Opinion: STAT+: The women’s health sector is on the verge of a pivotal transformation
The private sector's role in driving and sustaining women's health innovation has become even more critical, writes Elizabeth Bailey of Foreground Capital.
Women’s health is finally receiving the attention it deserves from the venture capital world. Over the past five years, investments in startups in the women’s health space have surged to unprecedented levels. In 2023, Silicon Valley Bank took notice, dubbing women’s health a “sector to watch” and highlighting the consistent upward trajectory of investments in the space since 2018.
The groundswell isn’t limited to venture capital circles.
In December 2024, in one of its final acts, the Biden administration hosted the first-ever White House Conference on Women’s Health Research as part of the recently announced White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research. This initiative has also awarded $110 million in ARPA-H funding to 23 groups addressing health conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women. What was most striking about this inaugural conference was that, the room was primarily filled with business leaders. This was a clear call to action for the private sector, and it is fair to say that this whole initiative is in jeopardy now.
