When it comes to innovations in healthcare, Maneesha Ghiya means business.
As a risk capital and investor at Hedge Funds, the Harvard Business degree has invested in healthcare for more than 25 years – pretty much her entire career.
But when a medical emergency almost took life, Ghiya saw first -hand the need to innovate the healthcare system of women. So she started her own risk capital company, Femtech Ventures to close this gap.
Femtech Ventures works with companies to promote the health of women through medication, devices, digital and artificial intelligence and diagnostics (imaging, tests and tools).
The company’s investment approach deals with the health conditions of women in three types: “only women” (endometriosis), “mostly women” (breast cancer) and “different in women” (heart disease).
“We created and released this framework in 2019 and have since been taken over by many others in the entire healthcare industry. By defining the health of women, we can identify and advance innovations that appeal to the conditions for the health of women over the entire health of women,” said Ghiya.
We asked Ghiya about her thoughts about the technology -based solutions that make waves in the health of women and how their own health fear inspired their passion for changes.
Our interview follows, edited for clarity and length.
Healthywomen: Do you tell us about your experiences with postpartum bleeding and how it led to the start of Femtech Ventures?
Maneesha Ghiya: When I gave birth to my daughter at Columbia University under the care of a highest OBSKNE, I bumped into serious complications.
What started as an emergency Caesarean section turned into a crisis with an undiscovered internal bleeding. Four surgeons carried out a recovery, which was ultimately unsuccessful in the localization of the source, and I was transferred to the intensive care unit, where I had undergone 10 blood and blood and blood tile transfusions.
Fortunately, my body caught up with bleeding and I survived. But this torture has fueled the desire for me to make a difference in the health of women, which caused me to find Femhealth companies.
Read: Postpartal bleeding is a deadly problem >>
HW: In the past, we know that the health of women has been overlooked and underfunded. How does FemTech help to expand the health of women?
Ghiya: We invest in drugs, devices, diagnosis as well as digital and artificial intelligence in women’s health space. We consider FemTech as a sub -group of women’s health and would be tailored to software or KI platforms to the health of women that fall in our digital and AI investment focus.
For example, we have invested in a company called Cercle. The product of CERCLE AI analyzes the patient files in a fertility clinic and enables doctors to quickly access data on how similar cases have been treated, including protocols, success rates and side effects.
This helps to optimize the treatment plans and lead to higher success rates – which is incredibly effective for those who are familiar with the IVF trip.
Read: Infertility is not only a physical journey – it is also emotional >>
HW: What do you find most exciting in the world of FemTech?
Ghiya: I am happy to see how AI and robotics can increase the standard of care in medical centers.
An exciting application that we see in the robotics and AI category is for needle -based procedures. For example, consider epidural during work – 1 of 10 failure or need to adapt, since each person has a different anatomy, which makes it difficult for experts to achieve precisely needle placement.
One of our portfolio companies, Mendaera, has created a robot-needle-liidance device that combined ultrasound imaging with robot preparation.
Apart from epidural, this technology can be applied to processes such as nerve blocks and breast biopsies. This is a player, since previously only highly qualified clinicians were able to carry out this type of procedure with efficiency and accuracy. With this robot and AI guidance system, more clinicians can be cared for more closely on the needle base, which is very impaired for patients who may not have access to important medical centers.
HW: Tell us since the introduction of Femhealth Ventures about a product/innovation that was particularly memorable for you.
Ghiya: We were very excited when our portfolio company Gynesonics was taken over by Hologic in January. Currently, more than 200,000 women in the United States will experience every year due to the serious and often weakening symptoms of fibroids about hysterectomies.
Gyenosonics offers a new solution: a non-surgical, outpatient procedure using a high frequency dilation. The procedure is free in the incision and enables women to return to work the next day-in comparison to months of recovery, which is associated with surgery. Thanks to gynesonics, hundreds of thousands of women will avoid hysterectomies. It was exciting to see that this amazing innovation was brought more women through this acquisition.
HW: What great progress do you hope in the near future in the healthcare system of women, or what should we have on our radar?
Ghiya: I am very happy to see more solutions for women in the PPD room (postpartum depression). Unfortunately, the mothers’ rates in the United States have increased in recent years, with the PPD made a significant contribution promoter. In response to this urgent need, we invested in Reunion neurosciences that develop throughout drug therapy to remedy PPD.
It acts [and has shown promising results in clinical trials]. Pharmaceutical therapy is currently being subjected to a complete FDA study and approval procedure and will only be available as part of the medical supervision.
Read: When the postpartum depression hit, I only heard the lies that my depression told me >>
HW: How can you advise how readers can support innovations in Femtech?
Ghiya: We encourage everyone who supports women’s health to stay up to date.
My company regularly publishes articles about our LinkedIn about important updates in the health sector of women and updates from health -oriented portfolio companies for women. A good example of a current update in the health sector of women is the Gates Foundation, in which the health initiatives of women are promised 2.5 billion US dollars. We look forward to seeing the growing focus and dynamics in the women’s health room.
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