Entrepreneur
Investment roundup: New accelerator to invest in midwives, funding opportunity for femtech solutions, and more
Femtech World explores the latest business and investment developments in the world of women’s health.
UNFPA and Partners Launch Midwifery Accelerator to invest in midwives
On World Health Day, UNFPA, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, and global partners launched the Midwifery Accelerator – a co-ordinated effort to reduce preventable maternal deaths by expanding access to quality care provided by midwives.
The launch comes as new UN data confirms that 260,000 women died from pregnancy or childbirth in 2023. While this represents a 40 per cent drop since 2000, progress has slowed and remains highly unequal, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
The Midwifery Accelerator aims to train more midwives, deploy them where they’re most needed, and ensure they are well-equipped, supported and integrated into national health systems.
“This plan puts midwives at the heart of the solution,” said Julia Bunting, director of programmes at UNFPA.
“Now is the time for governments and donors to step up. Without investing in midwives, we cannot end preventable maternal deaths.”
Equity-free funding opportunity for fem tech solutions
The UNICEF Venture Fund has called for applications from fem tech start-ups developing cutting edge solutions that improve health care for women and girls.
According to the fund, up to US$100,000 is being offered in equity-free funding to early-stage, for-profit startups leveraging frontier technologies such as AI, data science, and blockchain for social impact.
Applications are open to start-ups in low- and middle-income economies developing Open Source technology that improves health outcomes, economic participation, or access to essential services for women and girls.
Women-led startups and young founders (under the age of 35) are being encouraged to apply.
The Fund has said it is especially seeking applications from companies that are registered in a UNICEF programme country, working with a functional prototype, and committed to Open Source licensing and principles.
The application deadline is 8 May 2025.
Nurx Works with Gifthealth to streamline access to Lilly’s Zepbound
Women’s telehealth platform Nurx has entered into an agreement with Gifthealth, Eli Lilly and Company’s LillyDirect pharmacy provider, for Zepbound (tirzepatide) single-dose vials – an FDA-approved medication for obesity and chronic weight management – to simplify prescription access.
The arrangement will streamline access to the vials for clinically-eligible Nurx patients with an on-label prescription, ensuring they have a more seamless way to receive chronic weight management treatment.
As demand for obesity and chronic weight management medications like Zepbound, Nurx has said it is committed to providing comprehensive telehealth care for women navigating weight management.
US$25,000 for Nurture Her women’s health project
The Shoppers Foundation for Women’s Health Community Grants Program has provided funding of CAD$25,000 to the Child and Family Services of Grand Erie’s (Canada) Nurture Her Project, according to the Brantford Expositor.
According to the publication, the project will provide access to essential health and wellness products and other vital resources to young individuals who live independently with minimal financial support, as well as providing free menstrual products including pads, tampons, and menstrual cups. Hygiene kits that include soap, shampoo, lotion, deodorant and other personal care items will also be distributed.
Mira Launches the Hormone Innovators Awards 2025
Hormonal health company Mira has launched the first Hormone Innovators Awards 2025.
The initiative recognises pioneers in science, technology, and advocacy who are driving change in women’s hormonal health, a historically underfunded and overlooked field.
Award categories include: Hormonal Health Company of the Year; Hormonal Health Innovation of the Year; Hormonal Health Leader of the Year; Best Use of Data to Close the Hormonal Health Gap; and, Hormonal Health Partnership of the Year.
Increased federal funding for women’s health research in Canada
Women’s Health Collective Canada (WHCC) has put forward three policy priorities for advancing women’s health in Canada, including the need for increased investment.
By prioritising a comprehensive national strategy, targeted funding, and rigorous research accountability, WHCC is aiming to create the conditions for transformational change that improve women’s health.
WHCC has now called on all federal parties to “commit to concrete action that will drive meaningful change for women’s health”.
The policy priorities include:
1. A National Strategy for Women’s Health
Canada lacks a coordinated approach to addressing women’s health inequities. A National Women’s Health Strategy should set measurable goals for research, healthcare delivery, and policy reform, to ensure increased funding is strategic, focused and effective.
2. Increased Federal Funding for Women’s Health Research
Women’s health remains underfunded, leading to gaps in knowledge, treatment, and care. We urge the federal government to establish a dedicated funding stream and increase investment in research on conditions that disproportionately or uniquely affect women.
3. Enforcement of Sex and Gender-Based Research Standards in CIHR-Funded Studies
Compliance with sex- and gender-based analysis (SGBA+) in federally funded health research is inconsistent. Stronger enforcement and mandatory reporting on sex and gender differences will improve research quality and ensure findings translate into better care for women.
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.
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
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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