RH Capital seeks to drive women’s health innovations that improve health equity

RH Capital joined the cause of Tech4Eva in 2022 providing mentorship to the growth stage CEOs and helping them refine their pitch deck and fundraising strategy.

About RH Capital – A Rhia Ventures Fund

RH Capital is an impact venture capital fund that invests in early-stage start-ups that promise to revolutionize women’s health and improve health equity in the US. While their primary focus areas are contraception and maternal health, they also look at other high-impact and underinvested areas such as fibroids, PCOS, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), endometriosis, pelvic health, menopause and more. RH Capital invests across all segments including the life sciences (diagnostics, devices, therapeutics), digital health, health services, and consumer products.

To date, they have invested in 14 companies, and as they move towards closing their second fund this June, they continue to seek out entrepreneurs that are taking a bold approach to improving the health and wellbeing of women.

Disrupting Women’s Health

Women’s health has been historically underserved and underinvested in and is ripe for disruption. Just 2% of venture capital funding ($1B invested in FemTech by Sep 2021 compared to ~$48B in healthcare around the same time frame according to Pitchbook.com) is invested in women’s health and female-specific conditions comprise 1-2% of the clinical pipeline in biopharma, yet women comprise 80% of the healthcare decision makers and over half of the population.

Also, given rising health disparities in the US and elsewhere, RH Capital seeks to leverage venture capital as a tool to maximize public health impact along with financial returns. In the US, maternal mortality rates have risen over the past few decades and Black women are 3x more likely to die in childbirth. Furthermore, nearly half of pregnancies in the US are unintended, making contraceptive solutions as critical as ever, especially given the impending Supreme Court of the United States’ decision to repeal Roe v. Wade.

Health Equity Investment Strategy

Health equity is embedded in their investment strategy, which is built around four core impact pillars:

-       Transformative innovation that significantly improves health outcomes. RH Capital is excited about their portfolio companies bringing game-changing innovations to areas such as fetal oximetry (Raydiant Oximetry), ovarian cancer (AOA), and non-hormonal contraception  (YourChoice Therapeutics).

-       Access for underserved communities such as BIPOC, low-income or rural communities. For example, portfolio companies Testmate Health (2021 Alumni Tech4Eva) and Bloomlife enable home testing and monitoring of STIs and pregnancy, respectively.

-       Affordability of products/services for the end customer and lower total health system costs. This often means insurance coverage, particularly Medicaid, and minimal out-of-pocket costs.

-       Systemic change that addresses gender, racial and other forms of bias and inequity. For example, our portfolio companies Mae and Cayaba Care provide culturally competent maternity care for BIPOC populations.

Also, their partner organization Rhia Ventures offers unique resources to help companies develop strategies to advance health equity. For example, the Medicaid Learning Collaborative, developed in partnership with Health Tech 4 Medicaid, equips early and growth stage companies with the ability to expand their participation in the Medicaid market.

RH Capital partnering with Tech4Eva

“We are always excited to partner with other women’s health enthusiasts spurring innovation in the space. We love that Tech4Eva’s mission and vision aligns with ours and allows us the opportunity to interact with more entrepreneurs in the space. While our fund focuses primarily on the US, we invest in innovations anywhere and ideally in companies that serve a global market. Partnering with Tech4Eva provides a window into innovation happening in Europe and elsewhere.”

A couple of our portfolio companies, AOA and Testmate Health, have participated in the Tech4Eva FemTech Accelerator program as speakers and we hope that number continues to grow!