WoW Woman in FemTech I Amy Beckley, CEO and founder of Proov
Amy Beckley is the CEO and founder of Proov. Proov provides a variety of solutions to unleash the power of the menstrual cycle and reproductive hormones, inspiring women to live and feel their best.
Amy, tell us a bit about your background and your projects so far.
I have a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and have been a scientist since 1999. I love understanding how the body works, mainly how our organs talk to each other and what happens when that goes wrong. I’m done with vaccine development and cancer drug discovery, but by far, the most interesting thing I’ll do is reproductive health and hormones. I got interested in this after a long and painful battle with infertility and recurrent miscarriage.
How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges?
After my battle with infertility, I set out to invent better ways to diagnose and treat infertility. I bought a bunch of materials and developed the first prototype in my basement in 2016. Being just an infertile scientist, I bought a $50 logo on Upwork and started a crowdfunding campaign on IndieGoGo. If my invention was something women wanted to buy, they would buy it and I would make it for them. We raised enough money to make our first batch and sold that to make our second batch and so on.
How long did it take you to be where you are now? What was the biggest obstacle? What are the challenges of being in the industry you are in?
We launched the MVP product in 2017 and in 2022, we are still developing it to make it the ideal product for more women. The biggest obstacle has been the FDA. As a truly new diagnostic test in the market, we had to get FDA clearance. This causes an additional layer of complexity. Unlike other fertility products that are just FDA listed, we have to stick with certain rules and regulations and have spent years collecting data that the FDA needs to maintain our cleared status. It is worth it because we are completely committed to providing accurate and safe devices for women to monitor their hormone health.
What are your biggest achievements to date?
FDA Clearance, Series A funding, and helping over 100,000 women reach their fertility goals. I still get so excited to see a Proov baby posted to the Proov user group. It is the most amazing experience to hear these women and know they trusted Proov to help them build their families.
What are the projects you are currently working on?
We are expanding from fertility to hormone health and wellness. We get a lot of women that are in their 40s that are experiencing issues with their cycle or hormones. They really just want to know what is going on so we created a platform for women to get a snapshot of their cycle to see how their hormones change across their cycle. This will help us understand if the imbalance is causing symptoms. We can then suggest ways to balance hormones and get back on track.
Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why?
Yes, 100%. We are proud to be 15 women strong in a team of 16 people. Our backend coder is a badass woman who is so amazing. In fact, all the women on our team are amazing and SO passionate about our mission behind Proov.
What will be the key trends in your industry in the next five years and where do you see them heading?
Virtual healthcare and doing as much as possible without needing to visit an actual clinic. It is truly amazing what all we can do now in the comfort of our own homes. This helps increase access and reduce costs, enabling more people to get the treatment they need.
What is the most important piece of advice you could give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?
Make sure it is your passion. Vow to never give up. It will be so hard at times, but also so satisfying too. Always remember why you started the venture and never give up.
Who are three inspirational women in your respective industry you admire?
Candice Brackeen of Lightship Capital is the definition of grit. She hustles and never gives up. She helps so many underserved women be heard and get funding.
Jenna Ryan of Quora. She crushed it with Uqora, it is a fantastic product and the way she created a community of women with UTIs is awe-inspiring. Both of my grandparents are lifetime users and are now UTI-free.
Amy will be one of the speakers at our upcoming FemTech Untapped event “The rise of fertility tech - novel solutions for better outcomes”. Click the button below to get your FREE ticket and join us on June 16!
About FemTech Untapped program
FemTech Untapped is an online program and a global movement tapping into areas of women's health that have long been underserved, underresearched, and underfunded. In 2022, we will be covering a wide range of topics with a goal to educate and destigmatize areas of FemTech that still remain “untapped”.
Join us every month for a series of events where we will cover topics from diversity and inclusion in the femtech space, to menstrual health and sextech, to mental and cardiovascular health for women and underrepresented audiences and groups in the healthcare space. Together, we can all work towards FemTech being more accessible and inclusive.
This interview was conducted by Marija Butkovic, Digital Marketing and PR strategist, founder, and CEO of Women of Wearables. She regularly writes and speaks on topics of wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, entrepreneurship, and diversity. Follow Marija on Twitter @MarijaButkovic and read her stories for Forbes here.