Posted on Dec. 2021 at 16:30
In the large family of femtechs, start-ups that focus on issues specific to women, some very good stories are starting to emerge. This is the case in particular with Fizimed, a young shoot that has designed a connected perineal probe to support the 10% of women worldwide directly concerned by perineal rehabilitation. After a good start in France and then in Europe, it is preparing to attack the North American market from next month, on the strength of the marketing agreement obtained by the FDA (the administration which distributes sesames).
Fizimed claims to already sell tens of thousands of products and target hundreds of thousands from next year. The foray across the Atlantic is crucial to achieve this ambitious goal. The subsidiary was created and the company formed a partnership in Chicago to manage the logistics part. “We will allow ourselves between 12 and 18 months to measure our acceleration there and before considering deploying a larger team on site,” explains Emeline Hahn, CEO and co-founder of Fizimed.
The door slammed in the face of women by Amazon and Facebook
The American march represents an important step and made more complex by Amazon’s decision to classify this type of object in the category of sex toys, which exceeds the entrepreneur: “Suddenly, they find themselves hidden, they are difficult to find. find and that goes against the needs of many, many women. This also goes against the emancipation of the word. The e-commerce giant occupies a preponderant place in Fizimed’s distribution strategy in the United States and which constitutes its main sales channel with its own website.
The subjects covered by femtechs, and especially the tone with which they approach them, regularly come up against the not very progressive publication policies of the US giants. “Facebook has censored femtechs and we regularly see our advertisements refused,” says Emeline Hahn. Because the drawing that shows its instructions for use illustrates a female gender, the young shoot’s communication is slowed down. But this is not the case everywhere. Germany, for example, quickly understood the advantage of such a medical device (CE marked class 1) on the well-being of women. Fizimed’s probe is reimbursed there on the prescription of the gynecologist, and hopes have been at the highest in France since Emmanuel Macron showed his willingness to start reimbursing the use of digital tools and applications capable of curbing problems. medical complications.
To consolidate its development, the Strasbourg start-up does not necessarily seek to raise more funds (it has accumulated 2.6 million euros in two rounds). But rather wishes to get closer to large groups to help him. As is the case, for example, with Pierre Fabre who presents his product to gynecologists and midwives for them to prescribe. Or with Essity, a Swedish group specializing in hygiene products with whom she co-signs the probe in the United Kingdom. Two signals which demonstrate that innovation, in femtechs, can also go through association with major historical players.
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