Fertile Ground for Expansion: Nabta Health’s Global Reach

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.