In this episode, Dr. Aznavour shares her inspiring transition from practicing ObGyn to becoming a femtech entrepreneur, candidly discussing the challenges of fundraising as a female founder in the biotech space. She explains how her clinical experience motivated her to develop a diagnostic solution for women suffering from undiagnosed endometriosis. 

Endometriosis affects around 10% of women of reproductive age, diagnosis takes up to 8 years and requires surgery. Endometrics develops a solution for diagnosing endometriosis non-invasively by identifying specific genomic features of endometrial cells. 

The startup Endometrics went through the Berkeley Skydeck accelerator, which helped Yana and her co-founder build a network of biotech founders and experts in laboratory diagnostics, set up a lab, and secure a pre-seed round. 

Key Questions Explored:

• How does the journey from clinician to startup founder in biotech look like?
• What are the unique challenges of developing a female-specific medical product?
• How do accelerator programs like UC Berkeley's Skydeck benefit first-time founders?
• How can femtech startups effectively pitch to investors who may not understand women's health issues?
• What strategies can founders use to validate their market and build a strong network?
• What are the pros and cons of different business models for biotech startups in the diagnostic field?

Want to hear more about Yana’s incredible journey from idea to innovation? Tune in to our podcast, where she shares invaluable insights on navigating the challenges of femtech entrepreneurship, building a biotech startup, and breaking barriers in women’s health.