Women’s healthcare startups are developing new ways to identify reproductive conditions, monitor pregnancies, expand access to gynecological services, and support patients between medical appointments.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the maternal mortality rate for Black women in the United States was 44.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2024, more than three times the rate for white women.
Across the broader femtech sector, Black founders are building products and services that address gaps in menstrual care, reproductive health, pregnancy support, and healthcare delivery.
The eight organizations below range from established healthcare businesses to emerging technology platforms and a nonprofit initiative using patient experiences to evaluate maternity care.
Femly: Bringing Menstrual Products Into Institutional Settings
Baltimore entrepreneur Arion Long has built Femly around a straightforward product: restroom dispensers that allow organizations to provide free menstrual supplies to employees, students, patients, and visitors.
The company sells touchless dispensers alongside bulk organic cotton pads and tampons, targeting schools, workplaces, healthcare facilities, and commercial properties.
Femly reports serving more than 500 institutional clients. Recent partnerships include Kennedy Krieger Institute and Coppin State University, where students and other campus visitors can access its products.
The company previously attracted national attention when a demonstration of its dispenser technology went viral. In 2022, the Baltimore Business Journal reported that Femly generated nearly $1 million in revenue in 2021 and had established a partnership with the Baltimore Ravens.
Its current business includes hardware installations and recurring menstrual-product supply arrangements, giving organizations a way to provide period products through their existing facilities operations.
Dotted: Turning Reproductive Symptoms Into Clinical Information
After years of unexplained reproductive-health symptoms, Dejanae Parkman received diagnoses for three conditions following an emergency-room visit in 2021.
That experience led her to develop Dotted, a reproductive-health platform designed to help patients document symptoms and communicate them to medical professionals.
The company’s technology is designed to track more than 50 symptoms across five health categories. Its AI features translate patient-reported information into structured clinical summaries that can be shared with healthcare providers.
Dotted is focusing on conditions including endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which can involve prolonged diagnostic journeys.
In July 2026, Parkman won $115,000 at the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas’s Pitch competition. The award provided capital to support development of the platform.
Dotted is also exploring distribution through universities, employers, and healthcare systems. Its consumer app remains in an early-access stage.
Navigate Maternity: Bringing Remote Monitoring Into Maternal Healthcare
Ariana McGee founded Navigate Maternity to improve the way patients and healthcare professionals monitor pregnancies and coordinate postpartum care.
The company’s Navigate 180 program combines remote patient monitoring with supplies delivered to patients’ homes. Its self-monitoring kits include a blood-pressure cuff validated for use during pregnancy and preeclampsia monitoring, along with postpartum supplies.
Navigate connects mothers, clinicians, doulas, community partners, and payers through a shared maternal-health platform.
In October 2026, the company announced that it had joined the provider network of MHS Indiana, a Centene subsidiary serving Medicaid members.
Under the arrangement, eligible pregnant and postpartum members can receive clinician-prescribed monitoring kits through their existing coverage. Navigate handles fulfillment and connects patients with the tools needed to support monitoring between appointments.
Mahmee: Expanding a Network of Maternal Healthcare Clinics
Mahmee began with a mother-daughter partnership between entrepreneur Melissa Hanna and Linda Hanna, a nurse and lactation consultant with decades of maternal-health experience.
Their company combines clinical services with technology that helps coordinate pregnancy and postpartum care across providers.
Patients can access lactation consultations, doula support, care coordination, and other maternal-health services through Mahmee’s network.
In 2022, the company raised a $9.2 million Series A round led by Goldman Sachs, with backing from investors including Serena Williams and Mark Cuban.
The company operates 11 clinics across California and has established partnerships in the Washington, D.C., region. Its services include virtual lactation consultations starting around $100 and postpartum support packages with different levels of care.
Melissa Hanna also reported that the business nearly doubled between 2024 and 2025 as it expanded access to maternal and infant health services.
Poppy Seed Health: Offering Reproductive Support Through On-Demand Messaging
A pregnancy or postpartum concern can arise long after a scheduled medical appointment. Poppy Seed Health offers a way to connect with trained support professionals during those moments.
Founded by Simmone Taitt in 2019, the company provides text-based emotional and advocacy support during pregnancy, postpartum recovery, miscarriage, and pregnancy loss.
Users can connect with doulas, nurses, and midwives through its mobile application. The company advertises responses within 90 seconds or less.
Its services include a pay-per-chat option priced at $5 for a conversation lasting up to 30 minutes, along with a membership offering unlimited messaging and access to educational resources.
Taitt developed the business after experiencing multiple miscarriages and recognizing gaps in the emotional support available during reproductive healthcare.
Poppy Seed Health also directs a portion of subscription revenue toward extending access to Medicaid members.
The platform focuses on emotional support and reproductive-health navigation, with medical treatment remaining the responsibility of licensed healthcare providers.
Irth: Using Maternity-Care Reviews to Evaluate Hospital Experiences
On October 29, 2026, Irth announced findings from its NYC Hospital Safety Assessment and Birth Experience Report, examining nearly 2,000 patient reviews covering New York City’s 20 most-reviewed birthing hospitals.
According to the organization, nearly 60% of reviewers reported concerning staff behavior, including dismissed pain, disrespectful comments, and ignored requests for assistance.
Irth was created by journalist and maternal-health advocate Kimberly Seals Allers to help Black and Brown families share their experiences with doctors and hospitals.
Its name removes the letter B from “birth,” representing the platform’s focus on bias in maternity care.
Users can submit reviews describing their treatment, communication with providers, and experiences during pregnancy and childbirth.
The platform is a signature technology initiative of Narrative Nation, a New York-based nonprofit founded by Seals Allers.
Bloomful: Combining Digital Gynecological Care With Clinical Services
UK-based Bloomful was founded by Dr. Dupé Burgess, who practiced medicine for eight years before working in strategy consulting at Boston Consulting Group.
The company develops digital tools and clinical services for women managing gynecological conditions and related health concerns.
Its consumer services include virtual consultations with women’s health specialists and at-home hormone-testing kits.
Bloomful currently advertises 30-minute consultations for £79 and hormone tests starting at £69. Patients can receive individualized recommendations based on their symptoms and test results.
The company has also developed a digital prototype used by approximately 45,000 women and secured pilot partnerships with general practitioners, according to its published company updates.
In 2025, Bloomful reported raising £340,000 through angel investment and grant funding. It subsequently announced plans to raise another £400,000 to expand its team, clinical evidence, and regulatory work.
The company is pursuing both direct-to-consumer healthcare services and technology intended for integration into broader clinical care.
Kyndred: Developing Virtual Reproductive and Hormonal Healthcare
Kyndred is building a virtual healthcare service centered on sexual, reproductive, and hormonal health.
The company was co-founded by Brittany Brathwaite, Tesiah Coleman, and Kimberly Peters, whose backgrounds span reproductive justice, clinical practice, and health education.
Its planned services include contraception counseling, STI testing and treatment, medication abortion, menstrual-health support, and care related to hormonal changes.
Kyndred has also developed programs addressing PCOS, menstrual concerns, and menopause, with some services listed as upcoming.
The company held a community launch event in March 2026 to introduce its clinical team and care model.
Its website describes a self-pay approach, with sliding-scale pricing for certain visits and potential insurance reimbursement for laboratory services.
Kyndred continues to identify New York and Delaware as initial markets for virtual care.
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Editor’s note: This article draws on company disclosures and published reporting as of October 30, 2026.
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