We brought together five leaders and experts to discuss the latest innovations, trends and the state of Fertility, Pregnancy and Maternal Health. During this webinar, we will cover a range of topics including:

• Innovative next-generation solutions and products disrupting this space;

• Breaking down taboos, and the importance of education about female health;

• The impact of the pandemic on the sector, businesses in this space, and access to healthcare for the most vulnerable;

• Fundraising and getting investment;

• How to launch a business in a highly regulated environment and scale it.

Join us virtually and make sure to prepare your questions for our panelists! Those who have registered for the webinar will receive a link for a video call two days prior to the event.

AGENDA

6:30 - Webinar starts

6.30 - 6.35 - Women of Wearables - 5 minute presentation

6.35 - 6.45 - Intro and welcome words from our moderator Rachel Braun Scherl

6.45 - 8.00 - Panel discussion + Q&A

8.00 - Webinar finishes

Meet our panelists:

Dr. Elina Berglund Scherwitzl, co-founder and co-CEO of Natural Cycles

Dr. Elina Berglund Scherwitzl is the co-founder and co-CEO of Natural Cycles - the world’s first, and only, app to be certified as a contraception by the FDA. Prior to founding Natural Cycles, Elina was part of the team that discovered the Higgs boson at the CERN laboratory, which led to the Nobel Prize in physics in 2013. Following this success, Elina was looking for an effective natural contraceptive and decided to apply her skills from particle physics to create a unique algorithm that could accurately pinpoint when a woman was fertile. From there, Natural Cycles was born. Today, Natural Cycles has over 1.5 million registered users across 162 countries.

Adriana Vazquez, co-founder and CEO of Lilu

Adriana Vazquez is the co-founder and CEO of Lilu. Adriana holds a Masters in Integrated Product Design from UPenn and a BSc from MIT in Mathematics and Computer Science. She and her co-founder are YC and NSF I-Corps fellows and their patent was recognized as Philadelphia’s invention of the year in 2019. She has been named one of the top 30 Femtech Healthcare Influencers in 2019 and has won awards such as the SheKnows BlogHer competition (2019) and the AlphaLabGear Hardware cup (2018). She has represented Lilu at SXSW, and TechCrunch Battlefield, and this year she is an Anita Borg 2020 PitcHer finalist. In her spare time, Adriana loves to run, cycle, and is attempting to snowboard.

Amanda French, co-founder and CEO of Emme

Amanda French is the co-founder and CEO of Emme, a femtech company that is revolutionizing birth control. Emme invented the first smart, connected pill case for birth control pill management. Amanda has over a decade of experience bringing innovative products to the market with a particular focus on women’s health. One of the first innovations she helped develop was a product that facilitated the distribution of antiretrovirals to mothers in the developing world to prevent the rates of HIV transmission from mother to child postpartum. This product was recognized directly by Hilary Clinton and won USAID’s Saving Lives at Birth Grand Challenge. Prior to founding Emme, Amanda developed breakthrough heart valve technology as an R&D engineer with Edwards Lifesciences, where she also held roles in program management, manufacturing, and marketing through the Technical Development Program. She went on to develop state-of-the-art hearing aids at Earlens. She brings her prior experience of developing innovative medical technology to drive the advancement of innovation in women’s health at Emme. Amanda was a 2016-2017 Innovation Fellow at the Stanford-Byers Center for Biodesign, and a Ferolyn Fellow in 2018-2019 with the Fogarty Institute for Innovation. She holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Duke University.

Kate Torgersen, founder and CEO of Milk Stork®

Kate Torgersen is the founder and CEO of Milk Stork®, the first breast milk shipping company. Kate's story of mom-led innovation and entrepreneurship has been covered in outlets such as The Today Show, TIME, Forbes, People, NPR, Fortune, and CheddarTV. In 2016, Kate was named one of Red Tricycle's "Power Moms in Food". And, in 2015, Milk Stork was recognized as one of Business Insider's "19 Coolest New Businesses in San Francisco". Kate is a full time, working mom of three kids who was committed to breastfeeding all of her children for the recommended 12 months. After facing the challenging logistics of pumping for her twins during a four-day business trip, Kate created the first breast milk shipping service to lighten the load—both physically and emotionally—for hardworking, business traveling, breastfeeding moms. When she isn’t working, playing with her kids, or picking up Hotwheels, she is on a never-ending quest for eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Moderated by Rachel Braun Scherl, Managing Partner and co-founder of SPARK Solutions for Growth

Rachel Braun Scherl is a champion for women’s sexual reproductive health and a pioneer in the space. As Managing Partner and Co-Founder of SPARK Solutions for Growth, a strategic and marketing consultancy, Rachel has built an international client list that includes Johnson & Johnson, Allergan, Pfizer, Bayer, and Church & Dwight, as well as venture-backed start-ups. As a Vagipreneur®, Rachel drives growth with businesses from menstruation through menopause. While President and co-founder of Semprae Laboratories, Rachel and her team built a company that developed and marketed sexual health and wellness products for women - creating a new category. Semprae attracted significant media attention and industry interest and was sold to Innovus Pharmaceuticals in 2013. Rachel’s career-long findings and learnings are at the heart of her best-selling book: Orgasmic Leadership: Profiting from the Coming Surge in Women’s Health and Wellness. In addition, Rachel is a sought-after public speaker, co-host of the podcast The Business of the V, creator of the series Quotes from Quarantine, board member, and strategic advisor.

ABOUT WOMEN OF WEARABLES

Women of Wearables (WoW) is a leading global organisation supporting women and diversity in wearable tech, fashion tech, and IoT. With headquarters in London (UK) and more than 20,000 members located around the globe, WoW has become a global movement that supports women in emerging technologies through events, mentorship, educational programs, and collaboration with its network of local ambassadors and partners. Become a WoW member via the official website!