Advancing women’s health, the next big disruptor in the global healthcare market.

Partner With Us

Our Sponsors

Our Executive Committee

Prem Tumkosit

Managing Director

Kristopher D Brown

Partner

Amy West

Sr. Director, Patient Experience & Digital Health Innovation

Priscilla Beal

Technology Prospecting, Digital Platforms & Engineering

Susan Solinsky

Chief Growth Officer

Vanessa Liu

Vice President

Women’s Health Tech Challenge

The goal of the Women’s Health Tech Challenge is to invite innovators, entrepreneurs, and startups, as either individuals or teams, to propose novel concepts to fulfill or mitigate the unmet needs of women all over the world.

Why Women’s Health?

90%

90% of women are the primary healthcare decision makers for their households*

$50B

Femtech is projected to grow to $50 billion by 2025*

Merck Global Health Innovation Fund is excited to partner with HITLAB to build an innovative, disruptive healthcare ecosystem around the wellbeing of women. By sponsoring the 2020 HITLAB Women’s Health Tech Challenge, our collective goal is to support solutions that empower women to take charge of their health, make informed choices, and access higher standards of care.

—William Taranto, President, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund

Research and Strategy

Spring 2020 Hightlights

Partner with us

Our Program Leaders

Susan Solinsky

Women’s Health Tech Director

Nina Roth

Women’s Health Tech Lead Coordinator

Our Impact Partners

Challenge Judges

Nadine Afari

Advisory Board Member

Lily Wound

Partner

Maria Velissaris

Founding Partner

Delphine O’Rourke

Partner

Ambreen Molitor

Senior Director, Digital Products Lab

Casey Santiago

Managing Director, Consumer Healthcare

Fall 2020 Challenge Prizes and Opportunities

We’re looking for innovators and digital health startups who are addressing unmet needs in Women’s Health. FemTech innovators, from all around the world, will be considered for the opportunity to pitch in front of health-tech investors, and ultimately for the chance to win $10,000 (prize details below).

Only Five Finalists will be selected to present their disruptive health solutions on Pitch Day – a HITLAB virtual event on Women’s Entrepreneurship Day, November 19th.

Grand Prize—$10,000.00 U.S. dollars from Goodwin
2nd Place—Up to $20,000.00 U.S. dollars worth of in-kind legal services from Goodwin
3rd Place—Health Innovation Alliance Award
- 1-year membership to Health Innovation Alliance
- Up to $15,000 U.S. dollars of in-kind services including direct government affairs consulting and strategic counsel from Horizon Government Affairs
4th Place—NIHUB Women’s Health Tech Innovation Award
- 1-year premium membership in Nursing Innovation Hub
- Up to 10 hours of in-kind services of strategy, design, or consulting valued at $5,000 U.S. dollars
5th Place—Women’s Health Tech Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award
- Media exposure package valued at a maximum value of $1,000.00 U.S. dollars provided by Women of Wearables

Bonus Prizes and Opportunities

Rhia Ventures Award—$5,000.00 from Rhia Ventures for a companies with innovations in maternal health care or contraception that are addressing the needs of underserved communities (women of color, Medicaid, low-income women).
Digital Dx Ventures Award— $2,500.00 for Best Digital Health Diagnostic Innovation from Digital Dx Ventures

Fall 2020 Call for Applications is now closed.

FREE VIRTUAL EVENT

Join Us for Pitch Day

Women’s Health Tech Challenge - Pitch Day
Thu, November 19, 2020 - Women’s Entrepreneurship Day

Join us for a special, virtual Pitch Day to network with industry leads and see five finalists pitch their disruptive healthcare solutions.

ATTEND

Past Challenges

Past Winners

Spring 2020 Challenge

Congratulations to our winners! Our four finalists presented thought provoking and impactful digital health solutions during our Spring Challenge virtual event.

1st Place

2nd Place

3rd Place

4th Place

Bonus Award

Meet our Spring 2020 Winners

Past Sponsors

Past Judges

Sari Kaganoff

Associate Partner, Engagement Manager, Associate
McKinsey & Company

@McKinsey

Vanessa Liu

VP, SAP.iO Foundries North America
SAP

@vanessawliu

Ali Spiro

Managing Director, HealthTech
RG+A

@alispiro

Lauren Thaman

Director of Communications P&G Ventures
P&G

@laurenthaman

Maria VelissarisFounding Partner SteelSky Ventures — **Maria Velissaris**
Founding Partner
SteelSky Ventures

Prem TumkositManaging Director Merck Global Health Innovation Fund@theGHIF — **Prem Tumkosit**
Managing Director
Merck Global Health Innovation Fund
@theGHIF

“Femtech has been noted for 2018 as one of the hottest areas to be in. It’s known to be a $50 billion industry by 2025 and is going to impact 50 percent of the population.”

— KATE MERTON, HEAD OF JLABS AT NYC AND BOSTON