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Motherhood
Infant Formula Startup Raises $70M to Acquire 26-Year-Old Brand Nature’s One
Organic European-style baby formula
Portfolio News
Women’s Health
Caraway Shows What Else Digital Health Can Do
A 24/7 on-demand healthcare platform serving college-aged women+
Female Funders
$1 Trillion Market Tapped by Female VCs Focused on Women’s Work
Olivia Walton joins a panel discussion on how we can close the gender gap in the workplace, investments and beyond.
Investing in the infrastructure serving the long-overlooked needs of women and working families
We believe that you can’t change what you can’t see.
We track issues and innovations in financial security, career, women’s health, motherhood and wellbeing, and funding announcements for female founders and female funders.
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Career
Female Founders
Female Funders
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Living Well
Motherhood
Portfolio News
Women’s Health
Portfolio News
How Ellevest CEO Sallie Krawcheck Gets It Done
Krawcheck stays motivated by the satisfaction of proving her naysayers wrong and helping women build wealth. For everything else, there’s walks, cooking, and wine.
August 14, 2023
Portfolio News
Healthybaby Launches Eco-friendly Diapers at Target
A DTC diaper brand that’s pioneering new production methods is expanding to Target amid growing interest in clean and natural baby products.
August 14, 2023
Financial Security
If U.S Women Were Paid for Their Time Spent on Child and Family Care, They’d Each Earn an Extra $4,600 Annually
Women average about 52 minutes per day caring for children and other family members.
August 14, 2023
Living Well
Financial Security
She’s Got Game: Women’s Sports Are Booming
Women’s sports have been raking in new deals and partnerships in the U.S. and beyond.
August 11, 2023
Women’s Health
FDA Approves Fast-Acting Pill for Postpartum Depression
The FDA has just approved zuranolone, a new treatment for postpartum depression and major depressive disorder.
August 11, 2023
Women’s Health
Review: The Superb Documentary ‘Our Body’ Puts Women’s Healthcare Under a Microscope
“Our Body” spends 169 moving, spellbinding minutes roving the halls, exam rooms and operating theaters of a hospital’s gynecology ward.
August 10, 2023
Women’s Health
Impact of New Pill to Treat Postpartum Depression Will Depend on Price
The approval of the first-ever pill treating postpartum depression was hailed as a significant milestone, but it was quickly tempered by questions around how much the drug will cost.
August 8, 2023
Women’s Health
Portfolio News
Virtual Women’s Health: State of Play
Caraway, a platform offering virtual mental, reproductive and physical care to women and all members of Gen Z, raised a $16.75 million Series A.
August 8, 2023
Career
Motherhood
Women Shifting Careers for IVF Coverage Amid Employer Support
This trend is emerging as an increasing number of companies step forward to provide assistance for treatments such as IVF.
August 2, 2023
Female Founders
One Big Thing: Steady Increase in Women’s Health Tech Founders
The percentage of women-identifying founders in health tech rose from about 15% in 2015 to nearly 22% in 2022.
July 26, 2023
Portfolio News
How the 26-Year-Old CEO of Aunt Flow Gets It Done
While the company has now raised just under $17 million, when Claire Coder started it, the topic of period poverty wasn’t a popular one, making it challenging to gain financial and practical support.
July 24, 2023
Career
Barbie’s Global Domination: Exactly How Mattel Pulled It Off
A year in the making, the reportedly $100 million marketing-hype cycle has built up almost unprecedented awareness and interest in both the film and the brand.
July 21, 2023
Portfolio News
Bobbie CEO Laura Modi on ‘Resetting’ the Baby Formula Industry
Bobbie infant formula CEO Laura Modi joins "CBS Mornings" to discuss her company’s recent acquisition and continued growth.
July 19, 2023
Women’s Health
F.D.A. Approves First U.S. Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill
The move could significantly expand access to contraception. The pill is expected to be available in early 2024.
July 13, 2023
Portfolio News
Motherhood
Infant Formula Startup Bobbie Raises $70 Million to Acquire 26-Year-Old Brand Nature’s One
Over the past two years, the infant formula startup Bobbie has grown to reach $100 million in revenue, feed 300,000 babies, and serve more than 5% of the non-WIC U.S. formula market.
July 12, 2023
Female Founders
Venture Capital Deals for Women-founded Companies
Only 2% of venture capital dollars went to startups founded by all-women teams, and over 80% of VC investments went to all-men founding teams in 2022.
July 11, 2023
Motherhood
Women’s Health
Maker of Emergency Contraception Pill Expands Access Post-Roe
The maker of Julie, an FDA-approved emergency contraceptive, is providing support to historically underserved communities with a new 1:1 donation program.
July 10, 2023
Women’s Health
Women’s Health/Women+: Tapping into an Underserved Market
Women’s health can be both mission-driven and business-driven. As the business case for fertility solutions has exploded, there is hope that the business case will be seen for other areas of women’s health.
July 6, 2023
Female Founders
U.S. VC Female Founders Dashboard
U.S. VC funding for female-founded or co-founded companies has been trending up in recent years, and 2022 saw the creation of several women-led funds, incubators for female founders and more new companies.
July 3, 2023
Women’s Health
Six Technologies and Innovations for Women's Health
Even in wealthy nations, research and development for women’s health is woefully underfunded. While women are half the world’s population, only 1% of health care research spending goes toward female-specific conditions not related to cancer.
July 2, 2023
Women’s Health
The Entrepreneur’s Guide to the Care Economy
Essential insights for building companies in the care space.
July 1, 2023
Living Well
Women’s Health
Breaking Down Barriers: How FemTech Is Improving Women’s Health and Well-Being
FemTech is projected to reach a market value of more than $103 billion by 2030.
June 29, 2023
Women’s Health
Portfolio News
Deal Dive: Caraway Shows What Else Digital Health Can Do
Caraway’s fundraise illustrates clearly what VCs are finding attractive in the digital health sector, and the types of startups that may find traction in today’s climate.
June 24, 2023
Career
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour Generates a “TSwift Lift”
Research company QuestionPro estimates that the superstar could add a staggering $4.6 billion in consumer spending to the U.S. economy as she supercharges business at each of the 47 stops on her tour.
June 23, 2023
Women’s Health
Roe Reversal Fuels Women’s Health Deal Market
A groundswell of support for women’s health in the wake of Roe’s reversal — and starkly poor public performance of generalist health tech companies — has investors turning to women-focused startups.
June 22, 2023
Female Funders
$1 Trillion Market Tapped By Female VCs Focused on Women’s Work
First-time fund managers Courtney Leimkuhler, Elana Berkowitz and Jen Lee Koss of the Springbank Collective closed a $35 million fund focused on serving the overlooked needs of women and working families — a $1 trillion opportunity.
June 22, 2023
Women’s Health
Women’s Health a Year After the Dobbs v. Jackson Ruling
A Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that OB/GYNs are concerned about the negative effects the ruling has had on maternal care.
June 22, 2023
Women’s Health
From Serial Productions: The Retrievals
Dozens of women seeking to become mothers came to a fertility clinic at Yale. A five-part narrative series explores the shocking events that unfolded there.
June 22, 2023
Career
Women in Leadership Face Ageism at Every Age
Research has only just begun to investigate how age is used to justify bias and discrimination specifically against women. Gendered ageism sits at the intersection of age and gender bias and is a double whammy where there is “no right age” for professional women.
June 16, 2023
Female Founders
Female Funders
Women Reshaping the Venture Investing Landscape
A comprehensive directory of some of the nation’s top wealth management professionals
June 16, 2023
Motherhood
New Moms Are Not All Right. Here's Why.
Never before have we parented in such isolation.
June 10, 2023
Female Founders
Meet the 8 Black and Latina Female Founders Whose Startups Have Topped a $1 Billion Valuation
These founders face increased challenges getting funded because VC firms have historically excluded and overlooked them.
June 4, 2023
Career
BofA Report Finds 64% of Women Want Menopause-Specific Benefits, Yet Only 14% Believe Their Employer Recognizes the Need for Them
Employers are more than twice as likely as female employees (71% vs. 32%) to have a positive perception of their company culture regarding menopause.
June 1, 2023
Career
Women’s Health
A Movement to Make Workplaces ‘Menopause Friendly’
What is a menopause-friendly workplace? Women in cities like New York may soon find out, as U.S. companies adopt practices that were already spreading in Britain.
May 22, 2023
Portfolio News
Startup Bobbie Proves There’s Profit In Baby Formula Despite the Dominance of Industry Giants
Just 7% of venture-backed companies that disclose sales ever reach $100 million in revenue, and even fewer are headed by women. Bobbie managed it in a market that used to begin and end with Similac, Enfamil and Gerber Good Start.
May 19, 2023
Female Founders
Female Funders
Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Next Gen Summit
In conversation with Tracee Ellis Ross, Ginni Rometty, Cathie Wood and more founders, executives and leaders.
May 16, 2023
Financial Security
Polls Show Most Women Say They Aren’t Financially Secure
Women are especially worried about retirement. Those surveyed support changes to boost Social Security and a government-provided retirement plan.
May 16, 2023
Female Founders
Female Funders
Are (Male) Investors Missing The Obvious?
Why investing in female leaders in healthcare can increase returns and improve health outcomes.
May 12, 2023
Career
Companies on Fortune’s Modern Board 25 List Prioritize Boardroom Diversity
The ranking of corporate boards considers several criteria: independence, financial performance and tenure of board members. Another metric, the diversity of boards, is also front and center.
May 11, 2023
Motherhood
Teens in Distress Are Swamping Pediatricians
Over the last three decades, the major health risks facing U.S. adolescents have shifted drastically: Teen pregnancy and alcohol, cigarette and drug use have fallen while anxiety, depression, suicide and self-harm have soared.
May 10, 2023
Career
Reinventing the Childcare Industry
To understand the dynamics of the industry and articulate a way forward, BCG surveyed more than 2,500 working caregivers with children below age 5 in March 2023. We asked them, “What would it look like if the childcare system was built in a way that felt customized to your needs?”
May 3, 2023
Motherhood
Emergency Room Visits Have Risen Sharply for Young People in Mental Distress, Study Finds
The findings indicated an “urgent” need for expanded crisis services, according to the team of researchers and physicians who published the report.
May 1, 2023
Financial Security
Why the “Women at Work” Conversation Has Become “Caregivers at Work”
With caregiving needs only projected to grow, more stable resources will be essential to getting ahead of what could otherwise be a caregiving-driven exodus of women from the workforce.
April 29, 2023
Financial Security
Husbands and Wives Earn Similar Wages in a Growing Share of Marriages
Even when earnings are similar, husbands spend more time on paid work and leisure, while wives devote more time to caregiving and housework.
April 13, 2023
Women’s Health
The Crisis in Black Maternal Mortality
A dive into the data and a call to action.
April 13, 2023
Women’s Health
Enhancing Maternal Health: AI in Electronic Health Records and Patient-Provider Communication
Artificial intelligence will revolutionize how we handle electronic health records, improving communication between patients and healthcare providers.
April 12, 2023
Career
In the Wake of SVB, Diversity Is the Solution — Not the Problem
The problem wasn’t that there was too much diversity at Silicon Valley Bank — it was the opposite. It didn’t have enough diversity in its business model.
March 21, 2023
Motherhood
WH Economic Report: Money for Child Care Would Help Growth
Government support for child care would help ensure a “robust labor force” because parents are often prevented from working due to its costs, said Cecilia Rouse, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers.
March 20, 2023
Financial Security
3 Charts Show How the Gender Pay Gap Is Still an Issue in the US
The biggest disparities were among financial managers, where women's weekly earnings averaged $1,468 while men's averaged $2,116.
March 19, 2023
Motherhood
Women’s Health
Nearly Half of Working Mothers Surveyed Have Been Diagnosed with Anxiety or Depression. Here’s What Can Help
Federal paid leave policies, along with boundaries in the workplace and a reliable support system, can help alleviate the mental burden many working moms are feeling.
March 17, 2023
Motherhood
Portfolio News
FDA Gives Greenlight for Bobbie’s First of Its Kind Tolerance Formula
Bobbie expands its product offering and supports more American babies with high-quality, domestically manufactured organic infant formula.
March 16, 2023
Female Funders
Amboy Street Ventures Closes a $20 Million Fund to Invest in Women’s Health and Sexual Wellness
“What most VC funds are doing is trying to predict future trends,” founding partner Carli Sapir says. “What we’re doing is trying to invest in companies that are filling immediate needs. We know these companies have strong growth opportunities.”
March 15, 2023
Female Founders
How Women Entrepreneurs Are Creating New Businesses in Record Numbers
Since the start of the pandemic, women, particularly women of color, have become the leading drivers of business creation in the U.S.
March 15, 2023
Career
Financial Security
The Wage Gap Gets Worse for Women in Their 30s and 40s — and It’s Not Just the ‘Motherhood Penalty’
The gap persists even as women are outpacing men in college graduation and enrollment rates — in fact, the gap between women and men with a college degree is not any narrower than the one between women and men without a college degree.
March 15, 2023
Female Founders
Can Venture Capital Become More Equitable for Women
Women investors are twice as likely to finance companies with female founders, and three times as likely to finance companies with women CEOs, but the pool of women venture capitalists remains shallow: a 2020 report from Women in VC showed that 5.6 percent of U.S. VC firms are women-led.
March 8, 2023
Portfolio News
Nearly 50% of Low-Income Women May Be Skipping Meals to Pay for This Basic Need
At some point in the previous year, two-thirds of low-income women could not afford period products, and half said they had to choose between buying food or period products.
March 7, 2023
Financial Security
Global Brands Look to Boost Media Investment in Women’s Sports through a New Partnership, the Women’s Sports Club
Global brands such as Nike, Coca-Cola and Delta are coming together to elevate investment in women’s sports.
March 7, 2023
Financial Security
Women Still Make 82 Cents on the Dollar Compared to Men, Study Finds
The pay gap has only narrowed 2 cents since 2002.
March 1, 2023
Motherhood
Women Less Keen to Get Pregnant Since the Pandemic Began, New Study Shows
Overall, nearly half of the women who responded were less likely to want to have a child or more likely to want to delay having a child. These women were more likely to be younger, women of color, parenting one child and to have experienced loss of income.
February 28, 2023
Career
How Tech Can Help Mend the Care Gap
Springbank Collective Founding Partner Courtney Leimkuhler joins Caroline Hyde and Ed Ludlow to discuss how the companies in their portfolio are building the infrastructure to close the gender gap — addressing the long-overlooked needs of women, caregivers and working families.
February 27, 2023
Motherhood
Why Working Moms in America Are So Miserable
The bias against mothers at work stems in part from the unspoken expectation that employees should work without any indication of their life outside of work.
February 20, 2023
Career
Why Everyone Feels Like They’re Faking It
The concept of Impostor Syndrome has become ubiquitous. Critics, and even the idea’s originators, question its value.
February 13, 2023
Motherhood
Reinventing Pediatric Care
When Ellen DaSilva, the co-founder and CEO of Summer Health, had kids, she began to realize that pediatric care is broken.
February 12, 2023
Motherhood
Childcare Is So Expensive that Educated Women Are Dropping Out of the Workforce Because They Refuse to Put More Than 25% of Their Paycheck Toward the Cost
How much would you pay for childcare to stay at work?
February 9, 2023
Female Founders
Women’s Health
With $22.3 Million in Venture Capital, a Startup Is Transforming Maternity Care
More than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, according to the CDC, and including midwives can help. Oula’s collaborative care model brings together doctors and midwives. The startup‘s patients have fewer cesareans and other preterm deliveries.
February 8, 2023
Female Funders
America’s Top Women Wealth Advisors
The seventh annual ranking of Forbes/SHOOK Top Women Wealth Advisors features 1,697 women collectively managing assets of nearly $2.3 trillion.
February 2, 2023
Portfolio News
Pumped Up: St. Louis-based Babyation Revolutionized the Breast Pump
“If you want to breastfeed your baby, but you need to be away from that baby for more than a few hours at a time, a breast pump becomes a necessity,” says Babyation founder Samantha Rudolph. “So, to see dairy cows have newer technology than human women — that’s absurd.”
February 1, 2023
Portfolio News
5 Ways to Empower Women in the Workplace
Hiring moms is good for business. Yet women remain underrepresented in the workplace, especially when it comes to leadership.
January 31, 2023
Portfolio News
Motherhood
Female Founders
This CEO Thought She Understood the Reality of Caregiving for Employees — Until She Became a Caregiver Herself
When Cleo’s Chief Business Officer Sarahjane Sacchetti’s stepfather was diagnosed with ALS, the impact of that diagnosis on her own life came as a shock.
January 26, 2023
Motherhood
How U.S. Mothers, Fathers Differ on Parenting
Moms are also more likely than dads to say being a parent is stressful and tiring all or most of the time. And they’re generally more likely than fathers to say they feel judged for how they parent their children.
January 24, 2023
Portfolio News
Women’s Health
New Healthcare Company Julie Donates Nearly 200,000 Units of Emergency Contraception to Network of Partners
Julie to partner with over 20 organizations nationwide, providing access to the more than 19 million women living in contraceptive deserts across the United States.
January 18, 2023
Financial Security
Portfolio News
Portable Retirement Plans Offer Niche Alternative for Gig Workers, Job Jumpers
Icon provides workers with a personal retirement plan that never requires a rollover. The plan travels with the saver without having to change the investments or the plan.
January 13, 2023
Female Funders
Lessons from Backing Over 100 Female-Led Start-Ups
The data shows that female founders have long been going where the opportunity is — and that they’re building valuable technology companies.
January 11, 2023
Financial Security
Hope, Regret, Uncertainty: 7 Women on Freezing Their Eggs
The process is an intense and arduous journey for many women, riddled with uncertainty.
December 23, 2022
Women’s Health
Welcome to the Menopause Gold Rush
The market is flooding with high-profile, well-funded menopause-related beauty products and telemedicine start-ups, as well as a growing roster of celebrities willing to admit it’s happening to them. There’s the potential not only for a big cultural shift to happen, but for some number of people to profit off it.
December 20, 2022
Portfolio News
Synthetic Milk Startup Helaina on Biotech Growth
Founded in 2019, the biotech startup has been producing immune-supporting proteins primarily for use in its synthetic infant milk, but also for use in other foodstuffs.
November 23, 2022
Portfolio News
Healthybaby Aims to Provide Parents with Toxin-free Diapers
Healthybaby founder Shazi Visram is applying the plant-based, organic model of her former baby food company Happy Family Organics to a new category — diapers.
November 20, 2022
Motherhood
Solving the $290B Care Crisis
The care economy is a vast ecosystem where families, employers and institutions come together to support the young, the old and the sick. This support is necessary for the functioning of a healthy society, and it underpins every part of the economy. We can ignore it no longer.
November 15, 2022
Female Founders
2022 All In: Female Founders in the US Venture Ecosystem
Female investors account for just 16.1% of VC decision-makers in the US. Furthermore, 95.5% of VC firms have a majority male population of decision-makers.
November 2, 2022
Financial Security
Women in the Workplace 2022
Women leaders are switching jobs at the highest rates we’ve ever seen, and ambitious young women are prepared to do the same.
October 18, 2022
Financial Security
In the College Sports Pay Era, Female Athletes Are Emerging as Big Economic Winners
The success female athletes are having in the endorsement deal market can have big implications for future funding of women’s collegiate sports, from corporate partnership deals to media rights and university budgets.
October 15, 2022
Financial Security
Still Unfinished Business: How We Can Improve Economic Outcomes for Women
Olivia Walton joins a panel discussion on how we can close the gender gap in the workplace, investments and beyond.
September 19, 2022
Portfolio News
Hearth Display Replaces Your Whiteboard with a 27-inch Display for Family Task Management
Hearth Display wants to help families manage tasks and chores by putting a giant 27-inch touch screen display in your home.
July 12, 2022
Financial Security
Career
This May Be the Way to Cancel the ‘Motherhood Penalty’ and Develop Leaders
Neuroscience shows that new parents undergo changes in their brains that allow them to be more present, empathize with others and collaborate more effectively — all important leadership skills.
May 4, 2022
Female Founders
Get Inspired by These 5 Female-led Unicorn Companies
The number of women leading billion-dollar startups increased by 400 percent in six years. Meet the changemakers who launched female-led unicorn companies and challenged the status quo every step of the way.
April 5, 2022
Female Founders
The Herd of Female-founded Unicorn Companies Continues to Grow in 2022
According to Crunchbase data, a total of 595 companies joined The Crunchbase Unicorn Board last year, far exceeding the numbers in prior years. Of these, 83 were founded or co-founded by women, more than quadrupling that category’s count from 2020.
March 21, 2022
Portfolio News
Living Well
Female Founders
The 10 Most Innovative Wellness Companies in 2022
Attn: Grace has taken on the mission of making over a $2.5 billion market for the aging woman, particularly the baby boomer cohort, by celebrating and nurturing the body that has carried her through the years.
March 8, 2022
Female Funders
Investing in Women Makes Good Business Sense
Healthy women are the backbone of a resilient, stable, and thriving society.
March 8, 2022
Portfolio News
Bobbie CEO Laura Modi on Creating Organic Infant Formula, Mission to Stop Formula Shaming
Bobbie CEO and co-founder Laura Modi joined “CBS Mornings” to discuss how her organic formula is shaking up the industry. Modi discussed how her personal experiences with feeding her child inspired the company.
January 26, 2022
Financial Security
Portfolio News
The Ellevest Women’s Financial Health Index
The Ellevest Women’s Financial Health Index provides an overview of well-being that is easily understood and tracked over time.
December 31, 2021
Women’s Health
Suffering in Silence: The Biases and Data Gaps of Menopause
Menopause is a $600B+ opportunity that is still largely untapped.
October 26, 2020
Motherhood
What Does Wall Street Want with the Fertility Field?
An interview with Dr. David Sable, OB/GYN, professor and life sciences investor.
October 25, 2020
Career
Meet the Forgotten Female Scientist Who Debunked Theories of Male Superiority
Leta Stetter Hollingworth was a trailblazing psychologist and champion of women’s rights. But a century after the 19th Amendment, equality has a long way to go.
August 14, 2020
Female Funders
50 Female Founded Venture Capital Firms to Watch
The women who are working to change the VC world.
Career
It’s Not About Being a ‘Perfect Parent’: Stanford Sociologist Shares 3 Ways to Succeed at Work While Raising Kids
“It’s about being a good enough parent,” says Stanford University sociologist Marianne Cooper, “and having some kind of balance between spending all of your time at work or all of your time at home.”
Women’s Health
Women’s Health ‘Missing Out’ Because of Male-dominated Investment
“Waiting on male investors to invest in women’s health clearly hasn’t been working.”