Ovum founder Dr Ariella Heffernan-Marks named Best New Founder as the women’s health app scales

The useful part

For too many women, getting answers about their health requires navigating a system where concerns are dismissed, patterns overlooked and getting the right answers can take years. Dr Ariella Heffernan-Marks is setting out to give women a stronger voice in the doctor's office while tackling the data gaps that have shaped women's healthcare for decades. Ovum brings symptoms, medications, test results and medical history together in one AI-powered health journal, helping women spot patterns, prepare for appointments and contribute to a growing women's health dataset.

How it works

• During her third year of medical school, she began experiencing chronic migraines and found herself navigating the same fragmented system she was being trained to work within.
• Ovum brings symptoms, wearable data, test results, medications, lifestyle logs and medical history into one place, using conversational AI to surface patterns over time.
• It's to build infrastructure that ultimately contributes to better healthcare for women at scale." Women remain underrepresented in health research and datasets, limiting what researchers and clinicians can...
• "More than that, it shows the power of putting humans at the centre.
• Women's stories and experiences are at the centre of everything we do." The long-term goal is to build a richer picture of women's health over time, one that can support research, improve understanding of...

What to take from it

That mission has now earned Heffernan-Marks the Best New Founder title at the Startup Daily Best in Tech Awards 2026. Presented by The Founders Union, the award recognises an outstanding first-time founder demonstrating early promise and creating meaningful impact. Get the best of Startup Daily straight to your inbox Want to know the latest in startup news?

Example or evidence

• "The number of women consenting demonstrates the power of building trust, especially for an AI company," she says.
• "Those are the moments that remind us why we're building this." See the full winners list here.
• Members select their stage – Exploring, Building, Launching, Accelerating, Raising, or Scaling – and are matched with curated guides, vetted service partners, and exclusive member perks.

Details worth keeping

The award comes off the back of a jam-packed year for Heffernan-Marks. This momentum was backed by a $4 million seed round in June, valuing Ovum at $18 million. The company has since signed 12 partners, including Medibank, Fernwood Fitness and iScreen, and begun a pilot with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood.

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• Startupdaily: AI dominated Startup Daily's 2026 Best in Tech Awards as Heidi bagged two wins and women founders surged.