Interview with Jeanne Chung, Founder and CEO of MIGHTY
Jeanne is the founder and CEO of MIGHTY. She has a unique combination of left brain and right brain. Deep experience in finance as a tech investment banker and a management consultant. And she’s a little geeky — engineering undergrad and MBA from MIT. Then, she became a wellness entrepreneur before wellness was “wellness”. As a certified yoga teacher and teacher trainer, she also pioneered a branded yoga studio experience, a 200-hr yoga teacher training program and led the first 10 trainings.
Jeanne concurrently designed and developed a boutique wellness hotel.
MBA + Engineering BS + Certified Yoga Teacher + Hotel Owner + Trendsetter.
Jeanne, you have a very diverse skill-set and you’re tackling an area of women’s health that is vastly underserved, can you tell us more about what you’re working on right now?
I have just launched MIGHTY Menopause™ with our natural supplement designed specifically for perimenopause symptoms. Which, shockingly, doesn’t exist in the market.
That certainly sounds like a major accomplishment, what are some of your other biggest achievements to date?
For MIGHTY, I launched MIGHTY Menopause e-commerce site and the Wellness Data Service technology. I designed Formula 4|5. I designed the logo and brand look/feel for MIGHTY. MIGHTY won an award for top 50 Health companies this year.
Why are you passionate about innovation in FemTech?
Because women deserve better. We need to change perspectives, approaches to create products and services that meet our needs as women. Along with so many other women, I call bullshit on how women get dismissed and belittled when it comes to our health issues and our health needs. Innovation is imperative. From software to devices to data to social movement, femtech is the way forward.
What are some of your current challenges and opportunities?
Challenges: increasing education and awareness about perimenopause and that it is different than post-menopause. Convincing investors of the enormous financial opportunity in modernizing menopause. Opportunities: creating authentic and lasting community, connection and empathy for women to reshape how women experience their 40s and 50s and completely overhaul how society sees us, understands us and creates/holds space for us — elder women.
Are there any unique opportunities for FemTech where you’re based?
I just moved to NYC from San Francisco. There’s a whole new world out here! I think my target market (women in their 40s and 50s) is ready for MIGHTY on both coasts and excited to reach out to them. From the founder point of view, I am excited to get connected into the startup world of NYC.
In your opinion, what does it mean to be for women in your local community?
It is a baseline philosophy that drives action to be inclusive, uplifting and affirming. I find this especially important for older women. Society thinks 50 year old women are decrepit and irrelevant. We need to change that. We do that by affirming and validating these elder women. I make it a point to tell people how old I am (51) at every opportunity. It’s time to change the market perception/branding of a woman in her 50s, 60s, 70s etc.
Why is being a part of the global FemTech community important to you?
To see what everyone is up to. There’s so much energy, innovation and determination across all sectors, across all age groups, and geographies. It’s a source of inspiration.
From your experience, which values does the FemTech Industry revolve around/encourage?
Identifying areas desperate/ready for innovation. Really (really really) knowing the end-user/customer and the multiplicity of her needs. The latter is really the secret sauce.
What are some of the blind spots in FemTech or Tech in general?
For FemTech being able (1) to adhere to priorities in design or product positioning, to a commitment to women-centric solutions and then effectively translate it to the male mind and (2) moving to fast (tech startup model) to get validation from prevailing investment environment.
What is one piece of advice that you would give to any entrepreneur starting out?
Make sure you have a deeply rooted passion for what you are doing because the journey is long and hard and without the fire of passion to keep you going, it’s brutally hard to stay the course.
When I was an owner-operator of my yoga studios, there were good times and tough times. And I realized that no matter how crappy things got (i.e., worried about making payroll and paying rent), I would *always stop and talk to anyone at any time to answer questions about yoga. That passion carried me through.
Who are the top three leaders/influencers you look up to in the FemTech space?
I think FemTech is both a business opportunity and the seeds of a revolution.
In some ways, all the work in FemTech is an act of protest. With that in mind, from the device (and sexual wellness and, oh yeah, controversy) side of things, Lora di Carlo. Their response to the whole CES debacle was impressive.
Ridhi Tariyal of NextGen Jane. Looks like some really cool tech and very innovative approach to determine reproductive health status. The mere existence of this tech makes her a badass.
And of course, Miki Agarwal, of Thinx for normalizing menstruation and innovating an antiquated space. Plus, I really dig the product. Great for the uncertainties during perimenopause!
What will be the key trends in the health tech industry in the next 5 years and where do you see it heading?
The landscape will continue to crystalize. We will continue to see innovation as current products and services evolve. It will ride the digital health and consumerization of health trends and we will get closer to personalized health. Data will become a huge driver. The dearth of clinical research on women leaves a plethora of basic questions understand. We *must change that. The insight garnered from longitudinal health/treatment/behavioral data will fuel more and better innovation — for the consumer herself and for clinical practices which are in desperate need of change.
Anything else you’d like to share with the FemTech Collective community?
Please spread the word about perimenopause. It’s real. It’s a thing. And the symptoms are no joke. A bit of basic education goes a long way.
Website: mighty-menopause.com
Twitter: @mightymenopause
Instagram: @mightymenopause
