Factory Capital launches women’s health institute with $25M commitment

Factory Capital and women’s health lead Anna Samuelsson have launched the Institute Advancing Women’s Health to build clinical infrastructure, education and care models for peri- and post-menopause care. The initiative opens in the U.S. with a planned investment of more than $25 million and aims to turn a neglected care gap into a scalable health category.

Why it matters: - Factory Capital is trying to build a women’s midlife health market that leaders estimate could be worth US$120 billion to US$350 billion globally. - The initiative targets peri- and post-menopause care, where symptoms are often missed, dismissed or misdiagnosed. - The launch also frames women’s health as a business, productivity and investment opportunity, not just a clinical gap. - Research cited by the initiative suggests closing the women’s health gap more broadly could add more than US$1 trillion a year to the global economy through 2040. - Macquarie University research shows midlife issues could cost Australian women up to $17 billion in lost earnings and retirement savings.

What happened: - Factory Capital and Anna Samuelsson launched the Institute Advancing Women’s Health, or InAWH, after years of research and firsthand experience. - The nonprofit is based in the U.S. at launch to tap philanthropic, medical, research and investment networks while keeping Australian roots. - Factory Capital expects to invest more than $25 million to build businesses in the sector. - The investment commitment is intended to support strategic investments across Factory Capital’s business and the institute. - The launch is presented as Australia’s first example of a corporate holding company or private equity firm creating nonprofit clinical infrastructure to help build an investable category. - InAWH is pronounced “in awe.”

The details: - InAWH will convene multidisciplinary clinical expertise to turn evidence into tools, care pathways and clinician education. - The institute is focused on women’s midlife health, where treatments are described as few, siloed and poorly integrated. - The goal is to improve evidence-based care for women and create more consistent clinical pathways. - Factory Capital says the gap leaves women without reliable care models and investors without scalable businesses. - The institute’s founding medical advisory board includes members who came out of official retirement to address what they call “the wicked problem of women’s midlife medical neglect.” - The leadership team includes Connie Collingsworth, former Gates Foundation COO and general counsel, as chair. - Dr Annalisa Jenkins OBE, former Merck Serono R&D chief, serves as non-executive director. - Paula Schneider has been named global CEO. - The broader specialist network spans cardiology, endocrinology, obstetrics, gynaecology, neurology, genomics and biostatistics. - The expert group includes specialists from Yale, Oxford, UNSW and the International Menopause Society. - John Eden, conjoint associate professor of reproductive endocrinology at UNSW, is part of the project. - The Hon. Bronnie Taylor, former NSW Minister for Women and former NSW Minister for Regional Health, is consulting to Factory Capital on the project. - Taylor previously helped secure $45 million for specialist menopause services.

Between the lines: - Factory Capital is betting that solving a care gap first can help create the market around it. - The U.S. launch points to a strategy of building credibility and partnerships in a larger health ecosystem from day one. - The board and advisory roster signals an effort to combine finance, clinical authority and policy experience. - Samuelsson argues the neglected market is a serious economic opportunity because millions of dollars, and possibly billions, are being left on the table. - Collingsworth said the mission is to train clinicians, collaborate across disciplines and build global cross-sector partnerships around the most current medical evidence. - Bronnie Taylor said services and practical tools must reach women before symptoms push them out of work or out of care. - Eden said the health system still treats midlife symptoms in silos, while women present with issues that cross multiple specialties.

What’s next: - InAWH will begin building clinical infrastructure, education programs and care models for midlife women’s health. - Factory Capital and the institute are expected to deploy the planned capital into strategic investments tied to the category. - The organization will continue assembling medical, philanthropic and investment partnerships to support expansion. - The institute’s leaders say the next step is translating evidence into practical guidance clinicians can use.