From Crippling Anxiety to a 700K Community-Funded App

On this episode of Femtech At Work, Mary Doube, civil engineer turned competitive strongwoman and co-founder/CEO of Aviiana, shares how being told her crippling perimenopause symptoms were "trauma" pushed her to build the app she couldn't find anywhere else. After VCs passed, Mary and her co-founder turned to their community, raising $700,000 in a crowdfunding round that closed in 48 hours flat. Now backed by a health-tech growth partner, Aviiana is building a women's health innovation platform combining a symptom tracker, a doctor-ready health passport, and a vetted directory of professionals. This is a masterclass in investing in women's healthcare — not from a boardroom, but from a mum of three who nearly didn't make it through her own perimenopause. If you've ever been told you're "fine" while your body says otherwise, you need to hear this.Key Takeaways:Why did one doctor's diagnosis send this founder into a mental health crisis instead of an answer? Find out how a civil engineer with no medical background ended up building a health tech platform used by thousands of women Discover what happened in the 48 hours after this founder asked her community for money instead of investorsWhat did the VCs get wrong when they passed on funding this founder — twice? Use this founder's story to rethink what you assume about your own "unexplained" symptomsResources:Mary Doube: LinkedInAviiana: LinkedInAviiana: LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook |Aviiana: aviiana.com.au/Maaike Steinebach: LinkedInWebsite Femtech Future: femtechfuture.comInstagram Femtech Future: @femtech_futureIf this episode made you sit with the memory of a doctor telling you "you're fine" while your body was screaming otherwise, you are not alone, and you are not imagining it — Mary's story is proof that the answers exist even when the system hasn't caught up yet, and if this conversation gave you even a flicker of recognition, do one thing right now: leave a 5-star review on whatever platform you're listening on, because it takes 30 seconds and it's the single most powerful way to help Femtech At Work reach the women who need to hear a story like Mary's, so subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts so you never miss a founder story like this one, and thank you so much for being here. See you next week.