According to Wikipedia, “femtech is a term applied to a category of software, diagnostics, products and services that use technology often to focus on women’s health.” And though it may seem like a fairly narrow tech field, the past few years have seen a boom.
Ten years ago, just $23 million worth of venture capital was invested in the global femtech industry, according to PitchBook data. That figure grew modestly until 2015, when funding spiked to $334 million. In 2017, VC investors participated in 49 deals in the femtech space, totaling $354 million. And this year has already seen significantly more VC funding for companies in the industry than any year in the last decade: $391.5 million across 36 deals.
It’s for good reason, according to Frost & Sullivan data, women are 75% more likely to use digital tools for healthcare than men.
A number of investors are fairly active supporters of femtech. Here’s a look at the 13 most active VC investors in the global femtech sector since the beginning of 2008, per PitchBook, including their deal counts:
• Y Combinator (9)
• Arboretum Ventures (7)
• BoxGroup (7)
• NEA (6)
• Founders Fund (6)
• Astia Angels (6)
• InterWest Healthcare Partners (6)
• Chrysalis Ventures (5)
• Catalyst Health Ventures (5)
• Union Square Ventures (5)
• 500 Startups (5)
• Correlation Ventures (5)
• Slow Ventures (5)
Clare Christopher is editor of SandHill.com.