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I had the pleasure of meeting the brilliant Ida Tin, the mother of the FemTech industry and co-founder and former CEO and chairwoman of Clue – one of the most trusted female and FDA-approved health apps with over 10 million active users across 190 countries.

Ida’s story began with a simple yet powerful idea: to create a language that would unify and legitimise the emerging field of female health technology. By coining the term “FemTech,” she not only validated a sector often stigmatised but also brought together startups focused on women’s health, drawing attention to the broader cultural shift towards recognising this vital area.

Despite the challenges of gender bias in venture capital, Ida’s determination led to securing over $70 million in funding, a rare feat for female-led tech startups. Her journey with Clue, inspired by the potential of the iPhone for tracking intimate data, aimed to make family planning data-driven.

Throughout our discussion, Ida reflected on the immersive journey of building tech startups and the idea of creating ventures without the pressures of investor oversight. Her insights offer a thoughtful perspective on the challenges and fulfilment of building a meaningful business in a male-centric industry.

Join us in this thoughtful conversation now.

* This conversation was recorded in 2024, before I decided to launch the podcast. Yet the talking points are so relevant to today’s hype-driven AI world that I felt the episode needed to be revived and included in the CEOR debates. It also demonstrates the reality that AI has not really changed much. It’s my counterparts behind the technology who keep on moving the goalposts.

• 00:00:00 – Preview
• 00:01:52 – CEOR Special Spotify Reward
• 00:03:59 – Ida shares the extraordinary entrepreneurship journey that led her to building one of the largest apps in the world.
• 00:09:52 – How did Ida and her cofounders come up with the term “FemTech” and why was it so revolutionary on an international scale?
• 00:15:38 – Why is the tech sector and the world of business in general so disconnected from women’s health and performance?
• 00:22:02 – The key advantages of mission-driven entrepreneurship and why the patriarchy is damaging for both men and women entrepreneurs.
• 00:32:11 – How society, education and parents “accidentally” damage girls’ confidence in life
• 00:36:05 – After raising $70 million in VC funding, why did Ida walk away, and why are more entrepreneurs walking away from investors?
• 00:41:46 – Why entrepreneurs must conduct due diligence on investors? Tim used to ask investors where they got their money from!
• 00:47:40 – How the system and shareholders, not regulations, stifle innovation, especially people-centric and responsible deeptechs.
• 01:06:53 – How did Ida and her team build an ethical business at scale, despite having VC and shareholders?
• 01:13:20 – Why real innovation and problem-solving come from a nuanced reality check and accepting the ugly truths of any given problem.
• 01:15:39 – Ida’s vision for the future and her plans post her resignation from Clue.

is the co-founder and former CEO and chairwoman of Clue, one of the most trusted female health apps with over 10 million active users across 190 countries.

Ida has won several prizes for her entrepreneurial work with Clue.

Before starting Clue, Ida led motorcycle tours around the world for 5 years with MotoMundo, the motorcycle touring company she cofounded with her dad, Hjalte Tin.

She wrote a book about her travel adventures, inner and outer, “Directress”, published in Denmark in 2009. Ida currently lives in Berlin and has two children.

She is an active campaigner on responsible leadership, sustainability, the ethical use of data and AI, gender equality, and societal change through technology and cultural innovation.