At our latest Femtech Canada Roundtable, we explored how the rapid rise of women’s sports is reshaping not only the athletic landscape but also the broader health ecosystem. Moderated by AJ (Andrzej Ejsmont), an angel investor and advisor in women’s sports and femtech, the discussion featured perspectives from professional athlete Farkhunda Muhtaj, insights from Olympian and gender equity researcher Jill Moffat and tech entrepreneur – CEO of Aretta Labs Lana Cuthbertson. Together, their stories painted a picture of momentum, challenge, and opportunity.
A growing sports landscape
AJ opened by highlighting how far women’s sports have come—and how far they still have to go. In the last 20 years, the number of women’s leagues has grown 50% to 165 worldwide. Canada is leading with the Northern Super League (NSL) and the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), giving athletes professional pathways that didn’t exist before.
This growth is matched by attention. Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram are helping fans connect directly with athletes, transforming how women’s health, wellness, and performance are discussed.
Financially, the sector is surging: between 2022 and 2024, revenue grew 4.5 times faster than men’s sports, reaching around $1 billion in the U.S. Yet women’s sports still represent just 2% of total sports revenue, reflecting ongoing sexism, safety concerns, and limited health infrastructure. Closing these gaps isn’t just about equity; it’s a chance to drive innovation and broader opportunity in women’s health.
Athletes driving health innovation
Farkhunda shared her journey navigating professional football in Canada. Before domestic leagues like the NSL existed, athletes had to go abroad or leave the sport. The NSL now provides a vital pathway- one that not only strengthens national teams but also redefines how women’s health is supported in sport.
Female athletes are up to eight times more likely to suffer ACL injuries than men, a gap driven by hormonal changes, muscle asymmetry, and joint hyperlaxity. Conditions like RED-S, linked to under-fueling and energy deficiency, are also far more common in women, impacting performance and long-term health.
Farkhunda emphasized that real progress depends on proactive, gender-informed approaches to injury prevention—ones that use research, education, and design to keep women healthy and in the game.
Closing the gap in women’s health
Jill brought the focus to the structural gaps that still define women’s experience in elite sport. Despite access to world-class facilities, most training and medical programs are still built around male physiology, leaving little room for women-specific considerations like hormonal cycles or injury risk and recovery.
She also highlighted how reproductive choices remain unsupported—athletes often navigate pregnancy and family planning without clear policies or dedicated care, gaps that are vital as many athletes are dedicating their lives to their sport during reproductive years. At the same time, social media is giving athletes new power to share their stories, connect with fans, and advocate for change. Jill noted, when athletes speak directly about their health and experiences, they not only raise awareness but help shape more informed, inclusive solutions.
Protecting the mental health of female athletes
Lana demonstrated how technology can protect and empower athletes online. Research shows that female athletes are at higher risk for mental health struggles -including anxiety, depression, and eating disorders—often exacerbated by the pressure of social media and toxic online commentary. Yet, women’s mental health remains widely undervalued: globally, only 3% of studies explicitly examine questions specific to women’s health, and much medical knowledge stems from research conducted on men, with female symptoms often classified as atypical.This exemplifies how innovations rooted in women’s sport can scale beyond sport, advancing mental health, wellbeing, and equality—an area still too rarely discussed despite its critical importance.
Sports as a launchpad for health innovation
Women’s sports are emerging as one of the most effective platforms for innovation in women’s health, where new products and solutions—from recovery tools to menstrual and maternal health technologies—can be tested under the pressures of elite performance and then scaled to broader populations.
This intersection is attracting investment and attention, as brands and technologies gain credibility by proving their effectiveness with professional athletes.
Within the Femtech Canada network, VolleyWear, Flow 2 Freedom, and Hettas showcase women’s health innovation—protective volleyball gear, period-proof activewear, and high-performance running shoes designed for female physiology. Eli adds hormone monitoring for insights on performance and recovery. Together, these companies show how sport can test and scale solutions while educating and empowering women.