Featured in Nikkei Asia | Amina Sugimoto – Named Asia’s Trailblazers
As part of its International Women's Day special feature, Nikkei Asia (formerly Nikkei Asian Review) published "International Women's Day: Meet 11 of Asia's Trailblazers," in which Amina Sugimoto, co-founder and COO of Fermata, was recognized as one of Asia's next-generation female leaders.
Global upbringing leads to health economics
Raised in a family involved in international development, Amina lived in various parts of the world from a young age. Although she aspired to be a doctor, her interest shifted from clinical medicine to solving structural issues. She obtained a Ph.D. from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, specializing in health economics and public health.
The challenge of creating a FemTech market in Japan
After returning to Japan, she joined the venture capital firm Mistletoe. There, she encountered the US startup "Modern Fertility" and was struck by the concept of women being able to understand their fertility through at-home hormone testing.
However, at the time, the concept of "FemTech" was barely recognized in Japan. Most investors were male, and their understanding of and willingness to invest in products related to women's bodies were extremely limited.
"I don't intend to lead feminism. But isn't it simply interesting to know a little more about your own body?"
Market research firm Frost & Sullivan predicted that the FemTech market could grow to $50 billion by 2025, but in reality, investment was slow, and it was a situation where "everyone was waiting for someone else to start."
Founding Fermata | Creating a market where none exists
To change this situation, Amina Sugimoto co-founded Fermata with Hiroko Nakamura. Their goal was to support startups in the women's health and wellness sector, build communities, and create a market.
They also initiated a fund concept targeting the entire Asian region. They are working to visualize women's health issues, which are often considered taboo, and directly address the problem that "unarticulated issues do not become a market."
"Issues in women's wellness and sexual wellness are considered non-existent because no one talks about them. But if they're not articulated, even the best products won't create a market."
Publication Information
Publication: Nikkei Asia (formerly Nikkei Asian Review)
Feature Title: International Women’s Day – Meet 11 of Asia’s Trailblazers
Article by: Akane Okutsu
*This article is based on content published in Nikkei Asia.