This article was written by Alex Riehl for Betakit. Read the original article here.
Program provides $20,000 in commercialization assistance services from physician groups and contract organizations.
National women’s health innovation network Femtech Canada has launched the Women’s Health Medical Pathway (wHealth MedPath), its first commercialization program for Canadian women’s health startups.
Femtech Canada established the new program in partnership with Hamilton, Ont.-based accelerator Innovation Factory, and is partly funded by the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP).
Applicants to the wHealth MedPath program have the option of applying to two levels. Level one is a product market assessment conducted by a physician network or a physician investment group that looks at a product through market, clinical, regulatory, and sex-and-gender lenses, among others.
Based on that feedback, in level two applicants are connected with a contract design and manufacturing or research organization for a commercialization project. The services are collectively worth approximately $20,000 and are paid for by Innovation Factory upon completion, according to the program guide.
“wHealth MedPath provides the clinical insight and expert guidance femtech founders need to bring impactful solutions to market and position Canada as a global leader in this sector,” Innovation Factory vice-president of operations Karen Linseman said in a statement, adding that “Women’s health innovation represents one of the country’s most promising growth opportunities.”
RELATED: Femtech Canada officially launches network to support women’s health innovation
Founded in 2021 by Hyivy Health founder Rachel Bartholemew (a Category Challenger in BetaKit Most Ambitious) Femtech Canada officially launched in early 2024 after spending a few years building out its network in association with Innovation Factory. The organization aims to support companies that cater to the health needs of women, girls, non-binary individuals, trans people, and those assigned female at birth by providing business advisory support and introducing companies to investors.
Femtech Canada claims it has since built the third largest femtech ecosystem in the world, with more than 170 involved women’s health companies that have generated over $250 million in private-sector investment.
wHealth MedPath applicants must be privately incorporated Femtech Canada members working towards commercializing a working prototype of an innovative technology. Femtech companies interested in applying for the program can do so here.
Applications are being accepted until March 31, 2026, or until the program’s funds have been fully committed. Due to the limited number of project support available, Femtech Canada says applicants are encouraged to apply before July 30, 2025.
