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Twentyeight Health, a telehealth startup that provides reproductive and sexual health services to women in underserved US communities, saw a 52% jump in new customers after Donald Trump, who helped set the stage to overturn Roe v. Wade, was reelected in November. Sales for emergency contraceptives on its website doubled.
“At an inflection point for women’s health, we are prepared to meet the moment by continuing to invest in our user experience and expanding our reach nationwide to deliver a real solution to a real problem,” said Bruno Van Tuykom, who founded Twentyeight Health with Amy Fan in 2018. The New York-based company employs a team of licensed doctors and nurse practitioners who provide consultations on comprehensive family planning, maternity and sexual health and other women’s health-related issues.
Women’s health deserts
Twentyeight Health offers home delivery of birth control and abortion pills, herpes treatments, pregnancy tests and menstrual pads and tampons — products and services that are inaccessible to roughly 19 million women living in care deserts, according to Tuykom. The new financing round, led by health tech investor Seae Ventures, “will bridge this gap, helping women receive the essential care they need, regardless of geography, income, race, age, or coverage status,” he added.
Other backers in the Series A round include Impact America Fund, The Social Entrepreneurs’ Fund, RH Capital, Impact Engine, Gratitude Railroad and Townhall Ventures. It brings Twentyeight’s total raised to date to $20 million.
Inclusive care model
Twentyeight Health serves some 100,000 women in 43 states. Two in five of them don’t have access to a primary care provider outside of the company’s telehealth platform. Three in five identify as people of color. Half of Twentyeight Health’s customers make less than $20,000 per year and sometimes struggle to access critical health products due to lack of health insurance coverage or a lack of local providers.
The company has formed partnerships with Medicare insurers, such as Aetna, AmeriHealth and Molina, to deliver care to patients at no cost on co-pays and prescriptions.
