The Stigma Summit in LA. Let’s talk about Femtech trends.
“Mental Health, Femtech, Sexual Wellness, Vaginal Health, Cannabis, Hemp, CBD.These are categories that have been traditionally underserved. And is the focus for The Consumer VC’s Stigma Summit.” Mike Gelb June 2021
The Femtech panel. The take-away. Odile Roujol Founder of Fab Community and founder of Fab Ventures (seed stage, conscious fashion and beauty) in great company with other investors Investing in Femtech. A panel moderated by Marc Nathan.
We just took Odile’s answers, for more content, please follow Mike Gelb and Marc Nathan and try to watch the replay!
What are the major categories within FemTech? Femtech is not only software, diagnostics, but also products and services that use technology and data to focus on women wellness and women health. And with all ages of our life — from teenagers to menopause — with periods, fertility solutions, pregnancy tests and nursing cares, sexual wellness, cleanbeauty brands for intimate care…It’s a huge market!
What do you think is the most misunderstood part about FemTech and women’s health?
There are a lot of taboos.
Especially about embarrassing problems such as UTI ( all women experience if one time in their life if not many times), you don’t talk about it as a woman. It’s time to feel better. I invested in Stix delivering at home solution, discreet, reliable. I love the team, Jamie Norwood and Cynthia Plotch have a contagious energy!
I would add there are a lot of people who are single, and have no partner in life. Selfcare means having a great sexual life. Relaxing. Loving your own body. It’s not. It’s exciting to see new companies built by women for women, trying to find solutions with their products and services but also share content, educate customers. They are building communities.
I’m proud to have invested in Bloomi, a women wellness market place, and now with the brand with an iconic Massage oil infused with CBD and arousal oil, their best seller.
What’s your approach to evaluating opportunities?
The founders first. The approach: horizontal for Bloomi and Stix. Listening to their communities and customers. Understanding gender fluidity, being inclusive by DNA.
I talk on the podcast about need to haves vs. nice to haves and investors are focusing on the need to haves. Does this help shape how you view the market?
Selfcare. Finding solutions for women health and women wellness. Breaking the taboos are the priorities for me.
How do you typically source deals.
I’m lucky enough to have fab founders in the global fast growing Fab community ( I founded in SF in 2018 and now with 7000+ founders who have met with VCs in meetings and webinars, sharing their experience), recommendation by founders are the best!
I’m also grateful for being part of VCs groups. Talking with other female VCs is a great source of energy, and enable to have benchmarks.
When you chat to founders about their companies, what are qualities that you like to see from them?
- Collaborative. Wanting to have “super powers” around them.
- Vision. Execution.
What are some defining characteristics of a FemTech deal? What looks like FemTech, but isn’t?
- Beginning by insights. Having an intimate understanding of issues.
- Any deal that is using a buzz word! Purpose matters.
How do you approach male investors with a FemTech deal — is it getting any better out there for founders?
Investing, means to ask questions. Feeling at ease with the category.
Are large CPG companies helping to fuel the Femtech industry with their own products or do they still prefer to purchase ‘challenger brands’?
Corporations are interested by better understanding GenZ and Millennials. The Content, the knowledge of a community have a value, meaning the knowledge of a population (potential customers), not just the products even if they need to be excellent.
What are some of the things you’ve learned or observed in the last 12 months — and what do you see in the next 12 months?
Learning every day. One of the founders I met took too much time to talk with too many VCs not understanding Femtech and Womenwellness.
I’m happy to see she has used the crowdfunding platform Republic to have her own customers investing in her company.
I see also a lot of partnerships with other founders in women wellness, beauty, and also fashion. There is a lot of solidarity. The same in the CBD and cannabis category.
I believe there is a new era post covid more creative to build meaningful partnerships and help each other, and showing that the solidarity between women (the sisterhood) is helping to build new business models and relevant companies impacting our world in a good way.
Exciting period to come!
Thank you for the invitation Mike and Marc. #ConsumerVC. To know more about them: linkedin.com/in/mikegelb and theconsumervc.com (Podcast)
To know more about the companies backed by Fab Ventures Fund I and Odile Roujol: https://www.fabcocreationstudio.com/
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