Marina Gerner on The $1 Trillion Industry VCs Are Ignoring

In this episode of Trail Blazers, Johnny is joined by Marina Gerner, who is the Adjunct Professor at NYU Stern, an award-winning journalist and Author of The Vagina Business.

This podcast will help to uncover the hidden history of women in business, innovation, and health, and explores the solutions shaping the future.

For centuries, women played a vital role in business, yet today, their contributions are often overlooked. What pushed them out of the forefront? Was it wealth inequality? A shift in economic structures? And how does this disparity extend beyond finance into healthcare, technology, and even the data used in medical research?

We’ll be exploring topics that don’t get enough attention: the fertility industry, the real risks of egg freezing, and the staggering gaps in maternal healthcare like the fact that the last major childbirth innovation was the epidural… in the 1950s. With 9 out of 10 mothers experiencing birth injuries, why isn’t this a bigger conversation?

But this isn’t just about the problems it’s about the solutions. Femtech is on the rise, offering new opportunities for investment and innovation. We’ll discuss how the disaggregation of medical data is finally including women in research, the potential of period-tracking apps (and the ethical risks they pose), and even ground breaking technologies like smart vibrators designed to track health indicators.

We’ll start to uncover what’s giving people hope. What are the most exciting areas of research? How can men be part of the change? And what does the future hold for women in business, health, and technology?

Whether you’re an investor, a researcher, or just someone who believes in a more equitable future, this podcast is for you. Let’s bring these conversations to the forefront because when we invest in women, we invest in the future.