Entrepreneur
Investment roundup: Finland and UNICEF launch femtech investment opportunity, $1m for next-gen fertility clinics in India, and more

Femtech World explores the latest investment developments in the world of women’s health.
Arva Health raises US$1m to build India’s next-gen fertility clinics
Arva Health has announced that it has raised US$1m in pre-seed funding to build next generation fertility clinics in India.
The company has stated that the funding will fuel the launch of India’s first network of tech-enabled fertility clinics, beginning in Whitefield, Bangalore which will provide fertility testing, consultations, egg freezing, and IVF in a modern setting.
Arva says it plans to open clinics in ten locations, including Mumbai and Delhi, by 2027, and that it intends to expand into men’s fertility services and develop a digital platform to offer continuous support for fertility.
Sinai Health Foundation receives investment for mature women’s health centre
Sinai Health Foundation has received investment that will help build the physical space to house the Centre for Mature Women’s Health. The centre will focus on closing gaps and addressing the health inequities that women face as well as providing the resources for research, education and training to set a new standard for mature women’s health care in Canada and globally.
The centre will also foster improved integration, fuel research operations and expand education activities like establishing first-of-their-kind Chairs in emerging fields or expanding menopause training programs to equip health practitioners with the latest in treatments.
“Our vision is to ensure women can access the health care that addresses their unique physiological needs at every stage of their lives,” said Dr. Wendy Wolfman, Director of the Centre for Mature Women’s Health.
“Through the generosity of our community, we have been able to turn this vision into a reality by making the Centre the most comprehensive of its kind in the world.”
Finland and UNICEF launch global investment opportunity for femtech solutions
The Embassy of Finland in New Delhi and UNICEF have launched a global call for applications from tech startups in low- and middle-income countries developing fem tech solutions.
The UNICEF Venture Fund will identify and invest in these tech solutions offering grant funding and one year of mentoring. Early-stage tech start-ups developing open source solutions using cutting edge technology including AI and blockchain are encouraged to apply before 8 May 2025.
The Fund has stated it is building on a first decade of social venture investment by doubling the impact of investments to reach more people in more countries in half the time by 2030. The Ethereum Foundation, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), GSR Foundation will all be contributing to this aim.
Zero Candida begins trading on OTCQB market
Femtech medical device company Zero Candida Technologies has now begun trading on the OTCQB Venture Market under the ticker symbol “ZCTFF”. The company will continue to trade on the TSX Venture Exchange and Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Eli Ben Haroosh, Founder and CEO of ZCT, commented: “Today’s announcement is another exciting milestone for Zero Candida’s long-term growth. We look forward to expanding our market presence and strategic partnerships, broadening our investor base to support our mission, and unlock substantial value through AI-driven medical technology.
“This listing comes at a pivotal time, aligning with our recent patent advancements and the rapidly growing VVC treatment market, driven by strong US demand.”
Fem Tech Innovation Hub launches in Pakistan
The Centre for Economic Research in Pakistan (CERP) has launched the Femtech Innovation Hub for Pakistan (FIHP), according to news reports. The initiative has been funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The Centre is located at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and has been launched in collaboration with the LUMS Centre for Entrepreneurship (LCE).
The hub will enable Femtech startups to have access to mentorship and investment opportunities and will work to find innovative technological solutions for women’s health issues.
$125,000 for women-led healthcare platform at DMZ Women Innovation Summit
Betakit has reported that four women-led startups bagged US$535,000 in new investments at the DMZ Women Innovation Summit.
One female-led AI-powered healthcare platform, Migranium received $125,000, which has been designed to optimise healthcare operations such as scheduling, messaging, patient care and more.
Entrepreneur
Just 24 hours left to nominate your company of the year

You have until Friday to nominate your femtech company of the year.
The award is one of 10 featuring at Femtech World’s third annual awards event, which attracts entries from across the UK, EU and Europe.
The Company of the Year Award is for companies that have demonstrated exceptional leadership in tackling women’s health needs through groundbreaking products, services or platforms that are shaping the future of global femtech.
If your company is driving innovation, impact and growth in this space, this award was made for you.
About the sponsor: Femovate
The category is backed by Femovate, the global femtech incubator using design to fuel innovation across every stage of a woman’s health journey, from proactive prevention through to personalised treatment.
Femovate has invested over US$2 million in design capital, working side-by-side with founding teams to bring market-ready solutions to life.
The startups it supports have collectively raised US$120 million, launched 30 products, and secured seven FDA clearances.
Why enter?
The Femtech World Awards are free to enter.
Winners and shortlisted companies receive extensive coverage across all Femtech World platforms.
Winners will also receive a trophy and the opportunity to be featured in an interview for the publication.
Find out more about the Femtech World Award and enter here by 4pm BST on Friday 17.
Entrepreneur
The disciplined advantage: Wellness for modern leadership

By Chaitra Vedullapalli, founder and president, Women in Cloud
Today’s leaders are carrying more than responsibilities.
They are carrying caregiving roles, financial pressures, legal complexities, and the quiet emotional weight of sustaining performance in unpredictable times.
And yet, most leadership forums still focus on productivity, growth, and scale, rarely addressing the human systems that enable sustained leadership.
At Women in Cloud, we believe the next generation of leadership will not be defined by endurance alone, but by discipline, preparation, and self-respect.
That is why we are proud to announce the #WICxWellness Summit 2026: The Disciplined Advantage.
This is a wellness summit focused on leadership preparedness.
Why This Summit Matters Now
Across our global community, a clear pattern has emerged.
- More professionals and executives are quietly navigating:
- Life-threatening health crises, personally or within their families
- Financial stress caused by medical, caregiving, or business shocks
- Legal and healthcare decisions with long-term consequences
- Career interruptions due to caregiving responsibilities
- Chronic exhaustion, grief, and emotional isolation
These experiences are widespread, yet rarely discussed in executive settings.
#WICxWellness 2026 brings these realities into the open with compassion, clarity, and practical guidance, so leaders can prepare, adapt, and continue forward without breaking.
This is wellness as a leadership discipline.
What We Will Explore
This year’s summit is designed to provide grounded, immediately applicable insights for founders, executives, and senior leaders.
Executive Function Under Chronic Stress
Keynote with Jennifer Brown

Focus Areas:
- Understand how chronic stress alters judgment, focus, and emotional regulation
- Identify early warning signs of cognitive overload in leadership roles
- Adaptability as a Cognitive Anchor: Navigating rapid change without compromising decision-making.
- Resilience Through Connection: Building human-centric teams to mitigate the stress of uncertainty.
- Navigating Change with Emotional Intelligence: Regulating stress responses to maintain clarity and empathy.
- Systemic Agility in High-Pressure Environments: Creating foundations of psychological safety that protect organizational function
Labs That Matter (And What to Do With Them)
Fireside Chat with Chelsey Galipeau and Chaitra Vedullapalli

Focus Areas:
- Which health tests are worth the time and investment
- Interpreting results without panic
- Preventive strategies for executive longevity
- Avoiding unnecessary medical spending
Caretaking Without Collapse
Panel With Karen Fassio, Anca Platon Trifan, Scilla Andreen, Clara Schroeder, Sheena Yap Chan

Focus Areas:
- Managing family and professional demands without burnout
- Setting humane boundaries
- Building sustainable support systems
- Ending silent sacrifice in leadership
Food as a Stability System (Not a Diet)
Fireside Chat with Nancy Watt and Meagan T. Copelin

Focus Areas:
- Nutrition for sustained energy and clarity
- Blood sugar and decision-making
- Realistic eating during travel and stress
- Food as operational resilience
Autoimmunity, Hormones & Cardiac Risk in Real Life
Fireside Chat with Dr. Linda Bing

Focus Areas:
- Managing invisible health risks
- Hormonal transitions and stamina
- Flare prevention at work
- Energy mapping for leadership performance
A Different Kind of Leadership Conversation
At Women in Cloud, we have learned something fundamental:
Performance is visible. Discipline is invisible.
Yet discipline determines whether leaders can serve, build, and lead over decades, not just quarters.
The Disciplined Advantage is about building that resilience intentionally.
Through science, lived experience, and practical frameworks, this summit equips leaders to:
- Anticipate strain instead of reacting to a crisis Design sustainable work rhythms
- Protect cognitive and emotional capital
- Lead from grounded strength
This is leadership infrastructure for the next decade.
Join Us
If you are a founder, executive, technologist, or senior professional navigating complexity and determined to lead well without sacrificing your health, clarity, or longevity, this summit is for you.
The #WICxWellness Summit 2026 is where performance meets preservation. Where ambition meets sustainability. Where leadership becomes truly durable.
We look forward to welcoming you. The Disciplined Advantage begins here.
Secure your spot: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wicxwellness-summit-2026-tickets-1981616382945?aff=oddtdtcreator
Entrepreneur
Who will be crowned Startup of the Year?

Femtech World is continuing the search for a company to be crowned Startup of the Year.
The award is one of 10 to feature at the third annual Femtech World Awards.
The Startup of the Year Award celebrates an early-stage company making a bold impact in women’s health through innovation, vision and execution.
The winning startup will have demonstrated strong potential to transform care, accessibility, or awareness in women’s health with a scalable solution.
Consideration will be given to innovation, market traction, inclusivity, impact and the ability to address unmet needs.
The award is sponsored by Future Fertility.
The company is transforming fertility care with AI-powered solutions that close critical information gaps along the IVF journey.
Its clinically validated, non-invasive tools analyse oocyte images to predict each egg’s reproductive potential, supporting decision-making across key pathways: VIOLET™ for egg freezing, MAGENTA™ for IVF-ICSI, and ROSE™ for donor programmes and egg banks.
These reports deliver personalised insights into egg quality and ploidy potential, empowering patients and clinicians to make more informed decisions regarding next steps.
Today, Future Fertility’s technology is used in more than 300 clinics across 35+ countries.
Developed with the world’s largest oocyte image dataset linked to reproductive outcomes, Future Fertility’s AI models generate quality scores that not only guide treatment planning and manage expectations, but also serve as objective, actionable KPIs for labs—driving improved outcomes and transparency in fertility care worldwide.
The awards are free to enter, with winners receiving a trophy and an interview with Femtech World.
Find out more about the awards and enter for free here.
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