Michael & Hope

A period tracker can tell you when. Research needs to help us understand why. In 2023, Apple shared preliminary findings from the Apple Women's Health Study, conducted with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Harvard University researchers analysed survey data from more than 50,000 participants, examining relationships between menstrual irregularity, PCOS and uterine health. The findings were preliminary and did not establish causation. What interests me is the opportunity behind this work. What happens when women’s experiences become questions worth investigating, and we collect the information needed to investigate them? For founders building diagnostics, wearables or digital health tools, collecting data is only the beginning. What will someone understand or do differently because of it? If you are developing an innovation for women’s health, I invite you to apply to Go Vertical ICM’s Women’s Health Community Award 2026. The primary winner receives US$5,000 cash and a separate Strategic Discovery Process valued at US$4,800 to help assess priorities and plan the next steps. Early concepts, research, prototypes and established products are welcome. Tell us the question your innovation is working to answer. Apply by December 31, 2026. https://lnkd.in/ebVNB6VJ Research: https://lnkd.in/egYHJC82 #WomensHealth #HealthResearch #FemTech

Women’s health is “too niche.” Until someone you love needs a better answer. Then the diagnostic delay matters. The gap in postpartum support matters. The product that never considered her needs matters. And the founder working on it suddenly seems a lot less “niche.” If you are that founder, I want to hear what you are building. You may still be testing your concept. You may have a prototype and more questions than answers. You may already have customers showing you how much further the work needs to go. There is room for your stage in Go Vertical ICM’s Women’s Health Community Award 2026. Eligible entrants receive a public candidate profile after verification, a place to explain the problem, introduce their innovation and invite community support. The primary winner receives: • US$5,000 cash. • A Strategic Discovery Process valued at US$4,800 to assess priorities and develop a practical roadmap. Entry is US$100 and includes one community support point. This is a paid community competition. Applications close December 31, 2026. You know why the problem matters. Now let people see what you are doing about it. Apply:https://lnkd.in/ebVNB6VJ #WomenFounders #WomensHealth #FemTech

A wearable can tell you that heart rate changed. But why did it change? Exercise? Stress? Sleep? Illness? Hormonal changes? Menstrual-cycle phase? That distinction matters. A 2026 Stanford University study analyzed approximately 1.2 million days of wearable data across more than 42,000 menstrual cycles. Researchers mapped changes in resting heart rate, HRV, respiratory rate, skin temperature and blood oxygen across the menstrual cycle, and showed that factors such as sleep, age and cycle length can influence how those signals should be interpreted. Stanford News This is exactly why wearable development cannot stop at sensor accuracy. We also need physiological interpretation. For founders building wearables: Do not ask only: Can we measure it? Ask: What biological variables could change this measurement—and how will we distinguish them? That is where a sensor begins becoming a meaningful health tool. Study: https://lnkd.in/eYF-_QHi #Wearables #Biosensors #WomensHealth #FemTech #DigitalHealth #MedTech

You are willing to build a company around a problem women face. But asking your community to support you feels like asking too much? We need to challenge that. You can spend months developing a concept, pay for prototypes, rewrite your pitch and defend your market, then hesitate to share an application because you might look “pushy.” Your community cannot support an ambition you keep editing out of the conversation. Give people the opportunity to say yes. Some will. Some won’t. You can handle both. This Monday, I’m asking women building in women’s health to put themselves forward for GO Vertical ICM’s Women’s Health Community Award 2026. Apply. Explain what you are working to change. Ask your network to stand behind your entry, clearly, confidently and without apologising for having ambition. The primary winner receives US$5,000 cash plus a Strategic Discovery Process valued at US$4,800 to assess priorities and develop a practical roadmap. Early concepts, research, prototypes and established products are welcome. Eligible entrants receive a public candidate profile after verification. Application: US$100, including one community support point. Additional support costs US$100 per point. Each point counts as one vote under the Official Rules; the highest verified valid total determines the winner. Applications close December 31, 2026. You have already committed to building something. Let people know it deserves their attention. Apply:https://lnkd.in/ebVNB6VJ #WomenFounders #WomensHealth #FemTech

For years, women’s health has often been treated as a category limited to fertility and pregnancy. The data says otherwise. McKinsey Health Institute reports that women spend, on average, 25% more of their lives in poor health than men, and estimates that narrowing the women’s health gap could unlock roughly $1 trillion annually in global economic value by 2040. McKinsey & Company, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and the World Economic Forum recently reported another striking number: Only about 6% of private healthcare investment goes toward women’s health, and most of that is concentrated in cancer, reproductive health and maternal health. BCG Global That leaves enormous areas underdeveloped: Cardiovascular health. Neurological conditions. Autoimmune disease. Menopause. Bone health. Chronic disease. Diagnostics. For founders, that represents more than a market opportunity. It represents an opportunity to build around biological and clinical questions that historically received too little attention. Women's health should not mean making existing healthcare products more female-looking. It should mean asking better questions about women’s physiology, and building better technology around the answers. Research: https://lnkd.in/eR3-B8pE https://lnkd.in/e3stnBJs #WomensHealth #FemTech #MedTech #HealthcareInnovation #GoVerticalICM

Your family has heard about your idea. Possibly at every dinner since February. Now give them a clear explanation of what you are building, and how they can support it.😄 Here is how to get started with the Women’s Health Community Award: 1. Review the rules and payment terms. Check that your innovation and location meet the eligibility requirements. 2. Prepare your introduction. Explain the problem, your intended solution and your current development stage. Have your entrant details and a logo or product image ready. Share a non-confidential overview. Your trade secrets do not need a LinkedIn debut. 3. Submit your application and complete the US$100 payment. Your successful application payment includes one vote. 4. Receive your candidate profile and individual voting link. We prepare these manually and email your link when it is ready. 5. Invite people to understand and support your idea. Your invitation can be simple:“I’m developing [solution] to address [problem]. I’ve entered the Women’s Health Community Award, where the primary winner receives US$5,000 and Strategic Discovery support. A vote costs US$100. If you believe in the idea and feel comfortable supporting it, I’d appreciate your vote, or sharing my story. ”No guilt. No surprise about the price. No need to appoint your mother Director of Global Voting, unless she has already appointed herself. 😉 There is no 100-vote requirement. A few votes could win if they represent the highest verified valid total at closing; no number guarantees a win. Your next step can begin with one clear introduction. Applications and voting close December 31, 2026. Read the details and apply:https://lnkd.in/ebVNB6VJ #WomensHealth #FemTech #StartupFounders