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India’s femtech startups are listening to women
Summary
Startups in the women’s health space building products for problems ranging from tiredness to fertility are growing both in size and customers
At home and the doctor’s office, women often find themselves unheard when they explain their health issues. Their symptoms are treated lightly and they are asked to bear with it or “lose weight" as if that is the only solution. But the growth of female-focussed health companies, referred to in popular parlance as femtech companies, is changing things up.
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The term “femtech", an abridged word for “female technology", was first coined in 2016 by entrepreneur Ida Tin, the founder of Clue, a Berlin-based period-tracking app. Femtech companies provide diagnostic tools, products, services, wearables and software that use technology to address women’s health issues: menstrual, reproductive, sexual and maternal health along with menopause. It also encompasses general health conditions that affect more women disproportionately or differently.
Removing stigma
When Shaili Chopra, journalist and founder of She The People TV Network, set about to start Gytree, “a one-stop platform for women’s health" to quote their website, the core problem, she and co-founder Swarnima Bhattacharya chose to focus on was thakan or exhaustion. “We set up Gytree as an outcome of understanding that while women have many issues or pain points—from breast cancer to vaginal infections—their biggest pain point is that they’re (always) tired," says Chopra. While the idea of centering a company around a seemingly simple and ubiquitous issue may seem laughable, the idea of helping women tackle that “permanent state of exhaustion" has led Chopra and her team to design programmes and develop health products for preventive healthcare.
“Our products and programmes are regime and routine-led that aim to not merely solve a symptom but get to the root of the issue," says Chopra. Gytree’s nutritional products, launched a year ago, include plant-based protein powders and gummies that aim to tackle symptoms related to women’s health, including skin and hair issues, weight and gut problems and other troubles linked to midlife and menopause. Among other things, the company offers at-home lab test packages and consultations with experts for weight management and cholesterol and diabetes management, as well.
While women’s nutrition is an important segment, femtech companies also aim to address subjects like menstrual, sexual and reproductive health that generally have a stigma attached to them. Bengaluru-based co-founders Nidhi Panchmal and Dipalie Bajaj realised early on that most women aren’t aware of their fertility issues, and by the time they do, it’s often too late for them to consider the options. They started Arva Health to give everyone access to the information and expertise they need to make smart choices about their fertility through a combination of fertility tests, expert counselling, consultations, coaching and continuous support.
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“Our goal is to make fertility awareness easy to understand, so that individuals can plan their futures confidently, and on their terms," shares Bajaj. “By addressing key areas like fertility awareness, preconception health and family planning, we’re creating solutions that resonate with real-life experiences across the gender spectrum. Our data-driven tools and insights empower individuals and couples to take control of their reproductive health and make informed decisions about their family-building journeys," Bajaj elaborates.
Women’s healthcare enables better outcomes for women consumers by enabling self-care. Personal and menstrual hygiene products are among the other femtech solutions that are helping women take greater charge of their health. Pee Safe, a Gurugram-based company that manufactures personal and feminine hygiene products, started out by creating a toilet seat sanitizer spray, a revolutionary hygiene product for women, about seven years ago. Next, sensing a gap in menstruators’ needs, Pee Safe entered the menstrual hygiene market with sanitary napkins, tampons, menstrual cups and complementary products such as menstrual cup steam sterilisers, menstrual cup containers, cramp relief patches and more.
“We created products that help women decide what product is the best for them. To provide women with all-round period care support, we also have a WhatsApp period tracker and an AI chatbot on the website that caters to our customers’ needs by recommending products as per their requirements," says Rithish Kumar, co-founder of Pee Safe. The company also focuses on online community building for their customers.
McKinsey & Company in their 2024 report Femtech the Future of Women’s Health stated that public awareness, the formation of new companies, and fund availability have led to a surge in the production of healthcare products designed for women. They have estimated the current market size of the femtech business to be between $500 million and $1 billion and predicted that the market would grow even further.
Bengaluru-based Elda Health is another digital health platform focused on providing comprehensive healthcare services for women. What sets it apart from other ventures in the space is that it’s one of the few companies serving menopausal women in India. Elda Health’s co-founder and CEO Swathi Kulkarni cites some data to show why such a platform is the need of the hour. According to the Indian Menopause Society (IMS), 150 million women in India are undergoing their menopause transition. But out of the (approx) 70,000 gynaecologists in India, there are only 700 menopause specialists in the country, Kulkarni shares. “Women’s gynaecological health, the most unspoken issue, and the largest untapped market globally, needs a multidisciplinary approach, with the correct mix of medical and technological expertise," she adds.
Democratise health for all
Dr Garima Sawhney, gynaecologist and co-founder of Pristyn Care, a health-tech company in Gurugram cannot stress enough on why women’s health needs specific attention. “Every woman undergoes hormonal changes during different stages of her life. From her teenage to reproductive years and post-menopause, there is a delicate interconnection that influences the woman’s well-being. So the development of femtech and advancements in female health are essential. Femtech ensures women have equal access to healthcare innovations," says Dr. Sawhney.
Chopra says the emergence of more companies in the femtech space will only rise. “More women will join the workforce and enjoy spending power. With greater awareness of health and self-care, they are going to look for functional nutrition solutions that will keep them going. So functional nutrition for women is going to be big in the next few years," Chopra says, adding that for companies to succeed, they would need to understand the nuances of women’s well-being and offer solutions that can be executed effectively.
Kulkarni believes that femtech will democratise health for all. “Femtech has the power to transform how women across the globe can access healthcare, education and interventions efficiently and in a way that we can all afford it," she says.
Aditi Sarawagi is an independent writer who covers wellness, travel and food.
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