New investor network aims to bridge women’s health funding gap

A new investor network has launched to tackle the stark venture capital funding gap in women’s health, bringing together 20 specialist funds dedicated to advancing innovation in the sector.

WHAM (Women’s Health Access Matters) announced the Innovator’s Circle yesterday, connecting early-stage investors with later-stage capital partners to create a stronger funding pathway for women’s health solutions.

“The Innovator’s Circle is more than a network—it’s a platform to accelerate groundbreaking ideas into market-ready solutions,” said Carolee Lee, CEO and founder of WHAM. “By aligning early-stage investors with later-stage capital partners, we’re unlocking exponential opportunity for returns—and real health impact.”

Despite women comprising half the global population and driving most healthcare decisions and spending, women’s health companies receive only a reported two per cent of healthcare venture capital funding. The initiative seeks to address this imbalance.

Naseem Sayani, operating advisor at How Women Invest and advisor at Tower Capital, will lead the group as director.

“This is the pipeline engine,” said Sayani. “The Innovator’s Circle brings together the investors best positioned to recognize early innovation and builds the bridge to capital scale.”

The network’s 20 founding members include Amboy Street Ventures, Avestria, Coyote Ventures, Digital DX Ventures, Emmeline Ventures, and the AHA Go Red for Women Venture Fund.

The Innovator’s Circle plans to spotlight early-stage innovation, track emerging trends, and guide investment strategies in areas such as cardiovascular disease, neuroscience, and autoimmune conditions that disproportionately, differently, or exclusively affect women.

The initiative expands WHAM’s existing work to strengthen the women’s health innovation pipeline.

The organisation already operates the WHAM Research Collaborative and the WHAM Investment Collaborative, and plans to launch a life sciences collaborative.

Together, these groups aim to align research, capital, and product development to improve women’s health outcomes and drive economic value.