Université Paris Cité, pioneering partner in the launch of the “Femtech Île-de-France’’ Fund

The “Femtech Île-de-France” Fund was launched earlier this month by the Île-de-France Region. Its purpose is to support the initiatives in favour of women’s health throughout their lives. The Innovation Santé team from Turenne Groupe, French independent leader of the small cap business, was chosen to ensure the rollout of this fund aiming for a target amount of €50 million. As a pioneering partner, Université Paris Cité will bring its interdisciplinary expertise on women’s health at the heart of the system.

Whereas women spend on average 25% of their lives in poorer health than men, women’s health is now an essential factor of progress. Faced with this major inequality and given its status as Europe’s leading innovative region, in June 2025, at the VivaTech international trade show, the Île-de-France Region announced the creation of the first fund dedicated to women’s health, the ‘Femtech Île-de-France’ Fund: a first in France and Europe.

Advances in medical innovation have fostered the emergence of ‘Femtech’, a strategic sector with strong potential, capable of profoundly transforming women’s healthcare pathways and quality of life, with significant positive socio-economic consequences. Still in its formative stages, Femtech is now a rapidly expanding ecosystem, driven by sustained growth. Financing is crucial to supporting the development and sustainability of innovative and socially impactful companies in France.

Financial support and a key fund to fill a market gap 

The ‘Femtech Île-de-France’ Fund intervenes between the ideation and Series A stages to fill a market gap and provide a favourable response to the emergence and development of new companies. The Fund will thus enable investment in companies with innovative technologies and projects that meet the specific health needs of women, offering prevention, screening and care solutions adapted throughout their lives.

Companies supported by the fund will have to develop innovative and impactful solutions to improve women’s health as a whole:

• Biotech: developing new medicines,
• Medical devices: hardware and/or software,
• Digital solution with high medical added-value,
• Solutions aimed at improving well-being or limiting symptoms associated with certain pathologies.

A three-part partnership to ensure the development of Femtech

This strategic partnership between the Île-de-France Region, Université Paris Cité and Turenne Groupe aims to provide financial support and guidance to young Femtech companies.

The Île-de-France Region, which initiated the project, will invest €5 million in the fund. With Femtech Île-de-France, the Region is pursuing a twofold ambition: to support women in their healthcare journey and to position Île-de-France at the forefront of medical innovation for women.

In order to raise awareness and involve the residents of the Paris region in this initiative, the Île-de-France Region launched a major public consultation to answer a simple yet essential question: how can we improve women’s health on a daily basis and throughout their lives?

“In Île-de-France, we are working to ensure that every woman, regardless of her background, has access to modern and appropriate healthcare. From the Maison des Femmes in Saint-Denis to the iWISH Institute, our efforts are making women’s health a pillar of the future. Today, we are taking a major step forward by creating the first fund dedicated to women’s health in Île-de-France, France and Europe. This unprecedented initiative confirms our position as Europe’s leading technology hub,” Valérie Pécresse, President of the Île-de-France Region.

Rollout of the Île-de-France Femtech Fund

The Île-de-France Femtech fund will be managed by Turenne Groupe’s Innovation Santé team, which will study investment opportunities and support the companies in the fund’s portfolio. Université Paris Cité will contribute financially to this initiative and open up its research ecosystem to promote the development of portfolio companies committed to women’s lives and health (connecting them with research units and clinical experts, providing access to technology platforms, etc.).

“Université Paris Cité is behind ambitious research and training programmes dedicated to women’s health. Participating in the development of Femtech allows us to transform the scientific advances made in our research laboratories into concrete solutions to improve women’s lives and, through them, global health, which has become our hallmark. This partnership also reaffirms our commitment to more inclusive healthcare, of which our Interdisciplinary Institute for Research and Training in Women’s Health (iWISH) will be one of the flagship projects,” Édouard Kaminski, President of Université Paris Cité.

 

“We firmly believe that innovation in women’s health must be a priority. This fund is both an ambitious and concrete response to citizens’ expectations and an essential contribution to advancing equality in health conditions,” Mounia Chaoui, Managing Partner – Health of Turenne Santé.

Contact : 

Université Paris Cité : presse@u-paris.fr

Région Ile-de-France : eleonore.flaceliere@iledefrance.fr ; service.presse@iledefrance.fr

Turenne Groupe : dgranier@turennecapital.com