Business of the V

The fertility journey is challenging for many. This week’s guest is reframing the whole process. Jessica Bell van der Wal is the Co-Founder & CEO of Frame, the all-in-one fertility support system providing virtual care, fertility coaching, and concierge support. Hear the moment she realized the need for better care during the family planning process, how her collaborative care platform works,...

Getting tested for STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) can be scary. This week’s guest is here to change that. Siew-Veena Sahi is the Co-Founder & CEO of Testmate Health, an early stage healthcare startup focused on low cost, high-quality, and accurate at-home self-testing. Hear the challenges with modern STI testing, how she decided on urine test kits, the value of at-home testing, how the...

There hasn’t been much data collected on the vaginal microbiome - until now. Priyanka Jain is the Co-Founder & CEO of Evvy, which she started to unlock precision medicine for women by discovering and leveraging overlooked female biomarkers, starting with the vaginal microbiome. Hear the importance of the vaginal microbiome, how Evvy’s vaginal microbiome test works, their business model & r...

The US has the highest rate of unintended pregnancies of all industrialized nations. Nearly half of all pregnancies in the US are unintended. That’s why Lisa Beattie Frelinghuysen co-founded ClutchKit, giving young adults the tools to prevent unintended pregnancies. Every ClutchKit includes condoms, a morning after pill, and pregnancy tests. Hear what went into developing ClutchKit, common misconc...

It should be easier to build a career in women’s health. That’s the mission of Jodi Neuhauser, Founder & CEO of In Women’s Health and serial entrepreneur in the women’s health space. In Women’s Health is the largest education platform and community for women's health careers. Hear Jodi’s fertility journey, how she started Ovaterra, how to transition into a women’s health career, the potential...

Looking for a place where nothing is TMI? You’re in good hands. That’s the mantra of Winx Health, co-founded by Jamie Norwood & Cynthia Plotch. Winx Health is your sexual & vaginal health hub for easy-to-use tests, treatments, and more. Hear the pivotal moments that inspired the company and how the team evolved to add more offerings, including its most innovative products that test for UTI...

Knowledge is power - and that knowledge applies to the ovaries. The more we know about our ovaries, the more prepared we are to ensure they are healthy, plus treat anything that needs attention. Piraye Beim is the Founder & CEO of Celmatix, a preclinical-stage women’s health biotech focused uniquely on ovarian biology. Hear how we can use science to improve healthcare, how our ovaries are cent...

Finally - clothing made specifically for hot flashes and night sweats. Tehani Renganathan is the Chief of Strategy, Marketing and New Ventures for femography and its B2C brand, Become. Hear how Become is making a name for itself when it comes to menopause clothing, how the tech-enabled clothing works, what materials are included, how customers have reacted to the fabric, and how the brand is addre...

The tampon hasn’t been redesigned with engineering in 80 years. Until now. Greta Meyer and Amanda Calabrese, the Co-Founders of Sequel, have invented The Spiral Tampon - with game-day performance for athletes in mind. Hear what inspired them to create a new tampon, the benefits of the spiral design, how it’s made, their partnership with the 2024 Paris Olympics, and how they’ve navigated the FDA. T...

We are long overdue for a modern tenaculum that’s gentler on women - no more uncomfortable, painful IUD insertions. Ikram Guerd, VP of Global Marketing & Managing Director US at Aspivix, is on a mission to reimagine gynecology with “gentle” in mind, resulting in less pain and bleeding - as well as increased comfort in transcervical procedures. Learn the ins and outs of the Carevix device and g...

It’s time to bridge the gender gap in healthcare product innovation. Valentina Milanova, Founder, CEO, and CPO of Daye, started the company to raise the standards in gynecological health by creating innovative products and services that fit conveniently into our lives. Hear how her own menstrual history inspired her passion for the industry, how to take control over your health history, functional...

Women deserve better lives through better health. Marissa Fayer, CEO of DeepLook Medical and HERhealthEQ, has made it her mission to reduce the equity gap in access to healthcare for women around the world. In fact, she believes Wealth is Health. Hear her role in developing cutting-edge healthcare technologies, the latest data on dense breasts, how to find strategic partners with your women’s heal...

Looking for patient-centered care in your perimenopause journey? Joanna Strober, Founder and CEO of Midi Health, has crafted a platform specifically for you. Midi Health is a leading virtual care platform focused on female health throughout the menopause transition. Hear what made Joanna start Midi Health, how she was able to differentiate the platform, who actually provides the patient care, how...

What would the opposite of a condom be? It’s the LUWI FINER LINER. Lisa Kinsella is the Founder and CEO of LUWI. The company exists to flip the status quo in women’s health by developing a new and improved solution for women that feels better while providing reliable, safe protection. Hear the “aha” moments that inspired LUWI, her distribution plan, how LUWI works, how the company is educating you...

There’s so much more we can do to transform women’s health. Carolee Lee is the Founder and CEO of WHAM (Women’s Health Access Matters). They’re dedicated to funding women’s health research to transform women’s lives. Hear what’s led to WHAM’s growth, how to properly collect data on women’s health, why communication is so key, the impact of menopause in the workplace, and how she measures success....

Proper R&D can make or break women’s health products. Heidi Beatty is the CEO of Crown Abbey, R&D experts who help their clients develop and launch new products, plus handle all aspects of Project Management. Hear why she’s the reason Alyssa and Rachel know each other, how to balance consumer needs vs. backlash from practitioners, how she tests women’s health products, why communication ab...

Few things are more important than your cardiac health. Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum is the Founder and CEO of Heart-Tech Health, a med-tech innovation to decrease the risk of women’s cardiovascular disease and bring prevention to every woman - regardless of location or circumstance. Heart-Tech Health has created Adesso, a comprehensive and holistic approach to having a baseline and understanding the ele...

For too long, women’s health has not been a priority in the scientific and clinical development community. For Daré Bioscience, that’s not ok. Sabrina Martucci Johnson is the Founder, President, and CEO of Daré Bioscience . She’s a life sciences executive committed to advancing improvements in women’s healthcare. Hear how she came up with the business model for Daré, why they went public, how long...

Menopause happens to women. And it affects everyone in society. But menopause is not a singular experience for everybody. Every woman has her own journey in this mid-life process.  Heather Hirsch , CEO of Health by Heather Hirsch, brings her rare combination of intellect, energy, passion, and creativity to being an advocate and healthcare partner to mid-life women. Whether through social media, pa...

Kimba Williams ' energy and passion explode off the screen as she talks about the auspicious meeting of her co-founder on a boat. The chemistry was instant and created the spark that resulted in Kushae . With a broad range of products for feminine care, the company is focused on providing effective, natural, and non-toxic health and hygiene products. Kimba also launched the Foaming Feminine Wash ,...

There is a concern in the industry towards providing safe and comfortable health procedures for women. Female founders have taken it in their hands to make this happen, just like our guest in this episode. Jennifer Fink , Chief Strategy Officer of Lutech Medical , focused on making sure the patient experience for women - whether after a trauma or a gynecological exam - is not fraught with anxiety,...

Jessica Federer , Managing Partner of Supernode Ventures , has a passion for women's health. Her career starts working in government, transitioning to working with government and big pharma. Jessica combines her dynamic background into her new role. She brings her comprehensive approach to looking at women's health not as a point in time but as a multi-faceted challenge. In her line of sight, Jess...

Combine a mother and daughter, legal and business education and incredible experience to create Thermaband - a new way to manage hot flashes. In this episode, Debbie Dickinson and Markea Dickinson share their story of becoming mother-daughter entrepreneurs creating Thermaband. They discuss how they navigate the challenges of being entrepreneurs in the women's health industry, especially as “people...

Many women retire, quit, or take another position outside of medicine due to burnout. In the medical field, how are women treated? In this episode, Dr. Somi Javaid, the founder of HerMD, talks about a women’s health care model that cares for female patients and makes happier patients. The model gives the providers mission-driven work and allows them to practice medicine the way it was intended. Dr...

HPV diagnostics is currently not very convenient, requiring patients to go to their doctor’s office for the test. Now, 10zyme founder Dr. Angela Pine wants to change that. She wants to improve access to HPV diagnostics by developing quicker, cheaper and more user-friendly tests. Angela joins Alyssa and Rachel in today’s episode as she shares the current state of HPV testing and 10zyme’s goal to cr...