Digital Health Startup Veera Health Raises $3 Mn Funding Since the launch of its PCOS product in late 2020, Veera Health has had over 10,000 women benefiting from its education and services

Veera Health, a digital health platform for women, on Monday announced $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.

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.

"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," said Shobhita Narain, chief operating officer, and co-founder, Veera Health.

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 per cent 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, the platform shared.

"Indian women are ready for a modern, high-quality healthcare experience. PCOS is a massive need - it's a lifelong condition that seriously impacts the 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," shared Shashwata Narain, chief executive officer and co-founder, Veera Health.

"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. 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," stated Sean Doolan, partner, Global Founders Capital.

"Women's health is a large intuitive space and this unique focused approach from team Veera has the ability to make a deeply meaningful impact through early access, information, support and planning for not just detection but overcoming such health markers," commented Rohit M.A., co-founder, CloudNine group of maternity, childcare, and fertility hospitals.

The company's subscription-based programme is designed to address the most frustrating issues with PCOS. Patients of Veera Health are provided with a holistic treatment plan, administered by a team of doctors specializing in PCOS including gynecologists, nutritionists, dermatologists, and mental health experts.