Teneha Brown
CEO at VagiPlug, Founder, Inventor, Entrepreneur, Women’s Health Warrior, Women’s Health Advocate
United States
There is increased awareness about various conditions related to women’s health. There are ongoing efforts for breaking taboos and busting myths related to issues about menstruation and menopause. Education (evidence based) for individuals and health professionals is key.
In my humble opinion, challenges in the next three years are funding for the initiatives that are already underway and those to come. Statistically, women led startups only receive 1/4 of VC funding. It’s been proven that women led companies excel and far exceed the progress of male led startups, especially when considering overall growth, job growth, investments and revenue, yet the fact remains that we receive less funding, thereby exposing us to greater challenges and often times less successful companies due to the lack of capital. Funding should not be viewed as a battle of the sexes, but currently, this is the case.
A catalyst to address these challenges is education, open-mindedness and the rise of a more diverse audience. If we can better educate the check writers and those that hold the purse strings, I believe there would be a better funding distribution. As well as addressing a more diverse group of investors/funders, will enable a greater division of funds as these individuals tend to have a more open mind when it comes to solutions and technologies.
