Investments in companies working to improve the health of women could generate big returns. | Arturo Añez on Unsplash
What you probably already know: Investment in women’s health is set to explode. Women already influence around 80% of health care decisions, control 85% of consumer spending and are projected to control more than half of all wealth in the United States by 2030 when the country experiences the largest wealth transfer in history as assets move from Baby Boomers to the next generation. The 2026 WHAM Report (from Women’s Health Access matters, a group working to increase awareness and funding for women’s health research) finds that women across the world are expected to hold nearly 40% of all investable wealth in the next four years, noting that the women’s health sector is projected to grow 27% to $58 billion. Women’s health venture capital has tripled since 2019 yet still represents only 2.3% of overall health care VC, suggesting a path to rapid growth.
Why it matters: Addressing nine women’s health conditions (including cardiovascular and autoimmune disease, metabolic disorders, mental health conditions, lung cancer, Alzheimer’s and menopause) could create up to $400 billion in economic annual economic impact by 2040. The report finds that investing $350 million in women’s health research would add $14 billion to the economy, adding that conditions that affect women differently, disproportionately or exclusively remain chronically underfunded. As WHAM founder and CEO Carolee Lee — a Time100 Global Health Leader — puts it, “These persistent inefficiencies represent a clear opportunity, one where investors can generate meaningful impact while capturing long-term value through better diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes.”
What it means: Conditions unique to women, the report says, represent “just a small fraction” of opportunity. The real commercial upside lies in conditions where women experience disease differently or at a higher burden. Women, for instance, spend $15 billion more on health care than men in the U.S., and almost $9 billion more on out-of-pocket prescriptions. “Incorporating sex-stratified data is critical for providing optimized treatments to all patients (women and men), says Lightstone Ventures Partner Christina Isascon, PhD. “(It) reduces risks and support the creation of health care companies positioned to outperform.”
What happens next: The market is primed for growth, with the analysis calling investment in women’s health “one of today’s most compelling business opportunities with high-growth potential.” By 2030, the report notes, women’s health could become a mature sector with funding aligning with market size and unmet need; broad clinical adoption of innovations that strengthen outcomes and generate returns; and sex-specific research protocols, datasets and AI-ready evidence. “What distinguishes this moment from previous calls to invest in women’s health is the pipeline: validated technologies, regulatory approvals and commercial traction that didn’t exist five years ago,” it says. “The time to bridge the gaps is now.”
