The FemTech revolution is transforming women’s health. Here’s how. 

In an age where medical gaslighting is a global norm (yes, even in 2023), and women’s pain and discomfort are often dismissed as an annoyance or inconvenience, the rise of FemTech has unveiled decades of missed opportunities that could have improved women’s health all over the world, as well as empowered them. Half of the world’s population is women, yet only 4% of the medical research budgets are spent on their health. In India, the picture is disproportionate: Its government has one of the lowest health expenditures in the world—INR 1,944 per person—while recent surveys show that an average Indian household spent nearly INR 3,638, according to 2022 government figures.

Can FemTech transform women’s health? TL;DR, it absolutely can. 

FemTech, coined in 2016 by Danish entrepreneur Ida Tin, founder of women’s period-tracking app Clue, has broken down barriers to information and care for women worldwide in ways never done before. A McKinsey & Company survey of 763 FemTech companies estimates the current market size to be up to $1 billion, made up of interventions to improve maternal health patient support, consumer menstrual products, gynaecological devices, and fertility solutions.

If you’ve had doubts about how FemTech is improving women's health, it is worth noting that in some cases, the survey found that FemTech companies filled gaps “not yet addressed by biopharma and device incumbents.” Research has shown that when inventors set out to solve health problems, male inventors are more likely to solve for male-oriented conditions while women-led teams solve for both,” the survey adds. 

According to  Tracxn, a research firm that tracks start-ups and private companies, India has caught up to the revolution. The platform lists 323 Indian FemTech startups going back to 2014. Collectively, India represents over 5% of the world’s FemTech companies, estimated to reach $4 billion by 2024. 

This number is enormous, but so is India’s female population, which is nearly half of the country’s total population of 1.4 billion. The number is also significant since tech in the Global South is steeped in gender inequalities, and the tech scene is heavily male-dominated. Add to it the stigma around sexual and reproductive health in South Asia, which severely restricts the mobility of women as well as their access to digital literacy. 

Navneet Kaur, the co-founder of FemTech India, a platform that shares resources on women’s healthcare innovation, says, “There are lots of companies in the Indian FemTech ecosystem at different stages in the funding lifecycle. This lays the emphasis that the FemTech market in India is surely poised for growth and is anticipating funding and support from the global community.”

In the last few years, companies like Proactive For Her, Healthfab, Hera, That Sassy Thing, Ava, Healofy, and others have changed the way women access information about their health while also benefiting from the development of a wide range of sustainable and customised products for their sexual and reproductive health. 

S Ganesh Prasad, founder, MD, and CEO of GenWorks, says, that the future of FemTech is wearables, and soon, women will be able to don clothes that identify health issues and send health alerts. “What is seen in FemTech today is just the beginning of a revolution that will transform women’s wellness,” he says. Kaur adds, “India’s millennial women, predominantly working professionals between the age group of 23–38, are becoming the driving force behind the transformation in the Indian FemTech sector."

In recent years, India has emerged as a hub for FemTech, accounting for around 5% of the world's total FemTech companies. Here, FemTech is beyond just apps or trackers. It is integrating female empowerment and technology while also enabling women to make informed decisions about their health and wellbeing.”