Cure will host the Power of X Summit: Solutions for an Untapped Market to mobilize investment and solutions addressing the health of women. The two-day, in-person event, March 24 and 25, 2025, features more than 40 speakers, ranging from healthcare CEOs and investors to R&D leaders and public health experts to media personalities, as well as a competitive Impact Challenge awarding an equity investment.
The Power of X Summit and Impact Challenge are powerful examples of how Cure lives into our mission, noted Seema Kumar, CEO of Cure.
“Cure is a go-to hub for entrepreneurs across the healthcare spectrum, from treatment to technology to services, “ Kumar said.” We want to accelerate cures and care by providing expert insights, resources and mentoring to help innovators bridge the gap between concept to commercialization.”
KPMG is a lead sponsor of the Summit. Cure is hosting the Power of X Summit in collaboration with Cancer Vaccine Coalition, CIF, and Women’s Health Access Matters (WHAM).
Industry Leaders and Experts to Speak at Power of X Summit
Panels of thought leaders at the Power of X Summit will discuss healthcare trends, the investment landscape, building investment cases, research and product development, regulatory and compliance engagement, and business development planning.
The speakers will draw on their experiences across the major therapeutic areas that impact women only, differently or disproportionately, including Alzheimer’s disease, autoimmune conditions, brain health, breast cancer, cardiovascular disease and menopause.
The conference includes panel discussions on innovative technology and therapies, care delivery, healthcare coverage and services, and disparities affecting healthcare for women of color.
Kumar will open the Power of X Summit with a welcome and State of the Industry remarks. Carolee Lee, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of WHAM, will then discuss “The WHAM Report: The Business Case for Accelerating Women's Health Investment.”
The Power of X Summit will also feature a Fireside Chat on March 24 with Margaret Hamburg, MD, President and Co-Chair, InterAcademy Partnership and former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Impact Challenge to Award Up to $100K in Equity Investment
A highlight of the event is the Impact Challenge, a competition awarding one startup or early-stage company an equity investment prize ranging from $50,000 to $100,000. The competition, backed by the Catalytic Impact Foundation (CIF) and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, will also provide $10,000 in legal services to the winning company.
Finalists, selected from over 100 applicants, will participate in live pitch sessions on March 25 before a panel of judges. The challenge seeks scalable, high-impact solutions addressing diseases or conditions that predominantly, differently, or exclusively affect women.
The Power of X Summit also includes the Impact Challenge on March 26. This competition will award an equity investment prize to one startup or early-stage company ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 to support innovative projects that target significant societal needs for the health of women. The Catalytic Impact Foundation (CIF) and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe sponsor the Impact Challenge, which will also award $10,000 of in-kind legal services.
The Investment Case for Health of Women
Just 2.3 percent of the $49.95 billion in venture funding for health or healthcare in 2024 went to the women’s health companies, Forbes reports.
Yet every dollar invested in this market could triple its value in economic growth, noted McKinsey and the World Economic Forum in their 2024 report Closing the Women’s Health Gap. They project the untapped market of products and services for the health of women could boost global economies by $1 trillion by 2040.
Cure addressed how to fuel the market in its December 2024 benchmark report, Unlocking the Opportunity: What’s Needed to Innovate, Invest and Impact the Health of Women.
Registration for the Power of X Summit is open
The complete Power of X Summit agenda, speakers list, Impact Challenge information and registration are available at the Power of X Summit. Registration for the Power of X Summit is required. Qualified Investors receive complimentary registration.