.png)
149 Technologies aims to Nurture, Expand, Support, and facilitate Transactions (NEST) across the Women’s Health Ecosystem. This ecosystem, despite its critical importance, receives a very small portion of investment dollars, and one needs to stretch every single cent.
One way is by utilising shared services offered by 149 Technologies that help standardise capabilities, improve quality, and lower costs through scale. We aggregate demand, set standards, and automate wherever possible, lowering costs for both startups and their service providers.
Why 149?
At 149 Technologies, we work with startups across this complex healthcare ecosystem, with a unique business model—one that challenges the notion that “bigger is better.”
The reality is, the larger the company and the more capital it raises, the more beholden it becomes to external interests and internal fiefdoms. Too often, this shifts power away from the long-term needs of female customers and the healthcare startups serving them.
We found inspiration in Loonshots by Safi Bahcall, which references research by Robin Dunbar. Bahcall explains how once an organisation grows beyond about 150 people, politics begin to outweigh the mission. He takes this number and explains its meaning in the context of organisational behaviour.
So, rather than fight constraints that appear to be grounded in biology and psychology, we’ve decided to limit our organization to 149 members to foster deep collaboration, internal agility, and external relationships.
The benefits of this are enormous:
- Talent is developed and spun into new ventures.
- Technology adoption is rapid and human-centred.
- Bureaucracy stays minimal.
- Innovation and learning stay at the forefront.
Most importantly, this small size keeps us extremely close to our customers, who are our primary investors. And we will be experimenting with ways to bring their ‘vote’ to the centre of our activities.
How can you join us on this journey?
You could start by subscribing to our updates. Spreading the word. Participating in our crowd-funded activities.
Sending words of encouragement to our start-ups. And buying from them to help further nurture and develop them. And, do provide us with feedback on where you see opportunities for us to improve.
Thank you for reflecting with us. Together, we can shape a stronger, more inclusive future in women’s health.