Women in Health Innovation Spotlight: Maaike Steinebach
Maaike Steinebach strives to close the gender health gap in the FemTech industry. Originally from the Netherlands, she has over 25 years of experience in financial services and tech in Asia, most recently as CEO of Visa for Hong Kong and Macau.
After decades of leading high-performing teams in global finance and tech, Maaike became increasingly aware of the structural inequities in healthcare, particularly those affecting women. Inspired to be part of the solution, she founded FemTech Future Limited in 2023, a boutique advisory platform to support innovation, raise awareness, and invest in technology solutions that address issues such as period poverty, fertility, mental health, and sexual health.
Her company works closely with healthcare providers, startups, corporates, insurers, and policymakers to educate and commercialise scalable solutions. Maaike is passionate about using data, digital platforms, and femtech innovation to bridge the gaps in access to education around women's health.
Throughout her career, Maaike has received numerous accolades, including the Green Warrior Leadership Award 2024, the Harper’s Bazaar Visionary Award 2023, and the Jessica HK Women in Tech Award 2024. She also hosts a podcast called Femtech At Work and did a TEDxTinHau Women talk about How FemTech Can Revolutionize Women’s Health. She earned her Master's in Economics from the University of Amsterdam and lives in Hong Kong.
What is FemTech, and how did you decide to shift into this work after an incredible career in banking and finance? Were there any personal or professional experiences that particularly shaped your decision to focus on women’s health innovation?
FemTech refers to products and services that use technology to support the health and well-being of women. We need FemTech to close the gender health gap (or gender care gap, which is the gap between the care women need and can get from the existing healthcare system because of the biological difference between men and women).
I first heard about FemTech in 2018 and thought - wow! As a mother of three, partner, caregiver, and CEO, my own health is at the bottom of the Maslow curve, my prioritization of needs. How amazing would it be if I could do a Pap Smear or mammogram at home, in my own time and privacy of my own home. That’s when I got hooked and started to research more about it. I also started doing some angel investment in global FemTech start-ups. In 2023, I decided to leave my corporate job to support FemTech startups and advocate for more focus on women’s health in the workplace.
What is period poverty, and what best practices are out there to address this challenge? Can you describe other aspects of the gender health gap and where we see it today?
The medical system was not designed by women. Women were, for years, treated like little men. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, women were not included in clinical trials until 1993, so we only have 30 years of research on women’s bodies. This has an impact on how we treat pain, autoimmune diseases, or roll out new drugs and treatments.
Period poverty is when women cannot afford or do not have access to basic period products. Some startups like Luuna in Hong Kong are trying to change that by providing subscriptions to corporations, schools, universities, and government offices to ensure women have access to free period care.
What innovations in FemTech are you most excited about right now, and how do you see them shaping the future of this industry?
Women’s health is underserved, underfunded, and under-researched. I am excited about every innovation that makes women’s health more accessible and affordable and creates a better experience for women. This can be achieved by improving the fertility journey, tackling pain, and improving mental or sexual health. I am excited as all these innovations make the health experience better. FemTech is gaining momentum, the awareness of the need to support the health of women at home and in the workplace is growing, and the investment in femtech start-ups is steadily growing. We are also seeing more focus on menopause with celebrities like Oprah and Halle Berry openly talking about the topic and femtech coverage moving from reproductive health into medtech and biotech tackling conditions that disproportionately affect women like autoimmune disease, alzheimers and heart health, and that’s a great thing!
Why do you think it’s a great opportunity to work on FemTech in Asia right now? Where do you see the biggest barriers in women’s health that still need to be broken down?
There is a lot of stigma and taboo around women’s health innovation in Asia. Many topics are not spoken about, and by normalizing the conversations, we can make real change. But we also need to educate women, as many women don’t even realize that their health needs are different. Nor do corporations or governments understand that every dollar invested in women’s health generates $3 in GDP and massive productivity gains in the workplace, according to Forbes. That’s the work that I try to do - create more awareness and show how FemTech is one of the fastest-growing areas of innovation. We are actually 52% of the population and not a niche.
What advice would you give to aspiring innovators looking to make an impact in the intersection of technology and healthcare?
Find a tribe of people to support you and with whom you can partner and collaborate. It’s lonely and hard to tackle the taboo and stigma around women’s health by yourself - build a community of support for you and your company, and share what you are working on so people know.
