Driving women’s health innovation: the launch of the Springboard Enterprise women’s health cohort

In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, addressing the unique needs of women has long been a neglected area.

However, with the emergence of initiatives like the recent announcement of White House Women’s Health Initiative and the ARPA-H Sprint for Women’s Health, there’s a promising shift towards fostering innovation and putting more resources towards advancing women’s health.

At Springboard Enterprises, we are proud to contribute to fuelling growth in this sector.

Springboard was founded in 2000 as the first official accelerator to mentor and accelerate the growth of women-led ventures. We have now officially launched our women’s health innovation program to identify and accelerate the growth of women-led companies innovating in health areas that uniquely, solely or predominantly impact women.

The announcement of the 2024 Women’s Health Innovation Program Cohort marks a significant milestone in the journey towards redefining healthcare solutions tailored specifically for women. This cohort comprises ten women’s health companies, each led by founders and CEOs committed to revolutionising women’s health. 

According to a report by Silicon Valley Bank, investment in women’s health has experienced an astounding 314 per cent growth since 2018, starkly contrasting with the overall healthcare investments. 

This incredible growth has really shown the abundance of opportunity, which was especially evident during our competitive process for our inaugural program. With countless innovative companies to choose from, we ultimately selected ten standout candidates after much deliberation.

1. Navigate Maternity: Founded by Ariana McGee, Navigate Maternity has created a system that allows clinicians and care teams to remotely monitor prenatal and postpartum patients. The goal is to improve outcomes and avoid inequitable care through real-time data.
2. Bone Health Technologies: Under the leadership of Laura Yecies, Bone Health Technologies (BHT) has developed the Osteoboost belt, the first and only safe and effective treatment for the 63 million people in the US with Osteoporosis or Osteopenia as well as a comprehensive digital therapeutic platform and services – a personalised digital health and telehealth solution for optimising bone health.
3. Visana Health: Co-founded by Shelly Lanning, Visana Health pioneers a comprehensive virtual women’s health clinic, offering integrated care across various women’s health conditions. By adopting a holistic approach to healthcare delivery, Visana Health strives to empower women through personalised and longitudinal care.
4. Herself Health: Founded by Kristen Helton, Herself Health is dedicated to addressing the unique healthcare needs of women on Medicare, ages 65 and up. Through a patient-centred approach, the company links women’s health goals with their life goals, taking into account a patient’s physical, mental, social, sexual, and spiritual needs and targeting common concerns like bone health, weight loss, and emotional wellbeing. The company hires top providers and trains them in the intricacies of person-centred geriatric and women’s care, delivering value-based care focused on patient outcomes.
5. Marma: Co-founded by Meredith McAllister, Marma addresses critical gaps in maternal health by providing personalised nutritional guidance throughout the journey of motherhood. Marma works with patients to understand their unique needs and provide individualised, holistic nutrition advice at every stage of motherhood.
6. Kegg: Founded by Kristina Cahojova, Kegg empowers women with accurate and personalised fertility tracking solutions. By harnessing cervical fluid data, Kegg enables women to make informed decisions regarding their reproductive health.  Already in the hands of 25,000 women in the US, the company now has the world’s largest dataset on vaginal health and the unique ability to use machine learning to help drive predictive healthcare for women at scale.
7. Cntrl+ Inc: Founded by Karen Brunet, Cntrl+ Inc. is a pioneering life science firm specialising in female wellness. Their company has innovatively crafted an over-the-counter reusable solution addressing female stress urinary incontinence. They are dedicated to exporting and distributing this product globally, offering an effective and environmentally friendly solution for women.
8. Multitude Health: Founded by Casey Langwith, Multitude Health alleviates the pain of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) through an app-based clinical program that teaches members cognitive behavioural therapy skills, plus a tightly integrated therapist-led peer community to restore a healthy brain-body connection.
9. Myri Health: Founded by Dr Pinky Patel, Myri Health introduces a comprehensive postpartum resource app, catering to the diverse needs of new parents. By providing personalised rehabilitation, evidence-based resources and a community platform, Myri Health seeks to support the postpartum journey.
10. Ursamin: Founded by Shannon Aylesworth, Ursamin offers a SaaS-based care coordination platform for patients living with multiple chronic illnesses. By fostering a team-based approach to care delivery, Ursamin aims to improve outcomes and reduce administrative burden for providers and patients alike.

The diversity of solutions to advancing women’s health exemplified by the participants of the Springboard Enterprises women’s health cohort gives us a preview into the transformative potential of innovation in women’s health on various fronts.

At Springboard Enterprises, we play a pivotal role in catalysing innovation and driving meaningful change within the healthcare industry. By empowering women-led companies and amplifying their impact, we move closer towards achieving equitable and comprehensive healthcare solutions.