Closing the gender health gap: the investment case and capturing Australia's window of opportunity

For decades, women’s health has been under-researched, underdiagnosed and underfunded. This has created significant gaps in evidence, treatment, care and innovation, and a missed opportunity for social impact, investment and economic value.

Join us for the launch of a new white paper from the Centre for Sex and Gender Equity in Health & Medicine, examining the gender health gap as one of healthcare’s most under-recognised and time-sensitive opportunities for action.

Drawing on global evidence, and insights from investors, researchers and innovation leaders, the paper explores where opportunities are emerging, what is holding capital back and how Australia can build a stronger pipeline of women’s health solutions.

The webinar will bring together philanthropists, venture capital investors, researchers, advocacy leaders and innovation leaders to explore how different forms of capital can work together:

• how a sex- and gender-aware approach can improve funding, investment and due diligence decisions;
• the role of philanthropy in supporting early research and evidence generation;
• the role of venture capital in commercialisation, growth and scale;
• what funders and investors can look for when assessing evidence, market opportunity, unmet need and impact;
• how philanthropic and commercial capital can be sequenced and combined to help promising innovations progress to improve health outcomes and create a lasting social impact.

Whether you are seeking to achieve greater impact through philanthropy or identify the next generation of investable health opportunities, this session will provide practical insight into how gender-lens funding and investment can help move women’s health from the margins to the mainstream.

No prior expertise in women’s health, impact investing or venture capital is required.

For more details, please visit: https://www.sexgenderequitycentre.org.au/closing-the-gender-health-gap/

Robyn Norton

Founding Director, The George Institute for Global Health

Professor Norton is one of the two Founding Directors of The George Institute for Global Health. She has published widely on women’s health, global health, and injury. Read more

Bronwyn Graham

Director, Centre for Sex and Gender Equity in Health and Medicine

Bronwyn Graham is the Director of the Centre for Sex and Gender Equity in Health and Medicine at the George Institute for Global Health, and a Professor in the School of Psychology at UNSW Sydney. Read more

Dina Titkova

Senior Manager, Startup & Partnerships at UNSW Founders
Co-Chair, Business Translation Working Group, Centre for Sex & Gender Equity in Health & Medicine

Dina Titkova works in the intersection of innovation and entrepreneurship with over 15 years’ experience spanning partnerships, and venture development across Australia and Europe. At UNSW Founders, she leads a dynamic team delivering the university’s flagship startup incubators, accelerators and “going global” programs. A strong advocate for health equity and innovation, in 2019 Dina launched a Health 10x program designed and delivered by UNSW Founders in partnership with the George Institute for Global health to back innovations for major unmet health needs. In 2023 launched the first in APAC Women's Health Accelerator providing investment and tailored commercialisation support to ventures developing solutions to improve women’s health. Read more

Cathy Scalzo

CEO, Scalzo Family Office and Trustee of the Grace and Emilio Foundation

Cathy is CEO of the Scalzo Family Office and Trustee of the Grace and Emilio Foundation. Cathy is the Chair of Australians Investing in Women and serves on the board of the Social Impact Hub, and is the Deputy Chair of the Mornington Peninsula Foundation. Cathy and her family care deeply about gender equality and apply a gender lens to their social investments. They fund a number of philanthropic and impact investment initiatives that support women and girls including ygap, Good Return’s Impact Investment Funds, SEA Women’s Economic Empowerment Fund and the Trade Finance Vehicle supporting women’s enterprises and menstrual health in the Pacific. Cathy was previously General Counsel of Scalzo Foods, one of Australia’s largest privately owned food businesses and has worked as a senior associate at Allens specialising in workplace, anti-discrimination and anti-harassment laws and at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Read more

Anthony Liveris

CEO, Proto Axiom

Anthony has built Proto Axiom into a distinctive company-creation platform — translating breakthrough Australian science into enduring businesses. He previously co-founded Applecart, the New York data and technology company that attracted a US$100M investment from Blackstone Growth.