FemTech: another buzzword or a rising digital innovation in female healthcare?

TL;DR: FemTech — technology focused on women's health — is far more than a buzzword. The global market is valued at over $45 billion in 2025 and growing rapidly. Women make up nearly 50% of the world's population yet have historically been underserved by healthcare technology. From period-tracking apps and wearable fertility monitors to AI-powered diagnostics and maternal mental health platforms, FemTech is closing that gap. With venture capital increasingly flowing toward female founders and companies like Elvie, Clue, and MysteryVibe leading the way, FemTech represents a genuine, lasting shift in how healthcare serves women.

Beginning of femtech

Prescription birth control apps, tampon subscriptions, wearable fertility trackers, Bluetooth-connected breast pumps. Women's health tech has made powerful strides since Ida Tin created the period and ovulation tracker app Clue and coined the term "femtech" in 2016 to legitimize the female health technology market and drive investment and innovation.

FemTech, AKA "female technology", is simply the umbrella term. It applies to various types of software, diagnostics, products, and services. In short, any solution that focuses on meeting female needs and solving their problems. And as the name implies, it's all about using technology to find solutions to female problems, mainly in the area of healthcare and well-being.

Femtech is not a niche

Female health, sexuality, fertility, and reproduction are the main focus areas. But a market that covers almost 50% of the global population is hardly a niche, it's massive.

It's surprising that FemTech took so long to emerge. In a world increasingly defined by technology, it's crucial to engage everyone. FemTech goes beyond a tech spill-over into traditional female markets like fashion and beauty. It is as much about data, algorithms, and lifestyle nuances in our highly automated, machine-augmented society. There are many startups and established companies in this space using new technology (including artificial intelligence, machine learning, big data, and the Internet of Things) to develop interactive digital health applications for women.

The question is: why should FemTech be a separate market? Why do we need the female prefix before the word technology? Isn't the healthcare market enough?

Half of the world's population, underserved

Well… that's a tricky question. But the general answer is "YES, we need it." For years, healthcare products and solutions were designed, developed, and delivered without paying special attention to the fact that healthcare needs differ for men and women, given their physiological differences.

It's very important to recognize these needs and serve women better, whether for medical needs specific to them, or by bringing gender specificity to devices and solutions common to both sexes. Companies, organizations, and startups that specialize in a given area always achieve better results, because they can focus deeply. In this case, on women.

Today, 49.7% of the world's population is female. Women own close to 42% of all businesses in the United States and launched 49% of new businesses in 2024 — the highest share on record. Women hold approximately 15.4% of partner or decision-making roles at VC firms. In 2025, venture capital–backed female-founded companies raised a record $73.6 billion, capturing 27.7% of total US venture deal value. 11% of Fortune 500 companies are now led by women CEOs, and women hold 33% of Fortune 500 board seats.

Women as consumers

It's not just about business. Women are also uniquely empowered as consumers. Women influence 70–80% of all buying decisions and are directly or indirectly responsible for up to 85% of all consumer purchasing decisions. Globally, women spend nearly $35 trillion on consumer goods, accounting for roughly 50% of worldwide consumer spending. In the US alone, female consumers account for 59% of retail discretionary spending.

The future is female

It's about women's health in the broadest sense. If we can take a woman's health problems off her mind, she will be able to focus on what matters most to her at any given moment, whether that's a job, a hobby, kids, a partner, or anything else.

If one solution works for a man, it doesn't mean it will work the same way for a woman. We must pay more attention to personalized solutions. Only then will they be truly effective.

Does FemTech really matter?

Obviously, FemTech is worth caring about from a "big picture" perspective. The global FemTech market was valued at approximately $45.6 billion in 2025 and is projected to keep growing at a compound annual rate of around 15–16%. Investors are increasingly backing female technology founders, from early-stage startups to well-established category leaders.

Elvie

Elvie was one of the most prominent FemTech companies in the UK. Over its 12-year run, the company secured over $186 million in funding from investors including Octopus Ventures, BlackRock, and BGF. Its award-winning products — including an exercise tracker for the pelvic floor and a wearable breast pump — addressed real problems: childbirth and the normal wear and tear of living put stress on a woman's pelvic floor, which can lead to incontinence, leaking, and in severe cases, uterine prolapse.

In March 2025, Elvie was acquired by Willow, a US-based competitor, marking a new chapter for the brand. Founder Tania Boler, who built the company into a global player and market leader for premium breast pumps in the UK and US, had previously transitioned from CEO to President.

Clue

Clue, the Germany-based period-tracking app that gave birth to the "femtech" term itself, continues to go from strength to strength. The company has raised approximately $73.5 million in total funding from investors including Balderton Capital and Future Positive Capital. Founded by Ida Tin and still headquartered in Berlin, Clue has expanded beyond period tracking into birth control and family planning, with its Clue Birth Control feature becoming the first FDA-cleared digital contraceptive of its kind in Europe.

MysteryVibe

Women have pressing needs for making care more accessible, whether due to demographics or the urban-rural divide. Socio-cultural norms also often treat women's healthcare issues as taboo, making it difficult for women to seek medical care and advice, especially around infertility, menstrual health, birth control, and sexual wellness. This is where MysteryVibe stands out. The company's mission is to help people and couples better understand their bodies, approaching sexuality with curiosity rather than stigma.

MysteryVibe's products aren't just consumer gadgets. The company creates medical-grade vibration devices for sexual health, offering customizable, app-controlled solutions. Having raised $16.4 million in funding, MysteryVibe has recently expanded its product line beyond sexual wellness into menstrual health, breast health, and pelvic health, and has brought on Professor Prokar Dasgupta as Chief Medical Officer to deepen its clinical credibility.

The idea behind MysteryVibe is about re-instilling sparks in relationships, opening couples to honest conversations and rebuilding trust through self-expression and shared needs. Let's not be prudish: this is an important part of every person's life.

Different sex, different need

For decades, healthcare products were designed without paying attention to physiological differences between sexes. Women's rights have been expanding steadily. Now, with the rise of FemTech, women are no longer just dealing with what's available. They are creating their own comfort, taking business into their own hands, and using tech solutions to improve their reality, from women, for women.

FemTech offers several advantages: making healthcare minimally invasive, less intrusive, more practical, and personalized to the needs of the patient. It has a high potential for improving the efficiency of screening and diagnosis, powered by cutting-edge technology such as artificial intelligence, big data, and analytics.

Mental health

There is a significant gap in women's health that FemTech is increasingly well-positioned to address: mental health, particularly depression (including postpartum) and anxiety. This area is now seeing real momentum. Companies like Maven offer mental health support specifically tailored to women, connecting users with therapists to address postpartum depression and anxiety. Partum Health delivers hybrid online and offline care through the fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum journey. And Dionysus Health is bringing a predictive test for postpartum depression to market, a genuinely groundbreaking diagnostic approach.

The maternal mental health market is growing at 29% annually, and in 2026, one of the most important areas of innovation in women's health is centered around integrating emotional check-ins, validated screening tools, and access to therapists and coaches into digital platforms. I am very happy that mental health is getting the attention it deserves, and that FemTech is part of the solution.

Wrap up

To sum up, FemTech is growing. FemTech connects the outside world with the digital one.

New technology combines digital capabilities with physical products. Apps are accessible to millions of people worldwide via a few taps on a device in their pocket. But it's not just applications that make everyday life easier, it's also a step forward in strengthening prevention and initiating important conversations. FemTech is advancing, impacting the way we live, and presenting new opportunities to improve the delivery of healthcare.

Don't forget about building awareness, it's also a key goal in FemTech. The stories of Elvie, Clue, and MysteryVibe show what's possible when technology meets genuine unmet needs.

I wouldn't say FemTech is a buzzword.

It's the next step for better women's healthcare.