Ann Holder, Founder & CEO of Odonata Health, a Minneapolis-based maternal and fetal health technology startup, is in the running for $1 million in funding as a U.S. finalist in the second annual Female Founders Competition. Organized by Microsoft’s venture fund M12 in conjunction with VC partners Mayfield and Melinda Gates’ Pivotal Ventures, the competition’s objective is to create a more equitable playing field for female founders.
“As a finalist, I am incredibly excited and honored to be a part of such a talented and driven group of entrepreneurs,” said Odonata founder and CEO Ann Holder in a press release. Her company develops proprietary, wearable sensor technology which non-invasively measures maternal and fetal vitals during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. The data, which includes fetal ECG and heartrate, are then analyzed using AI and deep neural networks. The technology allows clinicians to quickly and easily identify fetal distress in order to protect the health of mother and baby.
Holder’s background includes almost a decade of experience at Medtronic several operational roles. To date, she has raised $1.5 million for Odonata and hopes to raise additional capital this year in order to develop the company’s first product. The Female Founders Competition is a global competition that accelerates funding for women entrepreneurs developing business-to-business “deeptech”—a term for companies working on substantial scientific advances and high-tech engineering innovation—and software-as-a-service solutions. Four winning companies will receive a total of $6 million in venture funding along with access to technology, resources, and mentoring. Read more.