This case follows a woman founder’s journey to establish a femtech startup in the Middle East. It explores the business opportunities and challenges of women’s health in a region where it is often considered a taboo subject. Sophie Smith and her founding team experimented with multiple business models and eventually established a hybrid approach combining digital (health-tech with a wearable device) and physical (integrative clinical teams and sites). The case poses a series of interesting questions: How to grow the business beyond major cities like Dubai? How to scale the hybrid delivery model and sustain growth? How to fulfill the mission of building a supportive community for women beyond the healthcare offering?
•Understand the importance of the fit between the external context and internal resources when developing strategy. •Analyze external business drivers, including regional differences, the cultural context, current standards of care, and various stakeholder perspectives in the system. •Consider how internal drivers such as the identity of the company (tech, social) and resource alignment help to achieve a competitive advantage. •Discuss what this means in terms of stakeholder engagement, goal alignment, and ecosystem building. •Explore the challenges of scaling up given the tension between growing a business, optimizing its social impact, and deciding which segments of the market to serve. •Approach the complex subject of women’s health in a sensitive, inclusive manner.
- Women’s health
- hybrid healthcare
- digital business model
- femtech
- integrative care
- fertility
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Middle
East - UAE
- Good Health & Well-Being
- Gender Equality
- Reduced Inequality
- Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Q22024