He was an early backer of former President Donald Trump, and he contributed to Republicans all over the country, including those advancing anti-abortion causes. Now, tech billionaire Peter Thiel is getting involved in women's health care in a different way, reported The Daily Beast.
"Recharge Capital announced Thursday that Thiel is among the top funders of its $200 million women’s health investment vehicle focused on funding fertility care in foreign countries," reported Emily Shugerman. "According to Axios, the vehicle will focus on companies working in 'menstrual wellness,' 'women's disease prevention,' and 'international fertility medical tourism' — specifically in areas like Southeast Asia, a destination for women in countries where fertility treatment is heavily restricted."
The Daily Beast suggested there may be more to his women's health push than meets the eye.
"This is not the billionaire’s first foray into the world of women’s wellness. Last year, Thiel led a $3.2 million seed funding round in a women's health startup called 28, which tracks users’ menstrual cycles and gives them tips on diet and exercise—all while encouraging them not to use birth control. A quote on the company’s website from founder Brittany Martinez says that hormonal birth control 'promised freedom but tricked our bodies into dysfunction and pain' and encourages readers to 'begin anew,'" said the report. "Martinez and her husband, Gabriel Hugoboom, also run a magazine called Evie, a kind of anti-woke, right-wing alternative to traditional women’s magazines; it regularly publishes anti-abortion, anti-LGBT, and, of course, anti-birth-control content. A recent article bemoaned the number of women putting off getting married and having children in order to advance their careers."
Thiel has also involved himself in other cultural projects. Last year he poured money into "The Right Stuff," a dating app to help conservatives find love. It launched in the later part of the year, to a rocky start and little interest from users.
