Kate Ryder was ahead of her time when, in 2014, she founded Maven Clinic. She weathered dozens of rejections from investors who didn’t understand the need for a 24/7, on-demand, comprehensive reproductive health care platform. But Kate plowed ahead, fueled by her certainty that women’s health care wasn’t a niche market. Her truly pioneering move was to start working with businesses, including Bumble, allowing companies to support employees’ seeking access to a whole spectrum of reproductive-health and family-planning services. What could be more critical for businesses right now, with the health care rights of half their workforces under siege? Kate’s foresight has also had a monumental knock-on effect: thanks to Maven’s care, more women are able to succeed at work. Today, Maven is valued at over $1 billion—the only U.S. company focused on women’s health care to reach this milestone. Am I surprised at its ascent? Not at all. It just took a while for the market to catch up with Kate Ryder.
More from TIME
Wolfe Herd is founder and CEO of Bumble
- Breaking Down the 2024 Election Calendar
- What if Ultra-Processed Foods Aren’t as Bad as You Think?
- How Ukraine Beat Russia in the Battle of the Black Sea
- The Reintroduction of Kamala Harris
- Long COVID Looks Different in Kids
- How Project 2025 Would Jeopardize Americans’ Health
- What a $129 Frying Pan Says About America’s Eating Habits
- The 32 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2024