👩🏽⚕️ Dr Nadine Hachach-Haram's AR Surgery Platform Proximie Raises $80 Million in Series C
FemWealth Issue #65
Happy Sunday, FemWealth Friends!
In the Spotlight ✨
The UK-based global health technology platform for AR surgery Proximie, founded and led by NHS Surgeon Dr. Nadine Hachach-Haram, has raised $80 million in a Series C equity financing round.
The company that digitally connects operating rooms via its augmented reality tech enables surgeons to advise on operations remotely around the world. Founded in 2016, Proximie is on a mission to save lives by creating a “borderless operating room.” It already has a global footprint, being used in 500 hospitals in 100 countries on five continents.
“Our vision is to democratize surgery through better data by connecting every OR and Cath Lab in the world. We began this journey enabling surgeons to virtually join any OR. Now, we're using this capability to digitize the operating room, bringing patients the collective expertise of the best surgeons in the world - where data collected and shared on Proximie can help them receive life-saving care, no matter where they live.”
The new funding round was led by Advent Life Sciences, with participation from new investors Emerson Collective, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, British Patient Capital, Mubadala, and the Minderoo Foundation.
Discover Dr Nadine Hachach-Haram’s founder story.
Read more: SoftBank backs Proximie in $80m round for AR surgery
FemWealth Favorites ❤️
Startups: 💸 Cube, which wants to help finance teams plan better and faster, lands $30M after seeing 400% ARR growth - Christina Ross is Cube’s CEO and co-founder.
💸 Boulder Care takes in funding as its opioid telehealth program yields industry-leading retention rates - The US-based telehealth provider founded and led by Stephanie Strong, focuses on medical treatment and support for people overcoming substance use disorders.
💸 Auxilius lands $10M to help biopharmas manage financial aspects of the clinical trial process - Erin Warner Guill is the President and COO of Auxilius.
💸 Allyson Felix’s Saysh gets investment from Athleta - Co-founded by Olympian athlete Allyson Felix and her brother and business partner, Wes Felix, the lifestyle brand Saysh has closed its Series A round at $8 million. The company’s debut product, the Saysh One, is the first women’s athletics sneaker to be built from the sole up for a woman’s foot.
💸 Just Women’s Sports Raises $6M in Funding - Led by Haley Rosen, Just Women’s Sports is a media platform dedicated exclusively to women’s sports.
💸 Edtech company Pok Pok raises $3M to expand its digital play experiences for kids - The Toronto-based edtech company was co-founded by Esther Huybreghts (Chief Creative Officer) and Melissa Cash (CEO).
👩🏾💻 Application call: Are you a woman of colour early-stage founder operating a business in Europe? Our friends at Founderland are launching a hands-on program helping you navigate negotiations and pitches where you might be facing bias. Built by founders, for founders, the training hones your skills so you can ace that next pitch or fundraise. Apply by July 15th here.
VC: 💸 Morgan Stanley, Felicis Alums Raise $450 Million for Debut Fund - Pegah Ebrahimi has launched FPV with a $450 million debut fund. The firm will invest across all stages, with an emphasis on early-stage deals, in a range of categories across consumer, enterprise, and health care.
💸 Fearless Fund’s Arian Simone on why a downturn is business as usual for minority founders (TechCrunch+ $)
“Women of color are the most founded, entrepreneurial demographic. They are just the least funded.” - Arian Simone
Business & Career: 💸 How Selling $160 Sweatpants Turned A SoCal Surfer Into One Of America's Richest Women - Features Paige Mycoskie, Founder and President of activewear brand Aviator Nation. | Also, check out Forbes America’s Richest Self-Made Women.
❓ Dana Walden’s Ascension Raises Old Question: Will Disney Ever Have A Female CEO?
📈 Women must have at least 40% of board seats by July 2026, EU finally agrees after 10-year battle | Read more.
👉🏽 No more ‘abrasive,’ ‘opinionated,’ or ‘nice’: Why managers need to stop giving women and people of color feedback on their personality - By Kieran Snyder and Aileen Lee
“Everyone deserves to get constructive, unbiased professional feedback. Not everyone receives it. If we address the differences in the kinds of feedback that different people receive, we can begin to address even more significant workplace inequities: access to career growth, earnings power, advancement, and leadership.”
👏 Now is the time to redefine work on your own terms, in a way you’ve never been able to before - By Fran Hauser
“We’ve never had a moment like this before with employees in the driver’s seat, co-creating the workplace culture that they desire. This is your time. Reflect on what you need to succeed. Employers are ready to listen. Are you ready to ask?”
Women’s & Family Health: 👶 Innovations In Fertility - Meet 8 Femtech Companies Revolutionizing This Space - Features women-led Aura Fertility, Carrot Fertility, Hertility, and more. | Also read Inside the quest to redesign the diaper.
Culture: 👩🏻🎨 Yoko Ono’s Art of Defiance - ‘Before she met John Lennon, she was a significant figure in avant-garde circles and had created a masterpiece of conceptual art. Did celebrity deprive her of her due as an artist?’
What I’m Reflecting On 💭
In a world built for men, we don’t know much about women’s bodies - By Priyanka Jain and Laine Bruzek, founders of Evvy
“It’s 2022. The female body shouldn’t still be a medical mystery.”
A tampon shortage, during a formula shortage, during a child care shortage
“Addressing the shortages means overcoming not just disregard for people’s needs, but also the discomfort many Americans feel discussing menstruation and other issues affecting women and marginalized groups.”
Male Executives Control 99 Times More S&P 500 Shares Than Women - Despite women accounting for about a quarter of the top executives at S&P 500 companies, they only control about 1% of the value of shares held among their fellow corporate leaders, a new study conducted with Swedish gender data company ExecuShe shows.
New Report Suggests Female CEOs Are Not Paying Themselves Enough - A report analyzing 250 seed and venture-funded startups in the US found that the salary gap between female and male startup CEOs grew four times wider in 2022 from what it was in late 2019.
Dismantling “Benevolent” Sexism
“Both benevolent sexism and its partner, hostile sexism, reinforce established gender norms and stereotypes about women’s and men’s identities, social roles, and behavior. Each type uses different tactics, but the potential consequences for working women are the same, including possible negative impacts on mental and physical health, increased feelings of incompetence, and less career support.”
The Unwritten Laws of Physics for Black Women
“I just wanted to be a scientist, not a trailblazer. But in my field, people like me are anomalies—and we face constant scrutiny for our race and gender.” - Katrina Miller
Thank you for reading FemWealth! 🥰 Have a wonderful Sunday and a super exciting week ahead!
Anamaria
Founder & Writer of FemWealth