Women in Tech Podcast, hosted by Espree Devora · Espree Devora

Somer Baburek of Hera Biotech: Advancing Women’s Health: Women in Tech Texas

·1 hr 5 min·1 clip

Somer Baburek founded Hera Biotech, a San Antonio-based diagnostics company focused on endometriosis and women's health conditions requiring clinical trials and regulatory approval. She previously worked for 10 years at a local VC fund evaluating drugs, diagnostics, and devices before deciding to re-enter the women's health space. Hera licensed technology from UT Health Science Center for diagnosing endometriosis without surgery, addressing an eight-year average diagnostic delay where 68% of women receive initial misdiagnoses. Somer discovered that women's health drug development focused on symptom control rather than disease-modifying treatments because robust diagnostics and disease progression tracking didn't exist. Endometriosis currently requires surgery for diagnosis, with some women undergoing unnecessary organ removals during 15-year diagnostic journeys. She argues the industry asks why reproductive organs aren't removed for women's conditions when amputation would never be suggested for men's sexual health issues. Only two percent of venture capital goes to female founders overall, with even lower percentages for women's health hard science companies. The "femtech" label created problems by conflating period-tracking apps and wellness tech with biotech requiring clinical trials. Funds claiming to invest in femtech primarily back SaaS and digital health companies in their portfolios, not diagnostic or therapeutic companies needing regulatory clearance. Investors ask Somer about customer acquisition costs when her product requires clinical validation before market testing. She faces challenges as a non-PhD, non-MD founder despite all other team members having advanced degrees, with some investors dismissing her as not a "technical founder." Hera raised $4 million over five years from primarily angel investors rather than VCs. The company recently acquired its only global competitor in tissue-based endometriosis diagnostics and is completing a second acquisition of a cervical cancer point-of-care device for low- to middle-income markets. Somer now takes a VC portfolio approach, building synergistic offerings serving the same patient populations. She emphasizes collaboration among the handful of hard science women's health founders, actively opening doors for one another. The conversation is frank and conversational, with both host and guest sharing personal experiences including incontinence after pregnancy. Somer speaks directly about investor behavior including ghosting, moving goalposts, and lack of "fast no's" that waste founders' time. The discussion suits founders in life sciences, particularly women's health, and those interested in understanding diagnostic development challenges versus digital health apps.

As heard by us

A grounded look at women’s health, company building, and the language that turns attention into action.

The conversation treats women’s health as both a mission and a business, with company expansion, paired offerings for the same patients and stakeholders, and the shift from founder language to CEO language all carrying real weight.

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Why you'd press play

Listen for a CEO-minded take on growing a women's health company.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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