In today’s episode, I interview Tracy Warren the Managing Partner of Astarte Ventures. Astarte Ventures was formed by Tracy and her business partner, Tammi Jantzen. The fund ran from 2013 to 2017 and was the first early-stage investment fund dedicated to enhancing the health and well-being of women and children. Tracy and Tammi could not successfully fundraise the fund because in 2013 the bias of thinking women were a niche market and could not produce large returns was rampant. Tracy and Tammi took things into their own hands and made 8 investments themselves without raising a large fund with outside investors. Their investments include Maternal Medical which just closed a $10M series A, Madorra which has raised over $4M to date, Astarte Medical which Tracy and Tammi now operate as CEO and CFO, Alydia health which was acquired by Merck for $240M and initiated the organon spin-off, and Maven clinic which was just value at over $1B and hasn’t even exited yet. Needless to say, the returns on the fund will be very promising and the data that comes from their portfolio’s success will be extremely valuable for the 6 other femtech funds in operation today to prove to investors that funding women’s health is not only impactful but financially smart. Enjoy the episode!
FemTech Focus is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded to empower, equip, and bring together healthcare professionals, life-science entrepreneurs, and forward thinking investors to revolutionize women’s health and wellness. FemTech Focus elevates the FemTech industry through increased awareness, providing resources to FemTech founders, & creating opportunities to support FemTech startups through exposure, networking, and access to capital.The FemTech Focus Podcast with Dr. Brittany Barreto is a meaningfully provocative conversational series that brings femtech experts – including doctors, scientists, inventors, and founders – on air to talk about the innovative technology, services, and products (collectively known as femtech) that are improving women’s health and wellness. The podcast gives our host, Dr. Brittany Barreto, and guests an engaging, friendly environment to learn about the past, present, and future of women’s health and wellness.Dr. Brittany Barreto is a scientist, serial entrepreneur, and venture capitalist. While finishing her PhD in Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, Brittany founded Pheramor, the first nationwide DNA-based dating app. She then embarked into venture capital as the Senior Venture Associate at Capital Factory and was tasked with launching the fund’s Houston branch. Brittany now has her sights on advancing women’s health. She is host of the FemTech Focus podcast which has 150+ episodes and 30 thousand downloads in 105 countries. Brittany is the co-founding partner of Coyote Ventures, a US-based venture fund investing in early-stage women’s health startups.