The global femtech ecosystem has, according to Maaike Steinebach, a leading femtech expert in Asia, exploded threefold since 2015, with more than 3,000 start-ups tackling everything from women’s reproductive health to cardiovascular disease, mental wellness and menopause support.
“Globally, femtech is booming, but we’re still playing catch-up here,” says Steinebach, founder of Hong Kong health consultancy Femtech Future. “The sector once focused almost exclusively on reproduction. Now start-ups address heart, brain, gut and bone health, tracking the entire female life cycle.”
The local data underscores a clear need. According to Steinebach, only 39 per cent of Hong Kong women receive regular cervical cancer screenings, despite the disease being highly preventable. Menopause support is virtually absent from mainstream healthcare, and gender-specific mental health resources remain scarce.
Steinebach notes that emerging apps have real potential, particularly around cycle health, stress-related wellness and midlife transitions.
“The key is building trust through clinical credibility, robust privacy and products that respect local cultural attitudes – not simply importing Western models,” she says. “There’s also a glaring gap in culturally localised mental health tools.”
