Islamabad, Oct 8: Emma Watson Makes Investment in Reproductive Health Company. According to an interview with TechCrunch on Monday, actress Emma Watson has contributed an amount to the women’s health startup Hertility that was previously unreported, increasing the company’s total capital to over $14 million.
Watson, who is well-known for supporting women-led businesses and environmental issues, is a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and was involved in the beginning of the HeForShe campaign, which advocates for gender equality. Hertility’s CEO and co-founder, Dr. Helen O’Neill, revealed that Watson was brought in by an investor who thought her dedication to women’s rights made her an ideal fit for the role.
“Hertility was founded by women and focuses on women’s health, an area that has historically been underfunded and overlooked,” O’Neill told TechCrunch. “Watson is empowering women in both business and health by investing in a female-founded company that aims to revolutionize women’s healthcare.”
Hertility was co-founded by O’Neill, an ovarian biologist, along with Dr. Natalie Getreu and corporate lawyer Deirdre O’Neill, with the purpose of creating research tools for women’s reproductive health. The organization supports women in their reproductive journeys by providing individualized services like telemedicine, egg freezing, and diagnostic testing. Hertility, a UK-based organization, aims to close the large gaps in women’s healthcare in the nation.
O’Neill stated, “More than 600,000 women in the United Kingdom are waiting for a gynecology appointment,” drawing attention to the lengthy wait periods and stressing the need for more easily accessible healthcare. According to a recent Deloitte report, women who work in the UK pay $15 billion more for healthcare than men do, with reproductive health expenditures accounting for the majority of this difference, which is known as the “pink tax.”
According to the survey, women spend 250% more than men do on reproductive health, which highlights the need for more affordable and accessible options. In the US and the UK, there is a growing movement to improve healthcare for women. Companies operating in this field in the UK include Vira Health, Apricity, and Fertifa, additionally, a Silicon Valley Bank analysis revealed a 314% rise in venture funding for businesses focused on women’s health since 2018.
The National Health Service (NHS) of Great Britain has also pushed for innovation in women’s health, claiming that every pound spent on gynecology and obstetrics might bring in £319 million for the national coffers. Despite never intending to become a founder, O’Neill who has a background in reproductive and molecular genetics and a PhD in stem cell biology from University College London saw a link between scientific research and entrepreneurship.
She clarified, “Being a founder allowed my research to reach those in need faster.” Since its 2019 inception, Hertility has drawn investors such as the Sequoia Scout Fund and Local Globe. Through community-led initiatives, the company’s most recent investment round raised $7.5 million from over 1,000 individual investors.
Looking ahead, Hertility intends to expand further, partnering with beauty brands like Cult Beauty and giving instructional workshops to organizations such as Channel 4 and Edelman. By meeting women where they are and encouraging them to talk about their hormones and fertility, O’Neill stated, “the goal is to empower women and drive global behavioral change.”
