FemTech Focus – Details, episodes & analysis

Join Dr. Brittany Barreto as she welcomes Dr. Mitzi Krockover, a vanguard in the field of women's health and angel investment, on the FemTech Focus Podcast. Dr. Krockover is the founder and CEO of Women Centered and the managing director at Golden Seeds Arizona chapter, where she champions the advancement of women’s health through innovative education, consulting, and investing. This episode dives into the latest trends in women’s health innovation, the empowerment of female entrepreneurs through angel investments, and the potential of Arizona as the next hub for femhealth innovation.

Episode Highlights:

• Discuss the evolution of women’s health innovation influenced by an increase in female engagement in STEM and finance.
• Unpack the challenges women face in healthcare and the power of education and advocacy in addressing these issues.
• Explore the significance of angel investing in supporting women-led health tech startups.
• Gain insights into personalized health strategies and the importance of more inclusive health research and funding.

Call to Action:🔔 Subscribe to the FemTech Focus Podcast for more insightful discussions on women’s health and wellness.👍 Like, comment, and share this episode to help promote vital conversations about femtech.🎧 Check out Dr. Mitzi Krockover’s podcast, Beyond the Paper Gown, for more empowering health discussions.📖 Grab your copy of Dr. Brittany Barreto’s influential book, Unlocking Women's Health: FemTech and the Quest for Gender Equity. Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and directly through drbrittanybarreto.com for a personalized signed copy.

Connect with Us:

• 🌐 Visit FemTech Focus to learn more about our mission and upcoming episodes.
• 📲 Follow @DrBrittanyBarreto on social media to stay updated on the latest in femtech and women's health innovation.

Together, let's drive the conversation forward and work towards solutions that enhance health outcomes for women worldwide. Join us in transforming the landscape of healthcare through innovation and empowerment.

The Origins and Importance of FemTech: Honoring the Mothers of Gynecology

In this episode of the FemTech Focus podcast, host Dr. Brittany Barreto introduces the concept of FemTech, an industry and movement dedicated to addressing women's health issues. She shares her personal journey and passion for the field and previews the 2025 season dedicated to Anarcha, Betsy, and Lucy, three enslaved women who were pivotal in the early development of gynecology. Their stories of suffering and resilience underscore the importance of gender-informed, and sex-specific healthcare and the ongoing mission of FemTech to drive innovations that address female-specific health conditions. This episode calls for continued investment and advocacy in women's health.

00:00 Introduction to FemTech Focus

00:51 What is Femtech?

01:21 The Movement for Gender-Informed & Sex-Specific Healthcare

04:16 Meet Dr. Brittany Barreto

05:13 The Birth of Femtech

06:46 The Evolution of Femtech Focus

09:46 Dedication to the Mothers of Gynecology

11:11 The Story of Anarcha, Betsy, and Lucy

18:20 Continuing the Legacy

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@FemTechFocus @DrBrittanyBarreto

In this episode, we talk to Rosanne Longmore, CEO of Coroflo. We discuss the latest research around breastfeeding, personal and cultural factors that may influence breastfeeding rates, and how Coroflo is giving parents data-driven confidence in their baby’s milk consumption. Remember to like, rate and subscribe and enjoy the episode!

In today’s episode, I interview Dr. Juliette McClendon, the Director of medical affairs at Big Health. Big Health has two mental health apps. The first is called Sleepio which supports people suffering from insomnia and the second is Daylight which supports people with anxiety. Both of which disproportionately affect women. Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder than men. Women are also twice as likely to have insomnia, the inability to fall asleep and stay asleep, as men. Big Health has raised over $40M in funding. Their mission is to help millions back to good mental health by providing safe and effective non-drug alternatives for the most common mental health conditions. Big Health’s digital therapeutics expand access to gold-standard care, including behavioral medicine, and are backed by industry-leading research and randomized controlled trials. They have 64 publications with more than 28,000 participants, including 13 randomized controlled trials. A fun fact about Big Health is that their apps are offered for free to all the citizens of Scotland. Go Scotland! To learn more go to www.bighealth.com Enjoy the episode!

In today’s episode, I interview Dr. Robynne Chutkan. She’s an Integrative Gasterointerologist, founder of the Digestive Center for Wellness, and author of three books; The Bloat Cure, The Microbiome Solution, and Gutbliss. This is a super informative and fun episode where we discuss the difference between women's and men's GI tracks. Spoiler alert - turns out we have a lot of differences! We also talk about how hormones from pregnancy, menstruation, and menopause change your stool. Yes, I’m referring to period poop. Dr. Robynne did not shy away from the topics that we all wonder about but don’t ask. Learn more about her practice and books at www.gutbliss.com. Enjoy the episode!

In today’s episode, I interview Dr. Kim Capone the Chief Scientific Officer of Femtec Health. FemTec Health intends to integrate genetic, microbiome, and biometric data into a consumer-driven digital health experience with a focus on women’s specific health issues. This is a special episode because Femtec Health has just emerged from stealth mode and requested to tell their story on our show. Normally I like to interview people and companies that have been around and made huge strides to advance women’s health. This company is interesting because prior to their press release they raised $38M from big-name investors including Longmont Capital, Ithaca LifeSciences, Unilever Ventures, Shiseido, E Ventures, Viking Global, and Trinity Capital. They acquired Birchbox makeup subscription service, Mira Beauty, and Liquid Grids a healthcare marketing platform. At launch, the company has over 10M members, 2 clinical trials in progress, and a team of 150 people around the world. The founder Dr. Kimon Angelides has previously exited four healthcare companies with billions in exit value. Femtec Health claims to bring together products, services, and data analytics to accommodate continued care for women at every stage of their life. Their patent-pending BiomeAI engine uses AI and deep machine learning to translate consumer, genetic, microbiome, and biometric data into holistic personalized healthcare for women. One cannot deny the splash Femtec Health has created. Enjoy the episode!

In today’s episode, I interview Dr. Cecilia Caetano, Medical Affairs Director of Bayer’s Women’s Healthcare. Over the last 6 years, Cecilia has been a key physician at Bayer in their women’s health division. She’s worked on their short-acting contraceptives as the medical lead for the birth control pill, Yaz. She then worked on long-acting contraceptives supporting the global launch of a new intrauterine contraceptive and the global lead for the IUD Mirena. Over the past year, Cecilia has led Bayer’s strategy for menopause management. Bayer has been doubling down on their women’s health strategy with collaborations with period tracking giant, Clue, an exclusive license agreement with publicly-traded company Dare Biosciences, a collaboration with Evotec to develop clinical candidates for treating PCOS, and a half a billion-dollar acquisition of KaNDy Therapeutics a UK based biotech company with a compound to treat hot flashes for women in menopause. If you’re a startup looking to partner with a Pharma giant, Bayer may just be the partner you’re looking for. Enjoy the episode!

In today’s episode, I interview Dr. Alex Capano the Chief scientific officer of EcoFibre. Ecofibre is a leader in hemp-based products with over 20 years of growing and breeding experience. They own one of the largest collections of genetically diverse hemp plants with over 300 landraces of cannabis from over 25 countries. Industrial hemp refers to the non-psychoactive, meaning less than 1% THC, varieties of Cannabis Sativa. Over the years, hemp has been unjustly demonized due to its association with marijuana, but this good seed is shedding a bad name. As promising research and mass interest grow in what many are calling a “miracle plant,” hemp is making a comeback of global proportion. Ecofibre has several businesses it operates including a hemp-based textile company and over-the-counter health and wellness products sold at local pharmacies. This pharmacy brand is called Ananda Health and it’s the leading pharmacy brand in the United States for hemp-derived CBD products. In fact, Ecofibre was the first hemp company to receive Investigational New Drug or IND authorization from the FDA for a clinical trial on hemp-derived CBD to treat chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. At Ecofibre, Dr. Alex Capano champions the company’s $40 million commitment to research to advance the clinical evidence of hemp extract. As the Chief Science Officer for Ananda Hemp, she acts as a principal investigator on clinical research and trials, focusing on hemp-based CBD therapy. Dr. Alex is the first person to earn a Ph.D. in cannabinoid science. She is currently researching CBD’s effects on CIPN, sleep, anxiety, addiction, endometriosis, certain cancers, and cognitive decline. She has a particular interest in women’s health and has truly spearheaded research in CBDs effectiveness for all things gynecology including intimate oils, flora balancing gels, and period pain. Check out these products at www.anandaprofessional.com.

In today’s episode, I interview Gwen Floyd, the co-founder and CEO of Wile. Wile is a holistic, plant-based wellness line for grown women 40-plus, rooted in hormonal and emotional balance. Created in partnership with endocrinologists and naturopaths, Wile is led by a team of seasoned entrepreneurs. Wile serves the 30 million mid-life women ignored by brands and the medical establishment yet overburdened with expectations. Wile believes access to effective solutions, real information and community around perimenopause and emotional wellness is a critical health and gender justice issue of our time. Wile recently launched on Grove Collaborative and may be in a retail store near you soon. Check out their lineup of drinks, supplements, and tinctures at www.wilewomen.com. Our listeners get a special discount. Just enter FEMTECH20 at checkout for 20% off your order. Enjoy the episode!

In today’s episode, I interview Andrea Barrica the founder and CEO of O.School. O.School is a judgment-free multi-media platform for sexual wellness. Andrea is building a future with less sexual shame and judgment and more permission to build sexual wellness, whatever that means for each person. O.School believes that every human being on this planet deserves comprehensive education about sex, pleasure, and relationships. Andrea is a serial entrepreneur, investor, contributor to New York Times and Forbes.com, author of the book entitled “Sextech Revolution, the Future of Sexual Wellness”. In our interview, you’ll hear how she was raised in a religious, conservative, first-generation Filipino-American family that only taught abstinence. Struggling with her own sexuality and the shameful messages she received about sex and the importance of virginity, she couldn't find reliable resources online. She became obsessed with the question: what exists between Planned Parenthood and porn? In this interview, we also deep dive into customer acquisition in the women’s health space. If you read FemTech Focus’s report we published this summer, you would have seen that 1 of the 4 biggest challenges facing femtech startups is media censorship of our products on marketing platforms. Andrea and I deep dive into some key metrics on marketing, research, and sales in the women’s health space. Learn more at O.School. Enjoy the episode!