Femtech is providing women in Southeast Asia with much-needed tools, resources, and advice to manage their health and make better lifestyle choices for their wellness. It handles female-specific conditions such as menopause, sexual and menstrual problems, fertility and contraception, and others. While the adoption of digital health solutions in the region is still relatively low, several companies are thriving and making an impact. 

Thus far, Vietnam has the highest femtech usage rate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with 52% of respondents admitting to using the technology. The Philippines comes in second with 44%, Thailand with 41%, and Malaysia with an adoption rate of 40%. Indonesia and Singapore round off the top markets in the region, with 35% and 23% of ladies using them, respectively.

We take a closer look at the future of femtech in Southeast Asia

There are several industry challenges, such as inadequate education on the benefits, accessibility, affordability, gender bias in medical research, and advertising restrictions; however, some companies are receiving funding and delivering vital solutions to women. Below are five femtech apps currently having success:

BukuBumil 

Indonesia’s BukuBumil provides women with content and support for a healthy and comfortable pregnancy experience. The information covers fertility and maternity, mental health for pregnant women, baby immunisations, family planning, post-pregnancy, and more. The app enables expectant mothers to track foetal development in the womb.

Furthermore, it has a BukuBumil Community forum for mothers to confide in each other and share everything they are going through. Women can listen to classical music through the app, calculate the baby’s due date, monitor their weight to maintain the ideal amount, and share pregnancy content on social media. According to Tracxn, BukuBumil does not have any institutional and angel investors and has not received any funding.

theAsianparent

The pregnancy and parenting app theAsianparent is a community and content platform for parents. It offers trackers and monitors watching over the foetus’ growth, and users receive up-to-date articles on child development, breastfeeding, and other topics. Expectant mothers can use the app to time the baby’s delivery calendar, track sleep, heartbeats, and contractions, and prepare for labour.

The company last raised money in 2019 in a Series C round from Mirae Asset-Naver Asia Growth Fund, WHG Capital, Global Grand Leisure, JD.com, 14th Street Global Ventures, and others. However, in 2022, Parentinc, which has theAsianparent as a subsidiary, raised USD 22 million from venture capital (VC) firm East Ventures. It intends to use the money to help expand theAsianparent into additional markets in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. 

Clue App

Tracking app Clue is a trusted menstrual health resource and app for monitoring periods and ovulation cycles to determine how they affect women’s moods, energy levels, and more. Downloaded by 10 million people in more than 190 countries, it also allows reproductive healthcare clinicians and other scientific expert writers to create science-based content for users.

So far, Clue has raised USD 64.7 million in 12 funding rounds, with its latest financing from Equity Crowdfunding coming in April this year. Other investors include Crowdcube, Balderton Capital, and Union Square Ventures. Clue will use the money to expand its product portfolio, scale the company offerings, and boost its research efforts.

SEHATi

The SEHATi app is a health management platform where users can access their wellness and fitness information, book appointments at nearby clinics, save data from doctor visits and analyse trends from their stored metrics. Users can check their eligibility for a free health screening, gain insights into potential illness risks, get promotional messages for events and medical benefits, and review health data through interactive charts.

SEHATi is part of Bumi Healthtech, which aims to connect users to affordable and accessible healthcare solutions. It reduces costs by leveraging its ecosystem provider list, helping everyone understand their health needs.

EloCare

Finally, EloCare is focused on chronic and ageing care and uses the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) to develop smart medical devices—such as the Elo wearable—that enhance personal healthcare. The cloud dashboard enables symptom detection and data processing, whereas web and mobile applications provide real-time information access. 

The Elo wearable offers menopause care with symptom monitoring, personalised health profiles, and data-driven lifestyle and medical intervention suggestions. EloCare won Enterprise Singapore’s ESG Healthcare Open Innovation Challenge in 2021 and funding of USD 1.5 million to develop research-based solutions alongside other medical providers.

With the global femtech market expected to grow to USD 103 billion by 2030, more experts and innovators will emerge to design inclusive products that address women’s challenges.

Startup founders designing femtech apps should consult women in Southeast Asia when creating solutions. It will ensure they innovate timely, relevant, scalable, affordable products and mobile applications that women genuinely need. Moreover, they must embrace the modern-day sustainability push, which requires companies and their partners to use clean energy and develop green technologies that benefit women and expectant or nursing mothers.