The company’s first product is a digital therapeutics platform that helps women identify and navigate PCOS, with a comprehensive offering of medical care, nutrition therapy, lifestyle coaching, and doctor support
Veera Health, a digital health platform for women, today announced US$3 million in funding co-led by Sequoia Capital India’s Surge and Global Founders Capital. Veera Health is one of the 23 companies chosen by Surge, a rapid scale-up program by Sequoia Capital India for startups in India and Southeast Asia. It is also backed by global tech accelerator Y Combinator. The company’s first product is a digital therapeutics platform that helps women identify and navigate PCOS, with a comprehensive offering of medical care, nutrition therapy, lifestyle coaching and doctor support.
Founded by sisters Shobhita and Shashwata Narain in August 2020, Veera Health’s mission is to close the gap in access to quality healthcare for women by providing scientific, progressive treatments through a seamless digital platform. The founders hope to create awareness of women’s health needs and empower all women to take control of their wellbeing.
Veera Health’s first route to expanding healthcare access is by targeting PCOS. While the common chronic condition purportedly affects 1 in 5 women in India, fewer than 30% are clinically diagnosed. The variety of symptoms adds to the complexity – from irregular periods and weight gain to mood disorders, acne and excessive body hair. If left untreated, it can lead to diabetes, infertility and even endometrial cancer. Most women with PCOS waste years and tens of thousands of rupees hopping between doctors, diet plans, gyms and unproven supplements, without seeing any change in their symptoms.
“I was extremely frustrated by how long it took me to get diagnosed with PCOS, get proper medical advice to manage my condition. Even after trying multiple doctors, I felt like I was in the dark about how to actually treat my symptoms. There’s definitely a lot of judgement in the Indian context as well. We hear story after story from our customers about how they were body-shamed or told to get married instead of treating PCOS,” said Shobhita Narain, COO and Co-Founder.
“Indian women are ready for a modern, high-quality healthcare experience. PCOS is a massive need – it’s a lifelong condition that seriously impacts quality of life for millions of women around the world. Our vision is to start with PCOS and continue to expand to additional women’s health conditions. Being part of the target market ourselves, we understand the issues better than anyone else and are excited to build something that we can ourselves use in our lifetime,” said Shashwata Narain, CEO and Co-Founder.
Source: Business World
