Health in her HUE secures $3m seed funding to reduce racial health disparities
Health in her HUE secures $3m seed funding to reduce racial health disparities
The healthtech startup connects Black women and women of color with culturally sensitive and responsive healthcare providers and content.
A digital health platform which connects Black women and women of color with culturally sensitive and responsive healthcare providers and content has secured $3m in seed funding.
Health In Her HUE aims to reduce racial health disparities for Black women and women of color through technology, media and community.
Its $3 million seed funding round announced today (Monday 8 January) will fuel its growth by investing in talent and building out new programs and products.
Funding was led by Seae Ventures, an investment firm specialising in early-stage healthcare technology and services companies and focuses primarily on funding diverse entrepreneurs including women and those who identify as black, indigenous, and people of color.
The round also included participation from Johnson & Johnson Impact Ventures (an impact fund within the Johnson & Johnson Foundation), Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab, Genius Guild, HBCU Founders Fund, Stanford Impact Fund and a select group of angel investors.
A mission to improve outcomes and reduce disparities
Health In Her HUE was founded by CEO Ashlee Wisdom in 2018 to support Black women and women of color to access better care and to improve outcomes. Ashlee brings over a decade of experience working across the healthcare industry in a range of leadership roles.
Health In Her HUE's platform now provides its nearly 13,000 members with access to a suite of solutions to support their healthcare journey. The platform's current offerings include:
Connections: A directory consisting of over 1,300 diverse providers across 60 specialities, where members can filter and search for healthcare providers who best meet their needs, ensuring personalised and culturally responsive care.
Content: A collection of educational health content in the form of long and short-form videos, articles, and live on-demand virtual events that help keep women informed and aware on their healthcare journey.
Community: Forums where women can engage and learn from each other on a variety of health topics. This includes the Care Squad Program, which offers a physician designed curriculum and peer support group on various topics, including fibroids, fertility, mental health and more.
Founder Ashlee Wisdom said:
"I'm proud of the impact Health In Her HUE has achieved thus far to ensure Black women and women of color have a safe space to prioritize their holistic health and well-being."
"I know first-hand the challenges women of color face to receive equal quality of care while not feeling seen and heard by the healthcare system. Health In Her HUE is uniquely positioned to address the existing racial health disparities and connect our members with providers who are committed to hearing and understanding their unique lived experiences, while providing quality care accordingly."
Arianne Kidder, a Partner at lead investor Seae Ventures said:
"Ashlee's passion and vision for connecting Black women and women of color to culturally competent care is what drew our attention initially. Her focus on this vision, and ability to create a community, a team and a platform to make this vision a reality is what keeps us excited about Health In Her HUE and Ashlee's leadership. We were thrilled to lead this round of financing and look forward to continuing to support Ashlee on this journey to help more Black women and women of color access the health care providers, services and resources that are committed to their health and well-being.”
This marks Health In Hue HUE's second round of funding. In 2021, the company initially raised $1.2M in a pre-seed round to develop the platform. To date, the company's total investment amounts to $4.2M.