Conference in San Francisco highlights success of women’s health care investments
By CBS Bay Area
With the 2026 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco this week, experts have released new data citing that women’s healthcare generated $100 billion since 2000.
“Bust the myth that women’s health does not deliver tangible returns, that there cannot be huge billion-dollar companies in the space. We have actually analyzed over 25 years of data, build the world’s first database on public records that now show that in fact there are $100 billion dollars of realized exit value in the last 25 years,” Oriana Papin- Zoghbi, the CEO & Co-founder of AOA Dx, told CBS News Bay Area.
Their new report also showed that diagnostics, biopharma and devices comprise nearly 80% of total exit value. Additionally, more than 270 women’s health companies achieved $1B+ exits.
“The number one most performing clinical area was maternal health. But we also looked at oncology as well as fertility, menopause,” she said.
She added that the next conversation should be how to generate another $100 billion.
“In the room, we have a range of individuals, from startup to policy, to investment to private equity, to the acquirers, strategics,” Papin-Zoghbi said.
Alice Zheng, a partner with Foreground Capital, is one of those entrepreneurs attending the conference.
“Honestly, it feels like a family. We all share values, we’re all friends, and we’re all fighting the good fight for women’s health,” Zheng said.
She completed a year in residency, before changing course.
“VC fund and investing in women’s health. I look at new deals, talking to new companies,” Zheng said.
She added that the fight for better women’s healthcare is personal.
“I have faced pregnancy termination after having a congenital brain defect found during my pregnancy. And in my last pregnancy, I had debilitating migraines in which I was just unable to function like a normal human being. All these experiences have shown me just how critical it is to care for women in their health,” she said.
Zheng is looking forward to collaborating with more entrepreneurs like her, to continue investing in women’s healthcare in the Bay Area.
