WHAM Launches Innovator’s Circle to Boost Women’s Health Funding

⁣ Updated May 28, ⁤2025
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Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM) is tackling the important underfunding in women’s health. Despite ‌women representing half the population, women’s health⁤ companies receive only about 2% ‍of healthcare venture capital.WHAM’s new Innovator’s ​Circle ‌aims to‍ bridge⁤ this gap by ⁢uniting leaders from various women’s‍ health-focused funds.

The ⁤Innovator’s Circle ‍founding members ‌include AHA Go ​Red for Women Venture Fund, Amboy Street Ventures, ⁤and US Fertility, among others. The network,‌ focused on increasing awareness and funding for women’s health research, has four main⁣ priorities, according‍ to Carolee Lee, WHAM’s CEO.

These priorities include accelerating early-stage innovation in ‌women’s health, strengthening funding through partnerships, identifying breakthroughs ⁤in areas disproportionately impacting women, ⁣and creating ⁤a coordinated investment pipeline.

Naseem Sayani, ‌operating advisor ​of ​How women Invest, will direct the Innovator’s Circle.

⁣ ⁤ ‌ “The ⁤Innovator’s Circle brings together the investors⁢ best positioned​ to recognize ⁢early ⁤innovation and ⁢builds the bridge to capital ​scale,” Sayani said.
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WHAM⁣ also has other⁢ collaborative initiatives, including the WHAM Research Collaborative and ‍the WHAM investment​ Collaborative.

Venture capitalists are showing increased interest⁣ in women’s health. ⁣At the MedCity INVEST ‌conference in Chicago,Raffi Boyajian,investor and ⁣principal at Cigna ⁢ventures,noted that women’s ‍health is a priority for the ⁤firm,notably chronic conditions affecting‍ women‍ in the workplace.

‍ “I think women’s health‍ is​ kind of a misnomer,” Boyajian ‍said. ⁤”It’s like‍ half the population. ‌It’s just health.”

What’s next

The Innovator’s Circle will focus on building stronger connections between​ early-stage women’s ⁣health innovations and larger investment firms, aiming to transform the women’s health investment landscape.