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Tabitha Holbert is the founder and CEO of womens health tech company Artemis.
I think that Black women, especially, need to know about their bodies, Holbert tells Well+Good.
I could tell you stories of just appalling things that Ive seen in my life happen to Black women.
Well+Good: What drew you to the womens health tech space?
There are just so many problems waiting to be solved.
And how do you solve a problem?
Tabitha Holbért is the founder and CEO of women’s health tech company Artemis.
Bite by bite.Artemis is a company aiming to advance the lives of women with technology.
So I thought wed start from the beginning with the app.
But an app is not true advancement, especially if you have to pay for it.
Ours is forever free because I dont believe a woman should have to pay to learn about her body.
Lets start with the app, then.
How does it differ from other period-tracking apps on the market?
Then on any given day, you could input your symptoms but with nuance.
Were trying to help women create language around their symptoms.
We dont have emoticons for that reason.
Tabitha Holbért is the founder and CEO of women’s health tech company Artemis.
So lets say youre feeling painwhat level is it at?
All the way from those extremes to the other end of the spectrumnot having cramps.
The emojis [used by other period-tracking apps] didnt work for me to express those distinctions.
I cant go to the doctor and say, I was three lightning bolts and a teardrop.
If women dont have the language, how are they supposed to communicate?
I had to go to so many doctors about the pain I was in before I was finally heard.
What about the women who arent as radical, who arent as feisty?
Who are told to keep their pain quiet?
They need a voice, they need language.
Again, its also forever free, which sets it apart from others.
But women are multifaceted and there are other things they want to track.
And I want to build it with my users.
If there are other things they tell us they want to track, well help them track them.
And speaking of paintell me about the forthcoming cramp relief equipment.
So Ive just kind of been obsessed with pain.
There are three presets.
One is random vibrationsI actually like to do that one when Im working out because it amps me up.
Then theres a wave setting, which is basically like the kneading of one of those massage chairs.
And then the third setting is just deep [vibrations]; its intense and stays at one level.
I like that one when Im working because its less distracting.
Because Im such a gym rat, actually, a lot of our testers were from my gym.
But we had a diverse sample.
I gave one to an MTA worker.
I gave one to my friend in Texas who has seven kids.
They are set to launch in fall 2021.
What else do you have planned for Artemis at this point?
And were also plotting an at-home pap smear.
From there, we really want women to build Artemis with us.
We want to know what they want and create it for them.
But the app will be forever free.
TH:This world is hard on Black women.
So Black women have to vigilant.
I make things with the intention of advancing the lives and health of all women.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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