Men can’t listen to sports radio for 10 minutes without hearing commercials about male sexual performance treatments, testosterone clinics, and other ways to improve their sexual wellness. But women are often left in the dark when it comes to their own sexual health, says Rosy Wellness Founder and CEO Dr. Lyndsey Harper. The 43% of women who suffer from a sexual problem face a lack of resources about this very private issue, she says—but her Dallas-based femtech startup is doing its best to change that.
Developed by doctors and psychologists, Dr. Harper’s freemium app platform uses technology to bridge the gaps in care. Rosy Wellness offers personalized solutions for sexual wellness, along with accessible, customizable offerings that seek to revolutionize the way women and their providers think about, talk about, and treat women’s sexual problems.
Founded in 2018, Rosy has become home to the nation’s largest network of healthcare professionals that support women’s sexual health, Harper said in February, with more than 8% of the nation’s Ob/Gyns now referring their patients to Rosy, which serves over 150,000 women.
New $1.2M bridge raise gives Rosy total funding of $4.2M to date
[Image: Rosy Wellness]
Rosy recently raised $1.2 million of a $1.5 million bridge funding round. Combined with previous seed rounds led by Austin-based True Wealth Ventures, Rosy has raised $4.2 million to date. The startup currently has 6 full-time employees and about 20 contractors, Harper told us.
A February post by Harper in FemTech Insider revealed insights about how Rosy’s research-backed offerings span a woman’s entire lifespan, from menstruation through menopause and beyond.
[Image: Rosy Wellness]
“In addition to supporting women and their doctors in finding solutions for existing problems, we’re also excited about Rosy’s ability to educate and inform women about preventive care,” Harper wrote in FemTech Insider, noting Rosy’s 2022 collaboration with Roche Diagnostics to create and test an in-app series focused on encouraging cervical cancer education and screening.
Harper completed her Ob/Gyn residency in 2011 at Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas. After seeing patients in private practice for several years, she became a hospitalist. She’s now an associate professor of Ob/Gyn for the Texas A&M College of Medicine, a Fellow of The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and a Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health.
In a Q&A with Dallas Innovates, Harper revealed her thoughts on the current fundraising landscape; her plans for Rosy Wellness’ growth; AI’s place in women’s sexual health; and more:
As a femtech startup, how did you navigate the current funding landscape?
Dr. Lyndsey Harper: This is a tough time for startups and investors. Knowing the market dynamics and my personal desire to limit fundraising time, we went into this round with investor-friendly terms especially given our stage and traction. We had significant buy-in from many of our existing investors but welcomed new ones as well. This strategy allowed us gather steam quickly and close this round faster than ever before which allows me to get back to the business of growing the company and our revenues faster.
What are Rosy’s plans for expansion, and how will you use the new funding to achieve those goals?
Rosy has redefined the landscape of women’s sexual health. We’re now expanding into B2B partnerships that will allow us to take this mission even further into other areas of women’s health. Our current round of funding will support the efforts needed to expand Rosy’s footprint for women and our healthcare providers.
With the rise of AI and machine learning in healthcare, how do you see these technologies playing a role in the future of Rosy Wellness?
It’s clear to me that AI and ML will be a huge part of every technology decision in every aspect of our lives moving forward, including healthcare. Rosy’s data set is likely the largest in the field of women’s sexual health and we will use the power of these solutions to create an even more robust experience for our members and partners beyond what we could have imagined a few years ago. In addition, this data has broad applications in the field of academic research in women’s health as well. We are compelled to be a positive force in the field and are excited to utilize all tools at our disposal to make even more meaningful contributions.
What are some key milestones that demonstrate Rosy’s growth and success to date?
Rosy has now had more than 270,000 downloads and is recommended by more than 5,300 healthcare providers in the U.S. and Canada. It was the 2022 award winner of both a Webby Award for Best Asthetic Design of an app and a UCSF Digital Health Award as a Rising Star in Consumer Wellness. Cedars Sinai conducted a study of sexual health platforms and deemed Rosy as the only one they would recommend to their patients. In addition, we recently watched workshops on the platform and are expanding our business model to include B2B partnership opportunities.
You can learn more about Rosy Wellness and download its app by visiting its website here.
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