The founders hope to create awareness of women’s health needs and empower all women to take control of their wellbeing
Veera Health, a digital health platform for women has announced US$3 million in funding co-led by Sequoia Capital India’s Surge and Global Founders Capital. 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.
The funding is co-led by Sequoia Capital India’s Surge and Global Founders Capital, with participation from Y Combinator, CloudNine Hospitals’ co-founder Rohit M.A., and Tinder India Head Taru Kapoor. Angel investors include Benjamin Bryant, Ethan Perlstein, Holly Liu, Utsav Somani and Walter Chen.
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.
Shobhita Narain, COO and Co-Founder said, “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.”
Shashwata Narain, CEO and Co-Founder said, “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.”
Sean Doolan, Partner at Global Founders Capital co-leading the investment said, “The prevalence of PCOS in India is unfortunately enormous, making PCOS a natural initial condition for Veera. Within a matter of days Veera can diagnose, treat and bring peace of mind to those women suffering from PCOS who otherwise would still be seeking help or wondering where to even begin.”
He continued, “Shashwata and Shobhita bring the requisite product pedigree, operational expertise, and lived experience to help Indian women suffering from PCOS now. However, we believe Veera has the potential to eventually scale beyond PCOS and ultimately address a breadth of diverse health conditions that affect all women.”
Patients of Veera Health are provided with a holistic treatment plan, administered by a team of doctors specialising in PCOS including gynaecologists, nutritionists, dermatologists and mental health experts.
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