Issue # 144 — OpenEvidence Raises $210M | WHO: Anaemia to Affect 18M More Women by 2030 | Science spotlight

✨Hey there! You’re reading the free edition of the FemTech India newsletter — your go-to source for the latest in women’s health, industry updates, and opportunities to help you navigate what’s next in your journey.

What it is: 

Technofeminism is a framework introduced by sociologist Judy Wajcman, exploring how technology is never gender-neutral. It highlights the often invisible power structures embedded in design, and calls for inclusive, participatory development – especially in health and wellness tech. 

Why it matters: 

Most technologies – even in health – are built from a male-centric norm. Technofeminism challenges this by centering lived female experiences in R&D. 

It promotes co-creation with diverse women, ensuring solutions actually reflect complex, intersectional needs. 

In FemTech, this means designing systems that respond to fluctuating cycles, hormonal realities, and emotional nuance – not just fixed metrics. 

Takeaway: 

Technofeminism offers not just critique, but a blueprint for more human, equitable, and effective innovation – especially in FemTech’s next wave.

 At CES 2025, Irish FemTech company identifyHer (now Peri) unveiled a breakthrough wearable for perimenopause. The small, pill-shaped sensor sticks to the torso and uses AI-driven algorithms to track symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disruptions, and anxiety – providing objective data and personalised insights for users and their clinicians.

• AI startup OpenEvidence has raised $210 million in a series B funding round to expand its medical content partnerships and build out its AI-powered medical research platform.
• Varda Space Industries has secured $187 million in a Series C funding round to accelerate its work in microgravity drug manufacturing. With this latest raise, the company’s total capital now stands at $329 million.
• Avis Hospital, a specialised centre for varicose vein treatment, has raised $2.5 million in growth capital from NABVENTURES, the venture capital arm of NABARD.
• Hyderabad-based pharmaceutical company Sai Parenterals has successfully raised USD 5.82 million (INR 50 Cr) in an equity investment round backed by marquee investors.
• One Biosciences, a Paris, France-based precision oncology techbio company, raised €15M in Series A funding.
• Plexāā, a London, UK-based MedTech startup advancing a medical device for breast surgery, closed a $4.5m funding extension round.
• Nuclidium, a Basel, Switzerland-based clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company developing a proprietary copper-based theranostic platform, raised €84M in Series B funding
• Cobionix, a Kitchener, Ontario, Canada-based autonomous medical robotics company, closed a US $3m funding round.
• Sensifai Health, a Montreal, Canada-based preemptive health startup which specializes in bioconvergence, raised an undisclosed amount in Seed funding.
• Fellow Health has closed a $24 million Series B financing round to expand its mail-in semen analysis services for fertility and post-vasectomy testing. The US-based company targets the traditionally overlooked male reproductive health market through clinical-grade, at-home testing solutions.

• Trans Fats in India: A public health crisis demanding urgent action. Trans fats pose a significant health risk, contributing to heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Stricter regulations, increased consumer awareness, and industry support are crucial for its complete elimination
• Losing weight in middle age may reduce the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, other chronic conditions and premature death, according to new research published in JAMA Network Open.
  
• Harvard suggests this simple exercise to boost your memory and improve your attention. Experts from Harvard Medical School say you can improve your attention and memory with a simple exercise. 81 people over the age of 60 who took part in the training for six months were better able to maintain attention
• Significant weight gain after the age of 20, combined with late motherhood or never having children, can nearly triple a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, according to a British study presented at the European Congress on Obesity.
• MIT engineers develop bionic knee integrated into tissue to restore natural movement.This new development by MIT researchers can help people to walk faster, climb stairs and avoid obstacles in their way with much ease
• Anaemia is a real crisis affecting scores of people every year. The World Health Organisation has come out with a word of caution against this persistent health challenge.  According to the experts, without a proper and united action plan, 18 million more girls and women could become anaemic by 2030. The world is currently looking at a burden of 259 million people being affected by anaemia. 
• An extra ultrasound scan for pregnant women who think their baby’s movements have reduced results in fewer complications in labour, according to an international study by experts in the Netherlands and Manchester.
• Pregnancy may significantly increase the risk of brain ruptures in women with arteriovenous malformations, according to findings presented at a major neurosurgery meeting. The condition involves abnormal tangles of blood vessels in the brain that can rupture, potentially causing serious injury or death.

• OMRON Healthcare has expanded its partnership with Tricog Health to launch KeeboHealth, an AI-powered connected cardiac care platform in India.
• BD has finalized a $17.5 billion deal to divest its biosciences and diagnostics units to Waters Corporation, marking one of the most significant acquisitions 2025.
• In a bold stride toward reshaping paediatric allergy care, Free to Feed has launched a groundbreaking new partnership with Ema, the first AI platform built for women’s health.
• Daré Bioscience has announced positive interim Phase 3 results for its hormone-free contraceptive Ovaprene while highlighting the broader potential of its intelligent drug delivery platform for applications in obesity, diabetes, and metabolic disorders.

• In a move to combat lifestyle disorders such as obesity and non-communicable diseases, the Union Health Ministry has unveiled a plan. The ministry has advised the display of Boards in various workplaces such as lobbies, canteens, cafeterias, meeting rooms, etc., to raise awareness on harmful consumption of hidden fats and excess sugar in various food items. 
• Are Indians consuming too much salt? ICMR launches a study to address the issue. ICMR experts launched a community-led salt reduction study and are focusing on low-sodium salt substitutes.

📳 – Quick Reads: 

• AIIMS Delhi study: Poor oral hygiene linked to increased cancer risk: AIIMS Delhi research links poor oral hygiene to increased cancer risk and other serious health issues
• Why the HIV prevention wonder drug is the latest talk of the town?WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says this new drug—which only needs to be injected twice a year—is the next best thing in HIV prevention.

🎉Have news to share? Publish a press release on FemTech India to reach industry-leading executives, investors, and passionate individuals.

See you next Friday, friends 👋
Navneet

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