Today, the FemAging^® Project (www.femaging.com), a global initiative focused on supporting and leveraging innovation to improve the health, wellness, and well-being of women ages 40-plus, released the FemAging 2023 report. Produced with the support of AARP, the report features the FemAging Index, a nationally representative survey of 1,000 U.S. women ages 40-65, and introduces the 2023 FemAging Tech Champions, 20 global innovators developing groundbreaking innovations for older women. First introduced by the FemAging Project in 2020, the FemAging sector features innovations in software, beauty, fashion, devices, wearables, and other areas for women ages 40-plus. The FemAging Project will host a series of online events sponsored by AARP, focusing on the research results and highlighting data from the study about Blacks, Asians and Hispanics. The first, held on Wednesday, March 1 at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT, features the world premiere of the FemAging research and a conversation titled: “What Black Women Aged 40+ Want in Health and Wellness.”  

The FemAging Index features surprising information about the health, wellness, and technology preferences of U.S. women ages 40-65. Uniquely, the research provides insights about older women of color, with a special focus on Asian-American women ages 40-plus. 

Key FemAging Index insights include:

• 58% of respondents have significant or very high concerns about their ability to remain active, healthy, and independent as they age. 
• Women facing health issues associated with aging and hormonal changes due to perimenopause and menopause are focused on sleep management, stress/anxiety, and cognitive issues (i.e., reduced ability to concentrate and forgetfulness).
• Women of Color ages 40-65 have unique health and wellness needs and sometimes respond differently to menopausal symptoms — regardless of severity. 
• Older women are technology-adoption trend-setters in some areas. 41% of women ages 40-65 use voice-enabled solutions (such as Alexa/Siri), 30% utilize “smart home” technologies (i.e., thermostats and appliances) and 8% report using digital/cryptocurrencies. 

“Since we launched the FemAging Project in 2019, we have seen great improvements in the availability of products, services and innovations targeting women ages 40-plus, said Denise Pines,” co-founder of the FemAging Project. “But, much more work needs to be done. The FemAging 2023 report features data, analysis and strategic innovation advice that can help drive global FemAging innovation further ahead in the months and years to come.” 

“The FemAging Project has been a leader in helping to identify and drive understanding of the growing FemAging market, along with the unique ways women of color are impacted by aging and menopause,” said Edna Kane Williams, Senior Vice President, AARP. “We look forward to seeing how innovators respond to the opportunities and insights presented in the research.” 

FemAging 2023 Tech Champions Lead the Way in Innovation for Women Ages 40-Plus

The FemAging Project has named the 2023 FemAging Tech Champions, 20 innovators developing products, services, and solutions for women ages 40-plus. This year’s FemAging Tech Champions include Bloomer Tech, which has developed a smart bra featuring sensors that can potentially diagnose heart disease earlier in women, Stripes, which is developing products (and communicating boldly) for menopause, vaginal dryness, and other issues, and Syrona Health, which provides women’s health services targeting women at all stages of their lives. 

FemAging Exchange Conversation Series, Fast Pitch Competition, and Femmaya, a GPT-Powered Intelligence Platform 

Beginning on March 1, the FemAging Project will hold the FemAging Exchange Conversation Series, three events focusing on its research and providing health, wellness, and innovation insights about women of color. On April 13, the Project will hold the Fast Pitch Competition, in partnership with Keiretsu Forum SoCal, which will feature FemAging innovators competing for cash and in-kind services. To learn more and register for the Conversation Series and pitch competition, visit www.femaging.com/femagingera. 

In Q2 2023, the FemAging Project will launch Femmaya, a unique intelligence platform powered by GPT, the same technology behind ChatGPT. Femmaya can answer questions about women’s health and aging, identify emerging innovation trends in beauty, devices and other areas, surface interesting companies and more. Visit https://www.femaging.com/contact-us to submit a request to join the Femmaya waitlist. 

“Over the past three years, we’ve steadily grown the breadth and depth of FemAging research, events and intelligence to accelerate innovation and investment in solutions for women ages 40+,” said Fard Johnmar, FemAging Project co-founder. “We remain committed to developing high-impact research, services and other offerings to help ensure the most pressing needs of these women are recognized and addressed.”