FemTech as a Defining Economic and Social Frontier

The presentation of The Vagina Business at Maze Impact HQ cut straight to the point: women’s health is not a side topic, it’s one of the biggest, most overlooked economic opportunities of this decade. And we’re still treating it like an afterthought.

Marina’s voice cut through the noise with clarity and exposes the structural invisibility of women’s bodies in research, product development, and investment. Marina lays out the case clearly:

• Women’s health has been systematically deprioritised, leading to chronic underinvestment

• Around 80% of FemTech founders are women, building from lived experience rather than theoretical market gaps

• Closing women’s health gaps could unlock up to 1 trillion in annual economic impact

• Every $ invested in women’s health yields $x3 in economic benefits through reduced healthcare costs and higher productivity

The book blends data, storytelling, and a call to action that resonated strongly with the room; a room mostly full of women, but with a few men too, myself included.

The event created a space where the audience with different backgrounds spoke openly about both the opportunities and the taboos that still shape FemTech, some of them pretty much aligned with my vision:

• FemTech is becoming mainstream because the fundamentals are undeniable: massive unmet needs, strong consumer demand, and clear ROI.

• Taboos still slow innovation, from menstrual health to menopause to sexual wellbeing.

• Impact and profitability align, FemTech sits at the intersection of social need and economic potential.

• Representation matters; diverse teams build better products, especially in health.

The discussion made it clear that Innovation Ecosystems must evolve to include the realities of half the population.

What I take from the room, regarding our Ecosystem:

• Women’s health is a growth engine, and there is an urgency of investing in it as a strategic economic lever

• The demand is real, the technology is ready, and capital is the bottleneck.

• Talking openly about these topics still makes some people uncomfortable, which is exactly why it matters.

• The opportunity for Portugal and Europe to lead in FemTech innovation.

• The importance of dismantling taboos that still shape product development and funding decisions.

• The power of community gatherings to accelerate cultural and market change.

I cannot end without highlighting Maze Impact’s role as a convener of conversations that push the boundaries of impact entrepreneurship.

Innovation starts when silence ends. Yesterday at Maze, the silence broke, loudly.

📍Região Centro need your help:

• Tempestade.SOS

• [email protected]

• Gabinete Reerguer Leiria no Mercado Sant’Ana

• Cáritas Leiria

• www.inpulsar.pt

• 💡 Founder Institute Portugal - Portugal Spring 2026 Program is accepting applications

• 💡 Save the date! StartupWeekend Women Loulé will take place next Mar 6, 7 & 8. An inclusive event open to anyone who wants to support and empower women founders and innovators!

• 💡 Money Talks the biggest financial literacy event in the country, takes place on April 11 & 12. Tickets are now on sale use promocode: ADAMASTOR

Keep following Adamastor to stay up to date with our ecosystem.

See you at the next event.

✍ Quote of the week

“Ambition isn’t a flaw. It’s a driving force”

Cristina Fonseca

Highlights of the week

• 🔷 Closing Ceremony | From Start-to-Table this Tuesday

• 🔷 VDS Valencia Call for Speakers is now open

• 🔷 Canopy Global Demo Night & Above and Beyond: GAMING this Wednesday

• 🔷 Startup Grind & FoodTec, The Future of Food by RedBridge this Thursday

• 🔷 SelectUSA Portugal Series - De Portugal para os Estados Unidos: Da Oportunidade à Expansão next Monday

• 🔷 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀 | 𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗘 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 for the 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗗𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰𝘀 until Wednesday

Congrats

• 👏 Engineers Hub a new space dedicated to innovation, technology, and collaboration in Lisbon; Co-created by Unicorn Factory Lisboa and the Ordem dos Engenheiros – Região Sul

• 👏 Rows will be joining Superhuman

• 👏 SmartRoads won the Urban Mobility Startup Creation Program, an initiative led by BGI - Sustainable Ventures

• 👏 Portuguese hubs mentioned on the Financial Times - Europe’s leading startup hubs 2026: Unicorn Factory; Lispolis; Fintech House; Startup Braga; Build Up Labs; Startup Leiria; Ericeira Business Factory; Canopy; Casa do Impacto; UPTEC; Startup Madeira; and BGI Sustainable Ventures

• 👏 Portugal ranks #1 globally for Global Mobility & Openness category of the StartupBlink Innovators Business Environment Index (IBEI) 2026

Something to read, listen and watch

📚Investors Portugal: Parecer para a COFAP – Comissão de Orçamento, Finanças e Administração Pública

📚Empatia não é inteligência emocional, mas pode ser o teu superpoder por Filipa Lemos Cristina

📚“A inovação não deve estar reservada aos grandes centros ou às grandes empresas” por Isabel Carapeta (Simplifyer)

📚How Body Language Can Impact a Founder’s Pitch by Kristen Craft

📚10 Lessons Learned from Closing Our Startup After 5 Years by Pedro Teixeira

📚Man accidentally gains control of 7,000 robot vacuums

📚Anthropic Education Report: The AI Fluency Index

• 🎧 The Fun They Had - Asimov Predicted AI Tutors in 1950’s on Modem Futura

• 🎧 Marina Gerner: FemTech and ‘The Vagina Business’ on Diary of Clo

• 🎥 Gui Gomes and Joao Alves from Bleap: Raising $6m to build a fintech completely on the blockchain

• 🎥 Inovadores: Bloodflow garante precisão nos relatórios de análises

Looking for your next spark of inspiration or connection? Discover what’s happening in the ecosystem—check out the Adamastor Events Calendar and find the perfect event that fits your goals, your vibe, and your stage. From founder meetups to investor talks, there’s something for everyone.