Anger is energising

Thank you so much to everyone who came to LWC's first event of the year, hosted in collaboration with The London Girl's Bookclub. 

We were joined by the critically acclaimed journalist and author of The Vagina Business, Marina Gerner, who shared her expertise on the radical innovations that could transform everything from smear tests to breastfeeding. 

There were many revelations across the evening, but I wanted to share just a few with those of you who missed it...

• Trials into the male contraceptive pill stalled because men were struggling with symptoms of bloating, mood swings and acne. Stop right there, John! No man should have to suffer through that!

  
  

• A 2018 study found that when VC investors are talking to male founders about their business, they tend to pose encouraging questions like, "What is your aspiration? What does success look like?" In contrast, when talking to female founders, the questions are more sceptical, such as ”Can you talk about the competitive environment? How long will it take you to break even?” Unfortunately, even if the investor was a woman, the gendered discrepancy within the questions didn't change.

  
  

• Forget bank fraud - hackers can get into your period apps and even your bluetooth vibrator. Femtech needs to evolve its data infrastructure to protect women's privacy. 

  
  

• A 'feminist' with a huge public profile refused to endorse Marina's book when asked because she felt the title was 'too much' and she didn't want to be 'associated' with it.

  
  

There was a lively audience Q&A and one of the crowd asked Marina how she has managed to stay so positive about the future, given the litany of censorship she's faced getting this book out into the world. She smiled and said, "Anger is energising". 

There was an electric energy in the room that I'm excited to capture again at the next LWC event, in February. This time we're re-writing the rules on carbs and I'd love you to be there.

Have a great weekend,

NB xx