How Strategic Partnerships Are Solving Femtech's Growth Challenges

Theresa Neil, product design leader for women's health and founder of Femovate , a global femtech incubator. When femtech startup Oula partnered with Mount Sinai to develop a hybrid maternity care model, the results were remarkable: a 25% reduction in caesarean rates and preterm births . After 1,000 deliveries, Mount Sinai expanded the partnership to a third clinic.

This kind of outcome is why strategic partnerships are becoming an essential growth strategy for femtech companies, not just as alternatives to funding, but as pathways to scale impact and prove clinical value. The femtech industry is projected to expand from $59 billion to $103 billion by 2030 as women increasingly look to personal technology to tackle urgent health care needs like infertility, menopause, chronic conditions and more.

Despite the huge market demand for women's health solutions, femtech startups face significant barriers, including scarce funding, with only 4% of digital health investment being allocated to women's health. Many femtech companies initially pursue a direct‑to‑consumer path and are quickly hampered by social media platforms rejecting ads about women's health solutions if they mention terms like ⁘menopause,⁘ ⁘vagina⁘ or ⁘sexual health,⁘ while allowing ads related to men's sexual health.

This censorship makes it nearly impossible for femtech brands to reach their target users. A better go-to-market strategy is emerging: strategic partnerships. Rather than fighting uphill battles with D2C marketing, smart femtech companies are embedding their products into established healthcare, tech and consumer systems that already have credibility and reach.

Pharmaceutical companies have deep budgets and are now actively seeking innovation outside their walls, building innovation centers and exploring external partnerships to accelerate progress in women's health. For femtech startups, these partnerships provide instant credibility alongside market access.