Women Healthtech Startup Proactive For Her Bags $5.5 Mn To Launch Flagship Clinic

Healthtech startup for women’s outpatient healthcare, Proactive For Her, has raised $5.5 Mn in Series A funding led by Vertex Ventures South East Asia and India with participation from existing investor Nexus Venture Partners.

The startup said the raised amount will be used to expand digital product offerings, grow its online customer base, and launch a flagship clinic in Bengaluru. 

Founded by Achitha Jacob in August 2020, Proactive For Her offers evidence-based primary and preventive healthcare services for women across life stages. 

Jacob, an IIT-Bombay alumnus, dropped out of Harvard Business School, as she says, to pursue her dream of building a platform for women’s healthcare needs with patient centricity at its core.

Sharing on the need of nurturing such a platform, Achitha Jacob, CEO, and founder, Proactive For Her, said, “The stigma attached to women’s menstrual, sexual and reproductive health issues, coupled with lack of access to non-judgemental support, have long prevented many women from addressing their healthcare needs. At Proactive For Her, we believe all women should have access to the best medical experts, who have a patient-centric, liberal and empathetic approach to women’s health issues.” 

As per Jacob, her venture has been witnessing overwhelming adoption so far across its offerings. She said by March 2022, her startup will launch its flagship offline clinic in Indiranagar, Bengaluru as the next step in its journey towards providing full-stack clinical care to women.

“We are thrilled to have Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia and India, and Nexus Venture Partners join us in our journey of empowering women to take charge of their health proactively. This investment further bolsters our mission and will help us accelerate towards our vision of making Proactive For Her the preferred partner for every woman when it comes to managing her well-being,” Jacob told Inc42.

According to the startup, it offers a full-stack healthcare experience with services ranging from teleconsultations and support programs to customised diagnostic panels. It has an in-house team of doctors, therapists, and nutritionists.

Further, it said its clinical teams are trained by global experts to carry forward body-positive, queer affirmative, and trauma-informed care. Its diagnostic services include complimentary pre and post-test support along with smart reports to help simplify medical jargon. 

Commenting on the investment, Kanika Mayar, senior executive director, Vertex Ventures SEA, and India, said, “Women are susceptible to diverse and complex health issues starting from puberty and there is a large unmet need in many areas where patients lack information and which require a more liberal, personalised, and empathetic approach to diagnosis and treatment. Since its launch, Proactive For Her has demonstrated impressive growth. We look forward to partnering with them and with Nexus Venture Partners.”

Proactive For Her is engaged with more than 5,000 women so far, through its teleconsultation services, webinars, and other patient education endeavours. Within the next year, the startup aims to service 100,000+ women through its various products, services, and community engagement initiatives.

As per an Inc42 report, the healthtech sector received $2.2 Bn funding across 131 deals in 2021. There were 3,548 active startups in the healthtech space in 2021, accounting for 8.9% of the startup world that comprises 39,960 companies. 

Interestingly, online pharmacy cornered $726 Mn, or 33%, of the total funding the healthtech sector attracted in 2021.