Hosted by “Women of Wearables,” the Menopause 2.0 global event gathered startup founders, clinicians, corporate representatives, and legal experts to reframe menopause from a private struggle to a public priority.
One message rang out across keynote talks and panel discussions: women over 40 are demanding better—and they’re not waiting quietly.
A market investors can’t ignore
The standout session, “Menopause: The Billion-Dollar Market Investors Can’t Ignore”, featured speakers from McKinsey, Progyny, Alloy, Nova Design, and Spark Growth.
Jeanette Numbers of Nova explained how menopause wearables like Embr Labs are pioneering real-time interventions powered by predictive algorithms.
McKinsey’s Anna Koffel called menopause “a real felt need”, with a total addressable market exceeding $100 billion.
Monica Molenaar of Alloy emphasized that only 2–4% of women are properly treated today, underscoring the urgency and opportunity for innovation and access.
“Going direct to consumer and making women and not insurance companies our customer, we can focus on what she needs, which is a long term relationship with a provider that answers her.” said Molenaar from Alloy.
She added that solutions must go beyond hot flashes to include sexual health, sleep, skin, and brain health.
See our recent article on tech for perimenopause.
R&D without hormones
A keynote from Bonafide Health’s Dr. Alyssa Dweck focused on science-backed, hormone-free care. While not yet in Europe, Bonafide is investing deeply in research and development to validate alternatives like Thermella, a neurokinin 3 receptor (NK3R) antagonist shown to reduce vasomotor symptoms within two weeks. Bonafide focuses on giving women real options outside of HRT.
Bonafide’s approach includes double-blind, placebo-controlled trials and full data transparency.
Thermella was developed in response to the demand for faster, non-hormonal relief, outperforming older products like Relizen.
According to Bonafide’s consumer research, joint pain, sexual function, and sleep disruption are emerging as top menopause concerns.
Menopause at work: Legal blind spots and best practices
Legal experts from Covington & Burling LLP, including Dr. Nadine Kramer, mapped out the international employment landscape.
In Germany, menopause-related discrimination is not yet clearly protected, though recent surveys reveal that symptoms like sleep disturbance and mental exhaustion have serious impacts on workplace performance. Kramer highlighted a new national menopause strategy based on international models, flexible working models, inclusion of menopause in workplace and health management programs.
In the UK, new guidance from ACAS and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (2024) helps employers understand obligations under existing anti-discrimination and workplace laws.
However, as Covington’s team pointed out, no menopause-specific legislation currently exists. Tribunal cases, however, are rising sharply, showing a need for urgent legal reform and employer education.
Innovation in focus
The Innovation Showcase introduced emerging players like “Hello Inside“, “mycelsius“, and “NNABI“, spotlighting biomarker-driven diagnostics, personalized health insights, cooling wearables, and holistic care models.
From silence to solutions
From clinical research and investment strategies to employment law and wearable innovation, Menopause 2.0 proved that real change is happening. But as several speakers reminded the audience, we’re only at the beginning.
As one participant put it in the chat: “It’s wild how little I knew before 40, and now it’s all I talk about.”
The tone of the conference was clear: this is no longer a niche women’s health issue, it’s a global challenge with societal, workplace, and economic implications.