How Angel Investors Shape the Future—A Conversation with Annamaria Tartaglia
Annamaria didn’t set out to be an angel investor. Drawn to innovation, equity, and sustainability, she started her career building strategic business initiatives. But something kept nagging at her—why did women-led ventures, particularly in healthcare, struggle to secure funding?
Welcome to the latest issue of the Femmehealth Ventures Publication—the only (as far as we know) newsletter dedicated to analysing femtech startups through an investor's lens, helping readers identify emerging opportunities in women's health technology.
If this email was forwarded to you, you have awesome friends—click below to join. Don’t forget, you can always explore our archives to catch up on any past stories.
💡The Angel Corner
“I kept seeing brilliant female founders with groundbreaking ideas struggle to break through,” she recalls. “Traditional funding mechanisms weren’t built for them. I realised then that angel investing wasn’t just about financial returns—it was about rewriting the rules.”
As co-founder of Angels4Women and co-chair of Women 7 under Italy’s 2024 G7 presidency, Annamaria Tartaglia saw firsthand the ripple effects of empowering women in business and technology. So, she decided to do more than just watch from the sidelines.
In our interview, we covered:
What drove her to angel investing and why it’s more than just capital
The vast, untapped potential in women’s health and why femtech is the next big thing.
The investment that changed everything—a startup redefining maternal health.
The biggest challenges in early-stage investing and how to navigate them.
What’s next for women’s health and why angel investors hold the key to its future.
We hope you enjoy the interview as much as we did.
👼 Meet Our Angel: Annamaria Tartaglia
What inspired you to become an angel investor?
“It started with frustration,” she says. “I kept seeing incredible female founders with groundbreaking ideas struggle to secure funding.”
As someone deeply involved in strategic business initiatives, Annamaria had always been drawn to innovation. But time and time again, she saw women-led ventures—especially in health and technology—being sidelined by traditional investors.
“Healthcare, AI, sustainability—these are industries that shape the future. Yet not enough female voices were shaping them,” she explains.
The more she learnt, the clearer the opportunity became. Women’s health alone—despite being a $1 trillion market—received less than 4% of global healthcare R&D funding. The gap wasn’t just financial; it was structural.
“That was my ‘aha’ moment. I could wait for the industry to catch up—or I could start investing in the companies I believed in.”
Why focus on women’s health and femtech?
Many investors saw women’s health as a niche. But Annamaria saw a blind spot.
“There’s this misconception that women’s health is just about pregnancy or fertility,” she explains. “But it’s everything—from cardiovascular disease to mental health to menopause solutions. And the industry has ignored it for too long.”
She was particularly drawn to femtech, where AI, digital health, and wearables were reshaping how women accessed care.
For her, investing in femtech wasn’t just about market potential. It was about correcting decades of underinvestment in solutions that directly impacted half the population.
What has been your most rewarding investment?
One startup, in particular, stands out—a company tackling maternal health disparities using AI-powered predictive analytics.
“The founders had this incredible vision: to use data to prevent complications during pregnancy, particularly for underserved communities,” she says.
It wasn’t just a business—it was a lifesaving innovation.
“They were solving a problem that should have been addressed years ago. The fact that maternal mortality was still so high in certain populations wasn’t a lack of medical knowledge—it was a lack of access.”
Investing in this company wasn’t just about financial returns. It was about seeing a tangible impact—fewer preventable deaths, more women receiving better care, and a system slowly shifting to prioritise equity.
“The best part?” she says. “Watching the founders grow. Seeing them scale their solution, raise more funding, and prove the sceptics wrong.”
What challenges have you faced as an angel investor?
Angel investing, especially in under-represented sectors like women’s health, comes with real challenges.
“Bias is still a massive issue. Women-led startups receive just a fraction of venture capital funding compared to men. That means many of the best ideas struggle to get the backing they need.”
That’s where networks like Angels4Women come in—creating visibility, access, and strategic support for female founders.
Another challenge? Risk.
“Early-stage investing is risky, no matter what sector you’re in. But in femtech, the challenges are even greater because the market is still catching up.”
To mitigate these risks, she relies on rigorous due diligence, partnerships with healthcare experts, and a strong network of co-investors.
“But at the end of the day, investing isn’t about eliminating risk—it’s about understanding it. And when you back the right founders, it’s worth it.”
How do you balance financial returns with impact?
For Annamaria, profit and purpose aren’t mutually exclusive—they are interconnected.
“The best investments solve real problems. If you’re addressing a massive unmet need, there’s a built-in market demand.”
She gives an example:
“Take a femtech startup improving access to contraception in emerging markets. There’s a huge demand for better solutions. And when you combine impact-driven innovation with a strong business model, you get a company that’s not just changing lives—it’s scaling successfully.”
Her approach includes:
✔️ Dual-metric due diligence—evaluating both financial potential and measurable social impact.
✔️ Long-term thinking—recognising that impact-driven businesses may take longer to scale, but their market potential is strong.
✔️ Strategic mentorship—helping founders build sustainable business models that align profitability with meaningful change.
“People assume investing with impact means sacrificing returns,” she says. “But the reality? Some of the biggest market opportunities today exist where equity and innovation meet.”
What Advice for Women Looking to Become Angel Investors?
For women considering stepping into angel investing, she offers this:
Own your perspective—women can sometimes see opportunities that others miss.
Learn the game—understand due diligence, valuations, and how to spot a scalable business.
Join a network—collaborate with like-minded investors to access better deals.
Think long-term—great companies take time to build, but the impact is worth it.
What trends in women’s health investing excite you most?
The landscape is shifting rapidly, and she is watching several key trends:
AI in healthcare—from early cancer detection to personalised hormonal tracking.
Menopause tech—this is getting the investment and attention it deserves.
Mental health solutions for women—especially as research into gender-specific brain health and the correlation of hormonal activity to neurodiverse conditions gains traction.
Chronic disease management—addressing conditions like osteoporosis and autoimmune diseases that disproportionately impact women.
“The ability to combine profit with purpose, address systemic inequalities while driving innovation, excites me the most about the future of women’s health,” she says.
What role do angel investors play in shaping the future of women’s health?
Angel investors are the first to take risks on game-changing ideas. They provide:
💰 Early capital—filling funding gaps that often leave women-led startups struggling.
🤝 Mentorship & networks—helping founders navigate growth, regulation, and scaling.
📢 Advocacy—pushing for more equitable investment in female-founded ventures.
“Angel investors don’t just invest in companies—they invest in movements,” she explains. “By backing women’s health innovation, we’re changing the way healthcare works for future generations.”
Final Thoughts
For those considering angel investing in women’s health, Annamaria has one simple message:
“The best time to invest in this space? Yesterday. The second-best time? Right now.”
💰Deals & Investments
Millie, a tech-enabled maternity clinic, raised a $12 million Series A led by TMV and Foreground Capital, with participation from Pivotal Ventures and the March of Dimes Innovation Fund.
Prickly Pear Health, an Arizona-based femtech startup focusing on mental health, raised over $250,000 in pre-seed funding from institutional investors led by Bayless Ventures and AZ Venture Capital Inc.
Coral, a Montreal-based company focused on virtual care for menopause, raised $3 million in seed funding with the round led by Brightspark, Diagram and The51 and joined by high-profile angel investors.
Stay informed and stay invested. Until next time…
A subscription gets you:
a chance to support my work ❤️
access to subscriber-only posts and archives
access to my health and fitness playbook
exclusive pre-release access to my upcoming book on investing in women’s health
Ways to Connect with Femmehealth Ventures
Sign-up for Femmehealth Ventures newsletter, which is published weekly on Sundays
Disclaimer
The content in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, legal, or medical advice. Opinions expressed are those of the author and may not reflect the views of affiliated organisations. Readers should seek professional advice tailored to their individual circumstances before making decisions. Investing involves risk, including potential loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results.