AI-powered women’s health start-up Ovum raises $1.7m

A young Melbourne doctor has scored $1.7m from investors who see mass potential for her women’s health app Ovum.

Dr Ariella Heffernan-Marks, the founder and chief executive of Ovum.

A Melbourne doctor has raised $1.7m after developing an artificial intelligence-powered health assistant designed to raise the standard of women’s health in Australia.

Melbourne-based Ovum tracks menstrual cycles, collects blood test results, referrals, letters and imaging reports and provides information around different health conditions and when it might be time to see a specialist.

The start-up is among a new cohort in the health tech space that are attempting to bridge a gap in medical research, clinical trials and healthcare.

Its founder, Dr Ariella Heffernan-Marks, said the idea was to help even up the medical playing field for women who she realised were being overlooked and misdiagnosed.

“I realised that women are completely disempowered with their health care regardless of socio-economic status,” she said.

Ovum was partly inspired by Blue Books, the personal health record books issued in NSW which record a child’s health, illnesses and injuries. One day during an internship at an antenatal clinic, Dr Heffernan-Marks said an idea came to mind that women should have something similar.

“Why don’t we look at women’s physiology which is so cycle-integrated and create something that integrates all that not only from empowered women but also from a research perspective?” Dr Heffernan-Marks said.

The start-up, which Dr Heffernan-Marks began working on in 2020, has received backing from Giant Leap, Antler, Wollemi Capital, Nakatomi Venture Studio, Alice Anderson Fund, Dr Nick Engerer and Tim and Casey Cosh.

Rachel Yang, partner at Giant Leap which led the round, said she believed Ovum would help address systemic gaps in healthcare.

“We invested in Ovum because addressing women’s health is not just a rapidly growing market – projected to exceed $121bn by 2033 – but also a vital opportunity to tackle systemic gaps in women’s healthcare,” she said.

“Through our extensive research into the sector, we’ve seen the immense potential for innovation to transform access, outcomes, and equity in healthcare.”

Ovum ran a month-long trial in November 2024 with about 150 women. It has since closed the trial and is looking to launch the product to the broader public later this year.

The product will charge users $14.99 per month for access and would also offer a pay-it-forward program where people can purchase memberships for others.

Dr Heffernan-Marks said she also saw a major opportunity in the corporate world where she would look to get corporates to include Ovum memberships in their benefits programs.

Originally published as AI-powered women’s health start-up Ovum raises $1.7m