💸 Diem Secures Funding for its Social Search Engine For Women and Non-Binary People
FemWealth Issue #142
Hi FemWealth Friends,
In today’s edition: Emma Bates and Divia Singh’s Diem announces $3.7M in total funding for its social search engine for women and non-binary people; founded and led by Ashlee Wisdom, Health in Her HUE raised a $3M Seed round to connect women of color with healthcare providers and content that can better address their needs; led by General Partner Bodil Sidén, Denmark-based foodtech-focused VC fund, Kost Capital held the first close of a targeted €25M fund; and more in women-led startups, VC, and business.
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In the Spotlight 💸
Co-founded by Emma Bates (CEO) and Divia Singh (COO), US-based Diem is building a social search engine, powered by community conversations and AI. It aims to provide a space for women and non-binary individuals to share personal stories and ask questions about various topics. These include sexual health, relationship problems, mental health, body positivity, and more.
“(…) there are so many moments in which we lean on each other to decipher the world around us or the experiences we may be having. And there’s no real place that captures all that information and makes it a resource for everyone.” - Emma Bates via TechCrunch
Diem is available as a web app and on iOS and Android devices.
The company announced $3.7 million in total funding. Stellation Capital led its most recent Seed round. Acrew Capital, Flybridge, Techstars, XFactor Ventures, and angels Lindsay Kaplan (co-founder of Chief), Steph Korey (co-founder of Away), Jaclyn Johnson (founder of Create & Cultivate), Amber Atherton (an early-stage investor), and Abadesi Osunsade (founder of Hustle Crew) are among its investors.
FemWealth Favourites ❤️
120Water Secures $43M Growth Investment Led by Edison Partners - Co-founded and led by Megan Glover, US-based 120Water provides software and kits that support government agencies, public water systems, facilities, and schools to ensure that their water supply meets regulatory standards. It raised a $43 million round led by Edison Partners and joined by Allos Ventures.
Suicide prevention telehealth provider Vita Health receives $22.5M - Co-founded and led by Lynn Hamilton, Vita Health provides a suicide prevention telehealth platform. The US-based company raised a $22.5 million Series A round from LFE Capital, CVS Health Ventures, Athyrium Capital Management, Flare Capital Partners, Connecticut Innovations, CU Healthcare Innovation Fund, and HopeLab.
Heranova Raises $13.5M for Novel Non-Invasive Diagnostics and Treatment of Endometriosis and Bacterial Vaginosis - Co-founded by Penny Wan, US-based Heranova raised $13.5 million in Seed and Seed+ financing to develop and offer integrated women’s health solutions. Pivotal bioVenture Partners China, Sinovation Ventures, Emerging Technology Partners, and Triwise Capital participated in the round.
Prometeo raises $13M from PayPal, Samsung and more to bring open banking to Latin America - Co-founded and co-led by Ximena Aleman, the Uruguayan startup aims to introduce open banking in Latin America. It raised a $13 million round led by Antler Elevate, with PayPal Ventures, Samsung Next, DN Capital, Cometa, and Magma Partners also joining.
Avante raises $10M, led by former Olive AI execs and ex-Amperity CEO - Co-founded by Carly Eckert, Avante aims to improve employee well-being. It secured a $10 million Seed round led by Fuse Venture Partners, with Ascend.vc and HighSage Ventures also joining.
Annabella Secures $8.5M Seed Funding to Introduce Its Breast Pump Tech into U.S. Market - Co-founded by Masha Waldberg, the Israel-based company specialises in breast pump technology. It secured $8.5 million in Seed funding to expand into the US market. The funding round includes contributions from angel investors and also comprises over $3 million from Israel’s fastest crowdfunding campaign.
Rivero Raises $7M for its payment simplifying SaaS solutions - Co-founded by Fatemeh Nikayin, Rivero aims to simplify payment operations for the highly regulated payments industry. It raised $7 million in a Series A funding round co-led by 6 Degrees Capital and Inference Partners and joined by investors including Kraken Ventures, Seed X Liechtenstein, and PostFinance Ventures.
British biotech FA Bio secures €6.1 million to minimise the environmental impacts of agriculture - Co-founded by Dr Angela de Manzanos Guinot (CEO) and Dr Kerry O’Donnelly Weaver (COO), UK-based FA Bio aims to identify superior microbial bio-products for improving soil health and crop production. It raised €6.1 million in funding. Clean Growth Fund and Pymwymic co-led the round joined by Ship2B Ventures.
Parallel gets new funding for its teletherapy platform for kids with special needs - Founded and led by Diana Heldfond, Parallel is a US teletherapy platform that partners with school districts to create individualized plans for students with thinking and learning differences. It raised a $6.125 million Series A extension led by Rethink Impact.
Holistic Wellness Brand WTHN Raises $5 Million Led by L Catterton - Co-founded by Michelle Larivee (CEO) and Dr. Shari Auth, WTHN is building a modern holistic wellness brand rooted in traditional Chinese medicine. The New York-based startup raised a $5 million Series A round led by L Catterton, with Halogen Ventures also participating.
€4M funding boost for einwert’s real-time property valuation platform - Co-founded and led by Dr. Christina Mauer, Germany-based real estate value management platform einwert secured a new financing round of over €4 million. Ventech led the round.
Health in Her HUE closes $3 million seed round - Founded and led by Ashlee Wisdom, Health in Her HUE aims to connect women of color with healthcare providers and content that can better address their needs. The US-based company raised a $3 million Seed round led by Seae Ventures. Johnson & Johnson Impact Ventures, HBCU Founders Fund, Stanford Impact Fund, and Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Labs also participated.
“Health in Her HUE is uniquely positioned to address the existing racial health disparities and connect our members with providers who are committed to hearing and understanding their unique lived experiences while providing quality care accordingly.” - Ashlee Wisdom via TechCrunch.
London-based Self Space gets €2.6 million to set up on demand therapy on every high street - Founded and led by Jodie Cariss, London-based Self Space provides an on demand therapy service one can access on the high street or online. It raised €2.6 million in a Seed funding round led by Redrice Ventures.
Pier banks $2.4M to launch ‘Stripe for credit’ - Co-founded and led by Jessica Zhang, Pier helps companies automate their credit products. The US-based company raised $2.4 million in Seed funding from investors including Y Combinator, Liquid 2 Ventures, ACME, Horizon Ventures, and a group of angel investors.
Shimmer, a platform for 1:1 personalized ADHD coaching, raises $2.2M - Co-founded and led by Christal Wang, a neurodiverse entrepreneur, US-based Shimmer offers a platform for adults with ADHD aiming to help them tackle challenges via personalized 1:1 video coaching, productivity tools, and science-backed learning modules. It raised $2.2 million in a Seed funding round led by Worklife Ventures and Seed to B. Aglaé Ventures, Koa Labs, and Gaingels also participated in the round.
YC-backed African fintech Cleva, founded by Stripe and AWS alums, raises $1.5M pre-seed - Co-founded and led by Tolu Alabi, Nigeria-based Cleva, provides a banking platform for African individuals and businesses to receive international payments by opening USD accounts. It raised $1.5 million in Pre-Seed funding. 1984 Ventures led the round which also included YC, The Raba Partnership, Byld Ventures, FirstCheck Africa, and several angel investors.
Agritech startup GeneNeer raises $1M for gene-editing crop innovation - Co-founded and led by Kinneret Shefer, GeneNeer leverages its gene-editing platform to facilitate the safe, accurate, rapid and affordable development of crop seeds possessing enhanced genetic traits. It closed a $1 million Seed round led by Tall Grass Ventures and 2b AHEAD Ventures.
Furbnow Secures £950k Pre-Seed Funding to Retrofit UK Homes for Energy Efficiency - Co-founded and led by Becky Lane, the Birmingham, UK-based company uses digital twins to virtually test drive different carbon-cutting, energy-saving options in people’s homes. It raised a £950k Pre-Seed investment in a round led by SFC Capital, with participation from Norrsken Accelerator and angel investor Daniel Luhde-Thompson, and including a grant from Innovate UK’s Future Economy.
VC: Encomenda’s new fund to invest up to €50m in southern European and Latin American startups - Co-founded by General Partner Merce Tell, Barcelona-based Encomenda announced the first close of its new Encomenda II fund with €15 million in capital commitments. It aims to invest €40 million to €50 million in early-stage startups with a focus on companies based in southern Europe and Latin America.
Kost Capital’s secret sauce is a food development Studio in the basement - Led by General Partner Bodil Sidén, Denmark-based foodtech-focused VC fund, Kost Capital completed the first close of a targeted €25 million fund. It aims to invest in 20-25 startups using renewable resources to produce food.
Funding for female founders remained consistent in 2023 (TechCrunch+ $) - In the US, female-founded companies raised $44.4 billion out of the $170.59 billion in venture capital allocated in 2023. All-women teams raised approx. $3.1 billion (1.8%) compared to $5.1 billion (2.1%) in 2022 and $7.3 billion (also 2.1%) raised in 2021. Mixed-gender founding teams raised 26.1% of all venture capital invested last year, significantly more than in 2022 (18.2%).
Business: Match Group promotes Faye Iosotaluno to Tinder CEO - Since joining Match Group in 2017, Faye Iosotaluno has served as the company’s chief strategy officer position and as Tinder’s chief operating officer (since 2022)
“We’ve made more money than we ever dreamed of. More than we need”: RELEX Solutions’s Johanna Småros - Features Johanna Småros, Co-founder and Chief Sustainability Officer of RELEX Solutions, a Finnland-based supply chain and retail planning platform
Career: How to job hunt in the new year - Sarah Manning, chief people officer at Monzo, shares her tips on how to perfect your job hunting strategy
Sports: Naomi Osaka, The Comeback Interview: A tale of pregnancy, fear and a ballerina - Features Naomi Osaka, Japanese tennis player and four-time Grand Slam champion
“At the core of everything, I want to show my daughter everything in the world, and I also want her to remember me playing tennis for as long as I can play tennis, because this is such an important part of my life.” - Naomi Osaka via The Athletic
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Until next Sunday,
Anamaria
Founder & Writer of FemWealth