Vienna VC Calm/Storm among the top 10 most active FemTech investors worldwide
According to the latest results from the US private market data platform “Pitchbook”, Lucanus Polagnoli’s Vienna-based VC Calm/Storm is one of the ten most active FemTech investors worldwide. The new FemTech Report has just been launched, which highlights future opportunities for innovations in the field of women’s health. And Philippa Allen, who was responsible for preparing it, is being promoted to Senior Investment Analyst.
Investments in 11 FemTech startups
Calm/Storm is one of the few European venture capital firms with such a strong FemTech focus and is positioning itself as the market leader in this niche. The VC’s first investment went to a FemTech startup: “Keleya”, an app for pregnant women that provides fitness programs and health information. The VC Calm/Storm, founded in 2020, has now invested in a total of eleven FemTech startups.
These include “ Béa Fertility” from the UK with an alternative method for fertility treatments, “FemHealth Insights”, a US platform that provides data from over 1400 companies in the women’s health sector, and “Levy”, a startup that has developed a software-based solution for fertility clinics and gynecologists. Other investments include “MoonRise”, an online studio for women that offers a 12-week program to overcome pelvic floor dysfunction, and “P.Happi ”, a startup that has developed a serum for women’s intimate microbiome. Other FemTech startups that Calm/Storm has invested in include “Leda Health”, “The Lowdown”, “Meela”, “Fertifa” and “Inne” – all based in the UK or the US.
FemTech is not a niche topic
Calm/Storm emphasizes in the current FemTech Report that investing in women’s health is not a niche issue. According to the report, closing the gender health gap could boost the global economy by a trillion dollars, according to the World Economic Forum – through higher labor force participation and productivity among women.
Immense market potential and AI as a driver
“We have seen remarkable innovations in the FemTech sector, as well as the first major capital raisings in Europe. We are at a crucial point where investors can no longer ignore the immense market potential,” says founding partner Polagnoli. For him it is clear: “Women’s health has enormous potential – both in terms of impact and returns.”
According to the report, the women’s health sector will be significantly driven forward by AI in the future. “With advances in technology, we are entering a new era in which AI-based decision support will drive even more innovation.” Polagnoli cites the recently added portfolio company “Levy” as an example.
FemTech Trends 2024 and Beyond
The report also highlights “key areas of innovation” in the FemTech sector that may be of interest to investors in the future, including sexual health and well-being, menopause, specific cancers in women and on-demand contraception.
Ekaterina Gianelli, venture partner at Calm/Storm, knows that 70 percent of all FemTech companies have at least one female founder involved. However, she points to challenges in terms of funding: “Although women are uniquely positioned to address health issues that affect all genders, the funding gap for women-led startups remains a major hurdle in all industries.”
Philippa Allen becomes Senior Investment Analyst
Philippa Allen has been a Visiting Analyst at Calm/Storm since September 2023 and is heavily involved in the creation of the FemTech Report, particularly in the analysis of trends and opportunities in the FemTech sector. From January 2025, she will join the team as a Senior Investment Analyst. According to Calm/Storm, Allen has made a name for herself in the European VC market in a very short time and has been instrumental in the VC’s recent investments.
