Femtech At Work

When a man launches a women’s mental health fundraiser and accidentally builds Australia’s leading organisation for women’s mental health, something in the system is clearly broken and ready for change. This episode is a front-row seat to that transformation.
In this episode of Femtech at Work, we sit down with Luke Morris, founder and CEO of Women’s Mental Health Australia (formerly the Liptember Foundation), to unpack how a quirky fundraising idea turned into a national movement reshaping women’s mental health across the lifespan.
You’ll hear how mental health systems were historically built on male data, and how Women’s Mental Health Australia is closing the gap by connecting women’s physical and mental health—from PMDD and PCOS to perinatal mental health and menopause.
If you care about women’s health, gender equity, or simply want to understand how one idea can shift a national conversation, this episode will challenge, inspire, and move you to action.

Key Takeaways:
Find out how a casual fundraising idea based on lipstick evolved into Australia’s leading women’s mental health organisation
Discover why a male founder chose women’s mental health as his life’s work and what this says about true male allyship
How mental health systems built on male physiology and data have failed women in both research and clinical practice
Understand how conditions like PMDD and PCOS dramatically increase women’s mental health burden and why they’re so often overlooked
Discover how gender-disaggregated data is rewriting the story of women’s mental health in Australia
Find out how a long-term partnership with Chemist Warehouse became the catalyst that took Liptember from a small fundraiser to a national force
Learn how Women’s Mental Health Australia uses annual research to decide where every donated dollar can have the most impact
Understand why geography, city vs regional and remote, still shapes access to quality mental health care for women
Discover how new programs like the Working Mothers initiative aim to support women navigating the return to work after childbirth

Resources:
Luke Morris: LinkedIn
Women’s Mental Health Australia: LinkedIn
Women’s Mental Health Australia: https://www.womensmentalhealthaustralia.org.au/
Maaike Steinebach LinkedIn
Website Femtech Future: https://www.femtechfuture.com
Instagram Femtech Future: @femtech_future

This episode with Luke Morris is more than a story about a charity. It's a blueprint for how courage, data, and relentless advocacy can reshape an entire system for women.
If this conversation opened your eyes to how deeply the system has failed women, don’t let it stop at awareness. Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it, and become part of the movement that’s rewriting the story of women’s mental health. Let's keep amplifying voices that move women’s health forward.
Thank you, and see you next week for another powerful episode of Femtech at Work.

What happens when a registered nurse and public health practitioner discovers that the menstrual products she relies on are filled with undisclosed chemicals—and decides to redesign period care from the ground up?
Today at FemTech at Work, we have Helena U, founder of Inoya, to unpack her unexpected journey from clinical practice and public health into the world of femtech and sustainable period care.
If you care about women’s health, ethical products, sustainable periods, or you’re a clinician or founder sitting on a big idea, this episode will challenge how you think about “normal” period care and what it takes to build a company that truly aligns with your values.

Key Takeaways:
Find out how a research session on hidden chemicals in pads pushed Helena from frustrated consumer to Femtech founder
Learn what really goes into many conventional menstrual products and why ingredient transparency and regulation are still so “loose” in Australia
Discover why Helena abandoned the idea of single-use organic pads and pivoted to reusable products after listening closely to early customer feedback
Learn how being a nurse and public health practitioner influences Helena’s refusal to use fear-based marketing, even when agencies push for it
Find out what makes the Inoya Cup’s patented bell shape and handle a more beginner-friendly and how small design changes reduce bladder pressure and discomfort
Discover how Helena navigates tough trade-offs between safety, sustainability, and profitability without compromising her mission or her customers’ health
Understand why accelerator programs like UQ Ventures were a turning point for Helena’s confidence, funding, and community as a solo founder
Learn what policy changes like mandatory ingredient disclosure and stronger safety standards, Helena believes would radically improve menstrual health outcomes
Discover Helena’s advice for clinicians and aspiring women’s health founders who are afraid to start, and why feeling uncomfortable may be a sign you’re growing

Resources:
Helena U: LinkedIn
Inoya: LinkedIn
Inoya: https://myinoya.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myinoya/
Maaike Steinebach LinkedIn
Website Femtech Future: https://www.femtechfuture.com
Instagram Femtech Future: @femtech_future

Ready to rethink everything you thought you knew about your period products? Hit play and step into Helena’s world, where science, empathy and design collide to create safer, gentler and more sustainable menstrual care.
If this story moved you, share this episode with someone who needs to hear it, hit like, leave a review so more listeners can discover these voices, and join us again next week for another powerful conversation on FemTech at Work.

What if women didn’t have to beg for capital, but could build, fund and scale their ideas on their own terms from anywhere in the world?
In this episode of FemTech at Work, we have Irene Tsang, founder and CEO of Lift Women Group, Australia’s first women-focused crowdfunding and funding ecosystem. From growing up in China and Hong Kong to starting over in Melbourne as a single mother of two, Irene shares the deeply personal journey and purpose that led her to tackle the $1.5 trillion global gender finance gap.
If you care about female founders, FemTech, women’s health, gender-lens investing, and new models of funding, this episode will inspire you to rethink what’s possible when we lift women together!

Key Takeaways:
Find out how Irene’s journey as a migrant single mother led her to build Lift Women and dedicate her life to closing the gender finance gap.
Discover why less than 2.3% of venture capital goes to women-led startups and how reward-based crowdfunding can flip the script.
Learn how Lift Women’s RISE model (reward crowdfunding, partnerships, community, education) creates an end-to-end funding and support ecosystem for female founders.
Understand how early crowdfunding traction helped FemTech startup OVUM AI go from idea to MVP to raising a $1.7M seed round.
Find out why men are a crucial part of the Lift Women story and how male allies actively support female founders on the platform.
Discover real FemTech examples from HPV-detecting period pads to biodegradable menstrual products and brain–hormone monitoring that are changing women’s health globally.
Learn how even small contributions and micro-backing can meaningfully change the trajectory of women-owned businesses worldwide.
Understand why confidence, impostor syndrome, and lack of networks often hold women back more than the absence of capital itself.
Discover how Lift Women’s new AI co-pilot helps women structure campaigns and businesses in minutes, and when it actually makes sense to use AI in a startup.
Learn how Irene defines success over the next 5–10 years not just in terms of Lift Women’s growth, but in the collective wins of the founders they support.

Resources:
Irene Tsang: LinkedIn
LiftWomen: LinkedIn
LiftWomen: https://project.liftwomen.com/
Maaike Steinebach : LinkedIn
Website Femtech Future https://www.femtechfuture.com
Instagram Femtech Future: @femtech_future

Ready to help rewrite the rules of who gets funded? Hit play now to hear how Irene Tsang and Lift Women are transforming the way female founders access capital, confidence and community and discover the simple steps you can take today to power the next generation of women-led innovation.
If this episode moved you, be part of the movement: share it with a friend who needs to hear it, hit like, leave a review so more listeners can discover these stories, and make your voice count in lifting women everywhere. See you next week for another episode of FemTech at Work.

Imagine a world where period pain doesn’t derail your workday, your workout, or your weekend plans—just because smart, playful, science-backed products are finally within reach.
In this episode, we have the Sydney-based founder Annelise Grosman of Kooze Wellness, the cheeky Gen Z brand behind heart-shaped heat patches designed to make menstrual cycles “suck a little less.”
Annelise shares how a personal struggle with period pain, and a desire to avoid constant painkillers, led her to create on-the-go heat therapy patches for menstrual cramps, ovulation pain and chronic conditions like endometriosis.
If you’re curious about FemTech, endometriosis, women’s pain relief, or launching a product-based business from scratch, this conversation is packed with insight, honesty, and inspiration!

Key Takeaways:
Learn how Annelise turned a simple idea for heat relief into a real FemTech brand without any prior product development experience
Find out what you can take from her decision to prioritise heat therapy over traditional pain medications for menstrual pain relief
Discover how Kooze’s heart-shaped period patches actually work and what makes on-the-go heat therapy so effective for cramps and chronic pain
Find out what surprising insights emerged when endometriosis and chronic illness communities started using her patches
Discover how she is navigating strict Australian healthcare regulations and retail barriers while keeping Kooze fun, accessible, and affordable
Learn in what ways building an e‑commerce brand plus a B2B workplace wellbeing channel has reshaped her original vision for Kooze Wellness
Understand what mindset shifts aspiring founders can apply from Annelise’s advice to “not doubt what you don’t know” and just start
Discover how Kooze uses authentic, story-led social content to help women feel seen, heard, and supported in their menstrual and chronic pain journeys

Resources:
Annelise Grosman: LinkedIn
Kooze Wellness: LinkedIn
Kooze Wellness: Instagram
Kooze Wellness: Tiktok
Kooze Wellness: https://www.lovekooze.com.au/
Maaike Steinebach: LinkedIn
Website Femtech Future https://www.femtechfuture.com
Instagram Femtech Future: @femtech_future

Step into a future where your period doesn’t call the shots. Hit play now to discover how KOOZ Wellness is turning lived experience, science-backed heat therapy, and bold FemTech storytelling into real relief for menstrual and chronic pain, one heart-shaped patch at a time.
Be one of us! Share this episode with someone who needs it, like it, leave a review so more listeners can discover these stories, and subscribe so you don’t miss out. See you next week for another episode of FemTech at Work, where we spotlight the founders reshaping the future of women’s health.

What if treating “just a bit of leakage” early could keep you out of aged care, off pads for life, and back to running, jumping and living freely?
In this powerful conversation, we have Chelsea Cornelius, mechanical-turned-biomedical engineer and CEO of Stratos MedTech, the company behind PeriCoach—a clinically-backed pelvic floor training system designed to treat urinary incontinence and mild to moderate pelvic organ prolapse.
You’ll hear how PeriCoach was developed in deep collaboration with clinicians, using vaginal sensors, biofeedback and an app to help women finally see and feel whether they’re doing their Kegels correctly.
This episode is a must-listen if you care about pelvic health, FemTech, medical devices or simply want to understand how one founder turned an overlooked, stigmatized issue into a global, tech-enabled solution for women.

Key Takeaways:
Learn how Chelsea went from race-car-obsessed mechanical engineer to biomedical innovator tackling women’s incontinence
Discover what your pelvic floor actually is, how it functions, and why pregnancy, sport, chronic cough and aging can quietly undermine its strength
Understand why up to half of women perform Kegels incorrectly and how biofeedback helps you see in real time whether you’re truly activating the right muscles
Find out how PeriCoach’s insertable probe, sensors and app work together to guide at-home pelvic floor training and support remote monitoring by clinicians
Learn how stigma, shame and silence around incontinence shape women’s care-seeking behaviour and what’s starting to shift that narrative.
Discover the surprising differences between launching a FemTech device in Australia versus the US and why the US has been more receptive to commercial innovation
Understand how Pericoach is working with systems like Veterans Affairs, private insurers and future reimbursement pathways to scale access for women
Find out what hard-won advice Chelsea has for today’s FemTech founders about minimum viable products, regulation, fundraising and not over-perfecting before launch

Resources:
Chelsea Cornelius: LinkedIn
PeriCoach: LinkedIn
PeriCoach: https://www.pericoach.com/
Maaike Steinebach : LinkedIn
Website Femtech Future https://www.femtechfuture.com
Instagram Femtech Future: @femtech_future

Ready to move pelvic health out of the shadows and into the spotlight? Hit play now to discover how PeriCoach is helping women swap pads for power, shame for science, and quiet suffering for confident, leak-free lives.
This episode pulls back the curtain on a silent epidemic affecting millions of women and spotlights the FemTech innovation daring to change that story. From hidden pelvic floor muscles to breakthrough biofeedback, Chelsea Cornelius shows what’s possible when engineering meets empathy.
If this conversation opened your eyes, don’t keep it to yourself; be part of the movement to normalize women’s health. Share this episode with a friend, like it, and leave a review so more listeners can find these stories. And see you next week for another powerful episode of FemTech at Work.