The Supreme Court ruling pushes for more women's health startups

The Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade caused a wave of protest from pro-choice groups as states moved quickly to criminalize abortion.

The investors are taking action with their dollars, deploying capital to support women's health startups.

Since the court ruling, the Maven Clinic, for example, has seen a month-over-month increase in in inbound sales opportunities of 67%, according to Shakir, which advises companies on women's health and family benefits, including fertility.

The Supreme Court decision struck down our most conservative clients, so Maven Clinic CEO and Founder Kate Ryder said in a recent interview with Bloomberg that even our most conservative clients didn't want to take a position on abortion.

Growth in a fast-growing segment of health care that has been overlooked and underfunded is expected to be spurred by the historic ruling. According to McKinsey, only 1% of all health care research and innovation is dedicated to female specific issues beyond oncology, and make up half of the global population and account for roughly $500 billion in annual medical expenses.

The mismatch has resulted in a surge in investments, especially as employers look to expand benefits related to maternal and family health services. According to Pitchbook, women's health startups raised a record $1.98 billion from venture capital investors in 2021. More than 40 venture-backed women's health startups have raised more than $155 million as of March 2022.

The biggest inflows have been seen at the Maven Clinic, where Shakir serves on the board of directors.

It became the first health company focused solely on women's issues to reach unicorn status last summer after securing $110 million in a Series D funding round led by Shakir and backed by Oprah Winfrey.

Shakir said that human health is proof of recession. We're not going anywhere soon unless there's a real apocalypse in the near future. The global women's health market is expected to generate roughly $3 billion by the end of 2030, according to PitchBook.

With the Supreme Court decision to focus on addressing gaps in maternal and fetal medicine, Shakir said the sector could see a greater tailwind to come.

She said that there was a long history of regulatory constraints that compelling creativity and innovation emergent from these really difficult situations. I'm so heartened to see the health tech companies, many of which we have invested in, rising to the occasion and stepping up to fill in gaps that are currently not being filled by what the government is able to provide. Follow her on Twitter at AkikoFujita.