Womens Health Investment Outlook 2026

Limited women’s health-specific approaches in major diseases When looking at the therapeutic areas that affect women differently and disproportionately (mental health, infectious diseases, endocrine, urological, cardiovascular, metabolic, neurological and musculoskeletal) as a whole, it is apparent that approximately 1% of identified funding events (233 out of 22,375 funding events) and less than 1% of identified capital flows ($4 billion out of $1.2 trillion) went to women’s health (see Figure 3). From 2020 to 2025, identified private-sector funding in women’s cardiovascular health remained limited, with just 11 transactions totalling $10 million, accounting for less than 0.01% of overall cardiovascular funding. Investment in women’s metabolic health was even less, with only eight identified transactions totalling $4 million, less than 0.01% of total metabolic health funding during the period. Cardiovascular disease and metabolic conditions are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in women globally, underscoring the need for women- specific solutions given clear evidence that these conditions affect women differently from men. This misalignment between capital flows and women’s health needs highlights a missed opportunity to build differentiated solutions in areas that drive high disease burden. Emerging horizontal, cross-therapeutic solutions Natural language processing (see methodology, Appendix A) shows that nearly half of identified women’s health companies (45%) identify first as cross-therapeutic or functional areas, such as diagnostics, digital platforms and pharmaceuticals, rather than distinct therapeutic categories. Half of all identified companies active in women’s health are diversified players that include women’s health- specific assets (rather than focusing exclusively on women’s health). This diversification suggests emerging potential for scalable business models that integrate across multiple conditions and delivery models. It also points to a growth opportunity for cross-therapeutic approaches that can expand addressable markets, diversify revenue streams and create efficiencies across R&D, care delivery and commercialization – making women’s health increasingly attractive to investors seeking scale and broader portfolio alignment within healthcare. Geographic concentration North America and Europe dominate identified funding activity, while LMICs are under-represented, even though they often carry the greatest women’s health burdens (see Figure 6). This geographic disparity risks widening global inequities in innovation and access. Women’s Health Investment Outlook 15