearly 1 in 4 women affected). Innovating in these underserved areas not only positions your company as a leader in an underdeveloped niche but also attracts investors seeking high-impact opportunities.
To sharpen strategy, research these spaces using reliable, free resources such as PubMed, clinical trial databases and patient advocacy groups to uncover unmet needs and validate demand.
4. Be persistent and strategic.
Some topics provoke resistance, such as vaginal health. Joylux founder Colette Courtion recounts pitching to male investors who visibly recoiled. She strategically hired a male CFO to ease discomfort but never abandoned her mission. Her story underscores how resilience paired with smart tactics can shift perceptions.
To navigate bias, try leading with market size and opportunity, including male advisors or investors for social proof, and using clinical rather than emotional language. Present your solution as healthcare innovation, not niche “women’s health,” and share traction metrics early and often. These strategies build credibility while keeping your vision front and center.
Persistence in the face of bias advances your business while helping reshape industry norms and paving the way for future generations of female founders.
Action Items For Your Next Pitch
Turning strategy into traction requires preparation. Before your next investor meeting, audit your deck for language that could trigger bias and replace vague ideals with clear, clinical framing. Prepare credible clinical studies or peer-reviewed sources that validate your solution.
Research at least five alternative capital sources to broaden your funding options, and identify two underserved patient populations that represent untapped demand. Finally, begin cultivating relationships with female angel investors and fund managers before you need funding. Early trust-building can accelerate your raise and expand your support network.
Conclusion: Resilience Fuels Innovation
The FemTech funding gap isn’t just a women’s issue; it’s a market inefficiency investors are slowly waking up to. As female founders continue to prove superior returns in healthcare innovation, the question isn’t whether this gap will close, but who will be smart enough to bridge it first.
For female health-tech leaders, persistence isn’t just personal resilience; it’s market making. Every “no” brings the industry closer to recognizing what half the population already knows: women’s health isn’t niche; it’s necessary.
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