A subsection of tech is set to be worth $1 trillion. But taboos are holding it back

Investors are ignoring a huge subsection of tech because it’s considered “taboo” – despite the fact that it is set to be worth $1 trillion by 2027.

The FemTech sector includes all innovations designed to solve health issues suffered solely, differently, or disproportionately by women. It covers everything from health during pregnancy and the menopause, to Alzheimer’s and HIV.

Women make up more than 50% of the global population, which means the target market for products focusing on their health is massive. But just 3.3% of digital health investment in the U.S. went towards women’s health between 2011 and 2020, according to digital consultancy Rock Health.

And nurturing innovation within the female health space doesn’t just benefit women. 

Research by Women’s Health Access Matters, a nonprofit organization focused on funding for women’s health research, suggests that a $300 million investment into improving female health could generate around $13 billion for the global economy.

“The opportunities and the potential for value creation of investing in this area is huge,” Karen Taylor, research director of the Centre for Health Solutions at Deloitte told CNBC. 

“So I think if there was some more homework done by some of these investors, they’d understand why this is an area that is ripe for growth and investment.

Tania Boler created Elvie, a tech company focused on women’s health, in 2013 after she found a lack of products designed for new mothers. Elvie’s main products are pelvic floor trainers and portable breast pumps.

But not everybody took her new business seriously.

“To be completely honest, the tech industry thought it was a joke,” Boler told CNBC.

“They just didn’t really get it … [and] in quite a few women’s health issues, the…