- Victoria Shaw
- May 2
- 4 min read
Redefining Perinatal Care Through Innovation
The FemTech sector is booming and at its heart are visionary female founders who are boldly redefining how we approach women’s health. From fertility tracking, pregnancy and postpartum support, from AI-powered mental health tools to personalised maternity care platforms, women are leading the charge in building technologies that speak directly to the lived experiences of others. At Perinatal Insight Consultancy, we are proud to collaborate with and champion female-led innovation in this space. Why? Because women, especially those with experience in healthcare, motherhood, and clinical care, bring unmatched insight, empathy, and urgency to solving the challenges too often overlooked in mainstream health innovation.
The Gender Gap in Health Innovation
Despite being the intended users and beneficiaries of most FemTech products, women remain drastically underrepresented in health technology leadership:
According to the World Bank, women-led businesses receive less than 3% of global venture capital, with the figure dropping to 2% in the UK. In contrast, all-male teams receive 89% of funding. Studies indicate that women entrepreneurs are more likely to seek lower amounts of seed funding than men.
Just 1 in 5 health tech start-ups globally have at least one female founder.
Many of the largest FemTech and digital health companies still have male-dominated executive boards, even when their products serve primarily women.
In the broader biomedical sector, less than 13% of inventors named on patents for medical technologies related to women’s health are women.
These statistics highlight a frustrating disconnect - the people most impacted by gaps in perinatal, reproductive and womens care are often not the ones with a seat the table, designing the solutions. This lack of representation not only skews innovation priorities, it also risks producing tools and systems that miss the nuance, complexity and diversity of real-life experiences.
What Female Founders Bring to the Table
Lived experience in leadership: Many female founders design from their own journeys, whether as patients, mothers, or clinicians. This gives their solutions relevance, authenticity and a level of user empathy that’s hard to replicate.
A holistic view of health: Women are more likely to consider the emotional, social, and systemic dimensions of health. This is vital in womens healthcare, where mental wellbeing, continuity, and choice matter as much as clinical outcomes.
Collaborative, purpose-driven models: The most exciting FemTech ventures aren’t just profitable - they’re mission-led. Female founders often build with collaboration at the core, partnering with NHS trusts, universities, midwives, clinical experts and communities to deliver real-world impact.
Evidence-Based Innovation Matters
In a landscape as sensitive and high-stakes as perinatal care and womens health, innovation without evidence is a risk — not a revolution.
Too often, digital health and FemTech products are launched without proper clinical validation, user testing, or meaningful research. While the energy behind rapid innovation is exciting, there is real potential for harm if tools aren’t grounded in credible, peer-reviewed science and developed with diverse user input.
At Perinatal Insight Consultancy, we champion evidence-based innovation. We help founders:
Advisory on Research Alignment - We help you review and interpret relevant clinical guidelines, academic literature, and policy frameworks to ensure your product is aligned with current evidence and priorities in perinatal care.
Strategic Messaging for Investors - We support you to translate existing evidence into clear, credible messaging tailored for clinical stakeholders, funding applications, or investor communications.
Evidence Translation & Strategic Messaging - We help you turn complex research into clear, compelling messaging tailored to your end users, aligning your innovation with real-world health priorities.
Inclusive and Ethical Insight - We offer guidance on embedding inclusivity, safety and rigour into your product development and narrative, drawing on best practice in perinatal equity and ethics.
Products that are credible, safe and based on real evidence are more likely to be adopted by clinicians, trusted by users and scaled effectively — especially in maternity services where regulation and accountability are vital. Evidence builds trust and trust is what drives long-term impact.
Supporting Female Founders is an Investment in the Future
At Perinatal Insight Consultancy, we believe in elevating these voices, not just through cheerleading, but through meaningful partnerships. Whether it’s validating a product with academic evidence, advising on NHS pathways, or co-creating training and education strategies, we help female founders bring their vision to life with credibility and clarity.
We need more investment, more mentorship, and more systemic support for women building the future of health. We need more spaces, like ours, where innovation meets lived insight, and where female-led businesses are not the exception but the norm.
Are You a Female Founder in FemTech? Let’s Connect.
If you're a founder working on a solution in the perinatal, maternity, or womens health sector — I'd love to hear from you.
Whether you need strategic advice, clinical input, or support navigating NHS or academic systems, Perinatal Insight Consultancy is here to help.
Let’s build a better future for perinatal care — together.
Vic 💜
Founder | Perinatal Insight ConsultancyÂ
