A Champion for the Business of Women's Health
Rachel Braun Scherl built her career on a belief that most of the business world was still reluctant to say out loud: that women's health was not a niche — it was the biggest underserved market in global consumer health.
She didn't just identify the opportunity. She created a company, built a category, sold to a public acquirer, wrote the book on it — literally — and has spent three decades proving that growth in this space is both possible and profitable.
Why Women's Health?
"I didn't choose women's health because it was safe or popular. I chose women's health because it represented the perfect storm of opportunity - pent-up demand, minimal understanding o the range and impact of challenges, limited availabilabe solutions, insufficient training for health care clinicins, lack of important vocabulary, education and conversations, I believe that serving women well was not just the right thng to do but also an enormous economic opportunity."
"The companies that win in women's health won't be the one who just understand the biology. They will be the ones who understand how the biology creates life-changing outcomes and huge business growth."
The Path
As Managing Partner and Co-Founder of SPARK, Rachel has led global consulting engagements with multinationals such as AbbVie, Allergan, Bayer, Church & Dwight, GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Pfizer, Reckitt, Sanofi, and Teva, among others. In addition to building global brand, Rachel has advised dozens of startups and businesses focused on women's health broadly.
She previously co-founded and served as President of Semprae Laboratories — a venture-backed women's sexual health company that grew rapidly in retail and direct-to-consumer before being acquired by Innovus Pharmaceuticals in 2013. Running Semprae didn't just teach Rachel how to build a business. It taught her how to build a category.
The first "Vagipreneur®" (a term created by journalist and author, Abby Ellin), Rachel is a leading voice and market maker in the multibillion-dollar global women's health sector. She attended Stanford University Graduate School of Business and graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Duke University.
The Path to Category Authority
Fortune 500 Brand Builder
Advised leading global brands and businesses including Allergan, Bayer, Church & Dwight, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and more.
Category Creator
Build one of the first consumer brands focused on women's sexual desire, arousal and satisfaction.
Published Author
Best-selling author of <em>Orgasmic Leadership</em>, and dozens of articles for leading outlets, including Huffinton Post, Inc., and Forbes.
Global Speaker
Highly-sought after presenter at leading academic institutions (Columbia, Duke, Stanford, Yale), dozens of global conferences (SXSW, Bloomberg, CES) and companies (Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie, Minnesota Vikings).
Leadership Across the Women's Health Ecosystem
Rachel holds a portfolio of leadership roles dedicated to advancing the business of women's health.
Managing Partner & Co-Founder
SPARK Solutions for Growth
Strategic growth consultancy advising global brands and venture-backed startups across women's health.
Co-Founder
51&
Building a new platform to fix what's broken in women's health.
Co-Host
Business of the V Podcast
Highlighting innovation, leaders, and opportunities across the women's health ecosystem.
Board & Advisory Leadership
Rachel lends her expertise to boards and advisory roles across academia, innovation, and women's health.
Public & Private Boards
Duke University — Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Board MemberSupports innovation and entrepreneurship education and initiatives at Duke University.
Women's Health Organizations
Women's Health Horizons
Strategic AdvisorAdvises a leading women's health innovation community and summit series.
HITLAB
FellowFellow supporting healthcare innovation and digital health research.
Speaking, Media & Thought Leadership
Rachel shares her expertise through books, podcasts, media, speaking, and writing.
Book
Orgasmic Leadership
Best-selling book on the business opportunity in women's health and wellness.
Podcast
Business of the V
Co-hosted podcast highlighting innovation in women's health.
Media Contributions
Featured In
Forbes, The New York Times, CNN, Inc., ABC Nightline, CBS News, MSNBC, and more.
Speaking
Keynotes & Panels
Stanford, Duke, Yale, SXSW, Bloomberg Equality Summit, CES, and companies including Johnson & Johnson and AbbVie.
Writing & Thought Leadership
Articles & Commentary
Dozens of articles for Forbes, Huffington Post, and Inc.
A Career Building the Business of Women's Health
Duke University & Stanford GSB
Graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Duke University; earned an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Johnson & Johnson
Built marketing expertise at Johnson & Johnson, working on household brands including Tylenol.
Semprae Laboratories Acquired
Co-founded and served as President of Semprae Laboratories, a women's sexual health company acquired by Innovus Pharmaceuticals.
SPARK Solutions for Growth
Co-Founder and Managing Partner of a strategic growth consultancy advising global brands and venture-backed startups in women's health.
Orgasmic Leadership Published
Authored the best-selling book on the business of women's health and wellness.
Quotes from Quarantine
Created a Zoom interview series connecting the femtech community, completing 120+ interviews.
51& and Business of the V
Co-Founder of 51& and Co-Host of the Business of the V podcast.
Awards & Honors
Best Fifty Women in Business — NJBiz (2015)
BRAVA Awards — SmartCEO, Top Female CEOs
JWI 10 Women to Watch
Board, Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Duke University
Featured In
Orgasmic Leadership
Profiting from the Coming Surge in Female Health and Wellness
Rachel's groundbreaking book unlocks the massive market opportunity in women's health. It's a must-read for executives, entrepreneurs, and investors looking to understand and capitalize on the fastest-growing category in consumer health.
