#215 - Pigeon to the rescue!
The one-minute healthtech roundup brought to you by SomX.
Hi friends,
This week: Maven Clinic’s huge raise, wearables stepping into big roles and a beautiful kumbaya moment between pharma and startups.
Love healthtech, hate reading? 👀 Listen to the Healthtech Pigeon podcast ➡️ Daisy and Belle from SomX break down the best stories from this week’s newsletter. Available now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
News Bites 🥪
🚺 Women’s health tech ‘less likely’ to get funding if woman is on founding team – Women-led healthtech startups, especially those focusing on women's issues, have a tough time landing funding - tell Pigeon something it doesn’t know. It’s especially true when they use phrases like "women’s rights" for pitching, however, data shows the reverse is true when men use the same language! If only there was something we could do… See our final story for details.
🤝 How pharma companies can build mutually beneficial relationships with biotech and digital health start-ups – Big pharma and startups are teaming up more than ever, often striking deals worth over $1Bn that benefit both parties (REF: Ochre Bio’s recent $1.3Bn partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim - no big deal. Or maybe it is…) Startups gain resources and network, while pharma can access innovative technologies and together they both get to make impact waaaaay faster. Traditionally these collabs have been tricky to navigate, but it looks like we’re figuring it out. Teamwork really does make the dream work.
💰 Maven Clinic Raises $125M in Series F, Becoming Highest Valued Digital Health Company in Women’s and Family Health – Whew, we have been seeing some epic funding rounds lately, and it's even sweeter to these mega-investments going to women's health companies (see point one…). A huge, flying ovation to Maven Clinic and the company’s founder and CEO Kate Ryder for leading the charge to an earthshaking $425 million total capital raised, 400% growth in the last year and taking home the title of the largest fertility benefits provider in the world. An all-around massive win for flocks, families and women everywhere.
👯 How AI "twins" could help fill women's health gap – Pigeon doesn’t need an excuse for an arbitrary link to only twins that truly matter: Mary-Kate and Ashley. So, what's your favourite MK&A film? Pigeon can never choose between It Takes Two and To Grandmother's House We Go—both are classics! Oh, you were actually interested in the story? Well, here’s the TL;DR: AI is addressing gender disparities in healthcare using digital “twins” to track individual metabolic data. This approach offers personalised recommendations, clinical support, and tailored care for women. Now, back to those films…
⌚ Wearable sensors moving into critical care roles – Will we be seeing Apple Watch/Oura Ring/FitBit/Whoop-style bands in an ICU soon? Researchers say wearables could be the unlock in intensive care units - shifting our focus from beating our 5km PB (and silently competing with everyone else we know on Strava…) to providing continuous, real-time monitoring without the need for bulky equipment or invasive procedures. Multifunctional sensors could be useful for gathering vital data about critically ill patients and allowing healthcare professionals to make quick, informed decisions.
🧬 Manufactured stem cells could help to treat blood cancers in the future – New technology is set to be able to manufacture large quantities of human stem cells (mesenchymal stem cells or MSCs) outside the body, aiming to tackle blood cancers, support organ transplantation and aid tissue regeneration, even broken bones. Considering how much time Pigeon’s 64-year-old Dad spends in A&E with mountain bike-related injuries - much to be excited about.
⚖️ Tackling gender inequalities in venture capital is everyone’s business – See story one, story three and too many more besides - Pigeon knows that some of the biggest challenges in our industry start at the top. Everyone wins when more women are writing cheques and are in VC leadership positions. Yet we’re still stuck looking at the same data year on year for women in VC and dollars invested in female-founded startups. The conversation is loud but very little has changed. So Cavenagh Health and partners have launched a survey to better understand women’s experiences in VC and what meaningful support can be put in place by organisations and allies that go beyond a DEI checklist. If you’re in VC or know someone who is, complete or share the survey here and then watch this space as we collectively make tangible change for everyone.
What to listen to 🔊
Events 📅
European Cell & Gene Therapy Summit 2024
🕣 Oct 15
📍 London
DTx on Drug Labels: A Piece of Pharma's Evolving Puzzle
🕣 Oct 16
📍 Online
HLTH Las Vegas
🕣 Oct 20-23
📍 Las Vegas
Healthcare Conference 2024
🕣 Oct 31
📍 London
Med-Tech World, Malta
🕣 Nov 6-8
📍 Malta
Visit the SomX events page or subscribe to SomX’s events roundup to see all of the best upcoming healthtech, biotech and healthcare events.
Opportunities 🕵️♀️
👩💻Women's Health Impact Network, Female Health Founders – If you are a female founder and would like the opportunity to network with like-minded peers, co-create solutions to make gender health equality happen and find support for your own impact project, join the free Women's Health Impact Network for a space where you’ll feel supported, listened to, heard and understood.
🔨Various Roles, Amira Health – Are you a GP or nurse with a special interest in women’s health? Passionate about making a real difference in women’s health and in the health of women? Are you looking for your next big gig? Drop the team over at Amira Health a message, Pigeon is certain they’d love to hear from you!
👨🏽💻Senior Software Engineer, FITFILE – Pigeons buddies over at FITFILE are on the hunt for a senior software engineer with the passion, dedication and technical savviness to support them on their mission to deliver safer, faster and better health data. .So if you know your way around Typescript, Terraform, Kubernetes and other platforms Pigeon has no knowledge of, you know what to do!
📈Chief Growth Officer, Qureight'– Do you have an excellent understanding of diseases? Have people always told you that you have a strategic and growth-oriented mindset? Do you know scientific disciplines as well as you know that back of your hand? Well, Pigeon may just have the perfect role for you…
Got news, jobs or events you think is worth coo-ing over? Let us know! Email us: news@healthtechpigeon.com
Healthtech Pigeon is curated and produced by SomX, the communications and creative agency for healthcare. We are clinicians, scientists, creatives and communicators dedicated to serving our healthtech, biotech, pharma and public sector clients with services across strategy, content, PR, design, events and media production. Get in touch to learn more.