AUSTIN, Texas Raleigh entrepreneur Cindy Whitehead captivated audiences at the South by Southwest technology summit in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday. She was among the industry elite invited to speak at the conference, known for putting the best and most creative film, technology music, art and culture on display to the world. SXSW has become the premier event for professional creators to develop their careers with people from around the globe, learning and sharing ideas.”Every company is out there saying they are going to change the world that I think in fact we sometimes miss the fact that you have to do the hard work and you’ve got to do it consistently to get there. … I’m not based in Silicone Valley where there is the constant hunt for the unicorn,” Whitehead said in an interview. “I’m in an environment in Raleigh, Research Triangle, in which there are a lot of very smart, very hard-working people who are likely to be the next billion-dollar company themselves just by embracing the workhorse.”Whitehead co-founded Sprout Pharmaceuticals in 2015, which she later sold for a billion dollars when it produced the first ever FDA-approved drug for low sexual desire in women. The next day she founded another company, Slate Pharmaceuticals, coming up with a testosterone treatment for men. Her work in sexual medicine is groundbreaking given that treatment for low sexual desire has eluded the largest pharmaceutical companies for years. She said one of the keys was to throw out preconceived notions about women and sex.”This narrative around female sexuality that it was ‘all in their heads’ was completely ridiculous when you look at the science that had emerged and the data we had collected,” she said. “When we say things are complicated, there are no better words than that to hold up progress. When we say ‘women are complicated,’ you know what? Humans are complicated. Sex is complicated. Things are multi-factorial but it doesn’t mean you don’t look at all the different factors.”The resulting medication, called Addyi, is a nonhormonal prescription pill taken at bedtime used to treat Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) in women who have not gone through menopause. It is a serotonin 1A receptor agonist and a serotonin 2A receptor antagonist. Sprout and Addyi were purchased by Valeant Pharmacuticals, which was embroiled in a drug-pricing scandal at the time and thus stymieing Addyi’s rollout. It is currently available by prescription.Whitehead is working on a new venture now. Her new Raleigh project, called “Pink Ceiling,” is a mix of venture capital work, entrepreneurial mentorship and consulting. She calls it the “Pinkubator,” and it is sparking new energy in N.C.’s startup climate, particularly for women. It comes from her realization over a distinguished 22-year career in health care that there are a lack of mentors available to young women interested in launching their own ventures.”We can show them what they can be, if you believe the idiom ‘you can’t be what you can’t see.’ I think that is one of our responsibilities, to prop up the role models so there is visibility, there is a track that they can get on. The Pinkubator was borne of that idea.”For students interested in launching their own business Whitehead suggests that they take advantage of the entrepreneurial programs at N.C.’s universities. For parents and community leaders, sometimes a simple personal connection or role model can go a long way toward providing inspiration and confidence.”We need to do a very good job of propping up women as example to young women to show they what they can be and particularly women in non-traditional fields, STEM of course being a personal passion of mine,” she said.Whitehead sits on the board of directors and is an investor in Undercover Colors, a company with a wearable nail technology that detects if date-rape drugs are present in a drink.The other speakers on stage at SXSW this week included former Vice President Joe Biden, astronaut Buzz Aldrin and actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
