Antigoni Studios, described as Canada's first femtech venture studio, has launched to support early-stage femtech innovators through non-dilutive funding, investor connections, and a membership-based community, among other things. "'Antigoni' comes from the Greek legend of Antigone — the OG disruptive daughter," they wrote. "Antigoni stood for a little bit of chaos and disruption in the name of a greater good. And friends, disrupt is precisely what we intend to do."
The project comes from business partners Kate Ellis and Riya Ganguly. Ellis is the CEO and founder of Bombus R&I; she previously served as a senior policy advisor in health innovation partnerships and strategy with the provincial government. Ganguly is the associate dean for NAIT's JR Shaw School of Business and the board chair for Women + Wealth, with past leadership roles at the University of Alberta, Edmonton Unlimited, and Edmonton Global.
The announcement comes just after several femtech founders and women's healthcare advocates returned from a gathering in Ottawa to support the establishment of a framework for women's health via Bill S-243, which the Senate is debating. Among them was Loreen Wales of My Viva and Revive Wellness. "We are turning words into action for the future of women's health," she declared. You can hear more from Wales in recent interviews with NGBi Lab, a podcast about Canadian life sciences startups, and with The Founder Mindset from Thin Air Labs.